A Nice Re-Handle -- Pretty Stag

[Shepherd Jim]

This must the week for me stumbling upon interesting oddities.

This 697 -- U.S. Navy Marlin Spike currently on auction at eBay has been very nicely re-handled with some beautiful, deep stag. I spent a long time trying to convince myself that this was a factory-issue SFO.

-------------

But, there's the fact that the area where the handle meets the bolster show definite signs that the bolster was ground/polished without the stag being in place -- NOT usual for Camillus' hafting. AND, there are the over-sized, coutersunk holes around all the pins. :grumpy:

I'd love to have someone tell me that there WERE some ODDBALL riggers produced over the years at Camillus. What sort of SFO's did Camillus do in their "own name"?

 

[Shepherd Jim]

Well, the knife wound up selling for over $120.00 so a number of bidders either considered this an ACTUAL Camillus product or just really appreciated a nice job of re-handling.

 

[Phil Gibbs]

Definitely NOT Camillus made.

 

[Shepherd Jim]

Definitely NOT Camillus made.

Phil, I take it from the fact that you capitalized the word "NOT" that you're pretty sure that this knife has been, in fact, re-handled after-market, as it were.

....LOL -- I'm joking! Anyway, I'm glad I passed this one up. I do enjoy knives with "a story" and that have been modified by their owners/users -- can't imagine having a collection that was JUST ALL shiny, MINT, never-been-touched items. But, at $120.00+ I'll just collect pictures of this one and stick them in virtual collection in Evernote and Flickr.

 

[orvet]

AND, there are the over-sized, coutersunk holes around all the pins. :grumpy:

The oversized holes are actually caused by the pin spinners used to form the head on the brass pins.

Phil might be able to speak more to this subject, but I believe the reason they are not often seen on the Delrin handles (except at the rocker pin) is that they used a semi-tubular rivet with a pre-formed head to attach the handles on the earlier knives. Some later knives were made with different methods that did not use pins.

I agree, who ever did the rehandle did a nice job, almost of Herman Williams quality.
However the dye on the stag is a different color than he is using now, at least on the Schrades I have seen from him.

 

[sven56]

Geez, Dale...here I was kinda thinking it might have been some of your work! I've seen some of the handles you've done on a Camillus or two...always nice to see.

 

[orvet]

Thanks Sven, I appreciate the complement!
It is always nice when someone appreciates your work. :encouragement:

Jim made reference to the bolster being ground or polished without having the stag on the handle. I see what he is referring to, but I have noticed the same rounding off of the bolster (seen clearly at the bottom of the bolster in Jim’s third picture) in Delrin handled versions of the 697. What ever is the cause, I think it was done at the factory. Perhaps Phil knows what caused it.

The $120 price it sold for on ebay is probably less than it cost the original owner to buy the knife and have it customized. Someone got a good deal at $120, IMHO.

 

[Phil Gibbs]

Yes, bolster rounding was probably result of over-buffing at the factory, maybe added to by custom work.

I agree on it being a pretty good deal!