Camillus and Schrade of Old Given Short Shrift Now-A-Days

[black mamba]

A few Schrade Waldens to add to the thread.

896K (mid to late 1950s)

897 (1967-'73)

881 (1961-'73)

SS700 (1958-'70)

 

[TheChunk91]

Here's a little four line camillus sword brand pearl senator that I like to carry sometimes. Not a knife that I go plumbing with

 

[MerryMadMonk]

Marble's Arms Corporation designed the first Jet Pilot Survial Knife in 1957 based on the Marble's Ideal hunting knife. But Marble's ultimately didn't get the military contract for full production. Camillus did and produced the knives based on the blueprints and specifications that Marble's had sold to the government.

1958 was the first year of production and the knives featured a 6-inch blade and a screw-on pommel. Sometime within that first year, Camillus received permission from the military to switch to a peened pommel to cut costs. They kept the 6-inch blade. This second version was produced from about 1958-1961. Around 1962, the military contract was amended to shorten the blade to 5 inches. Camillus produced the 5-inch version for the military until 1985 when they lost the contract to Ontario.


Camillus Jet Pilot Survival Knife, 1st Version, 6-inch blade, c.1958 with screw-on pommel

Camillus Jet Pilot Survival Knife, 2nd Version, 6-inch blade, c.1958-1961 with peened pommel

Camillus Jet Pilot Survival Knife, 5-inch blade version, c.1985 (the final year of the Camillus military contract)

EDITED: to add "Jet" in front of Pilot Survival Knife to distinguish from earlier PSKs which are a different style knife.

 

[Modoc ED]

Thanks very much for that info Al. I never knew about the screwed on pommel.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

4 line Camillus equal end jack with tip bolsters and Jigged black bone scales.

 

[tongueriver]

delete

 

[tongueriver]

delete

 

[TheChunk91]

Also, beginning in 1958, Schrade Walden started producing three (or more, with variants) different 'knockoffs' of this knife for the domestic public, which were more lightly built knives. They probably ran to the millions.

Cal would the 'knockoffs' you're referring to be the 144L, 138L and H15? The 144L looks the same but I assume it's not as heavily built as your pilots knife?

 

[MerryMadMonk]

You're welcome, Ed.

Cal, I should have noted those as Jet Pilot Survival Knives. I'll edit that post. I have some of the earlier PSK knives as well.
As an aside, Marble's produced about 5,000 Jet Pilot Survival Knives for the military as part of initial testing... those are highly sought after.

 

[tongueriver]

delete

 

[SteveC]

Camillus #16 Heavy Jack

 

[waynorth]

I wonder if this STA-SHARP was made by Camillus??

 

[waynorth]

Sword Brand (Camillus) EE Jack.

 

[Peregrin]

I wonder if this STA-SHARP was made by Camillus??
View attachment 1077219 View attachment 1077220

Oh boy! That's pretty, Charlie!

 

[MerryMadMonk]

Here ya go, Cal:

Military Knives, A Reference Book: From the pages of Knife World magazine, 2001
Compendium of articles from Knife World.

Articles by Frank Trzaska:
"Pilot Survival Knives", page 178
"Marble's Jet Pilot Knife", page 181
"The Jet Pilots Knife", page 184

Additionally, if you type (or copy/paste) this search string in google:

site:usmilitaryknives.com pilot survival knife

it will return results from Frank Trzaska's U.S. Military Knives website --- specifically from Frank's Knife Knotes. Some interesting info in his Knotes.

 

[TheChunk91]

Here's an early one.

 

[abiggs]

I frequently get on they bay to search for Schrade/Camillus and other old USA made knives to "rescue".

Unfortunately the home I rescue them to is usually a dark safe. I think it's my attempt to preserve the good ole USA made slipjoints. I hope that when the next generation of knife knuts and the generation after that get interested in these old gems, there are still some out there for them to enjoy.

 

[Misplaced Hillbilly]

The wonderful Schrade Walden 891 and Schrade Cut Co. MOP whittler courtesy of Jamie @blademan 13
Camillus 23 from an antique mall, been fancied up with MOP and file work by a previous owner. The 23 and whittler makes a nice pair imho.

 

[TheChunk91]

The wonderful Schrade Walden 891 and Schrade Cut Co. MOP whittler courtesy of Jamie @blademan 13

Your schrade cut should be an 8146T. The catalog shows a bar shield but everything else is the same so I'd say that's what it is.


I took a long time getting one of these waiting for a good deal. My kind of knife. It's similar to the gec 82 stockman, which I recently discovered is one of my most favored incarnations of a stockman and I didn't even know it.

 

[black mamba]

Camillus 65 from the '60s.