camillus hawkbill 1

TiSurvival

TiSurvival

Joined
Jul 7, 2006
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I rehandled a camillus hawkbill 1 and sold it to my brother to give as a gift to someone at work who is retireing. He wanted more info as far as when the knife may have been made. The knife is stamped "Camillus new york USA" on the opposite side it is stamped with a "1". Any info as far as dates the knife may have been produced would be greatly appreciated.
 
Big spread possible with only that info.

Can you post a pic; I may be able to narrow in down a bit.
 
this is of the finished knife, i dont think i have any before pictures though.

Hope it helps

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Looks Good!

Best guess 1970 - 1990s.

Thanks for posting the pic. :thumbup:
 
Thanks for the help, what of the knife made you come up with those dates? Just curious.
 
Your description of the 3 line Camillus tang stamp implies 70s or later.

I believe the last run of the blades in the 00s we omitted the #1 stamp.

My memory is not what it used to be, but I am pretty confident I am in the ballpark.
Was the original handle a wood grained brown delrin, swelled to the butt, with a large nickel silver clevis?
 
Photo tang stamp would reduce this timeframe :)

Phil, I too have a question:
When started #1?
 
Last edited:
Phil Gibbs said:
Your description of the 3 line Camillus tang stamp implies 70s or later.

I believe the last run of the blades in the 00s we omitted the #1 stamp.

My memory is not what it used to be, but I am pretty confident I am in the ballpark.
Was the original handle a wood grained brown delrin, swelled to the butt, with a large nickel silver clevis?
Click to expand...

Don't remember if it was delrin or wood, but it did have that clevis.
 
Vit-213,
The model 1 hawkbill pruner (Camillus #07 pattern) was first made in 1946. It was made before that date, but it would have had a different model number (probably a 4 digit sales number). Camillus began using a new numbering system after WWII.

Tom Williams
 
That is a beautiful way of presenting a knife. It also is a fine looking example. The one I have in my collection is not nearly at pretty as yours, but, she still keeps a remarkably sharp edge for an 'old gal'.

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Camillushawkbillleftside.jpg


Camillushawkbillrightside.jpg


This one has a four-line logo that dates it to the WWII era (IIRC) -

CamillusCutleryCologo.jpg


Tim
 
I just found a Camillus Hawkbill 1 the other day exactly like the last one pictured... Just like to thanks for all the great info.. especially the reason for the hole in the handle.. wish it still had the clevis..
Thanks guys... second Camillus knife I've found in two weeks! The first was a fillet knife! Love my job!
 
Here is an older hawkbill pruner. I am pretty sure it predates 1946.
The second pic shows the Sword Brand tang stamp.
The third pic shows the old model number; 1001


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I realize this is an old thread but I find myself drawn to older, classic knives. What was the main purpose of this blade design? Anyone? Thanks
 
Good question. A quote from Esav Benyamin (a man who knows more about knives than I certainly ever will): "Hawksbill blades are miniature sickles, and work fine in agriculture and horticulture. Cutting rope is similar, since you are drawing the knife across a small cross-section, and the blade is always pressing closer to what you are cutting, never slipping away, the way a bellied blade would."
 
Nice 4 liner Vit. I find the small notch in the liners and handles curious. Do you know why the handle is notched?
 
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