Can you help me figure out if this knife is heat treated, please?

[scotchleaf]

I bought this Western W49k Bowie off a large auction site. It still has a small portion at the tip unground. Does this provide a clue as to what stage the knife was at when production ceased? I ran a file over it, but was unable to determine the HT - seemed about like the beater knife I compared it to.

Here's some pictures:

Thanks for any insights.

 

[idaho]

AFAIK camillus blades were hardened BEFORE grinding. So this knife should be Heat treated.

 

[G. Scott H.]

You can't necessarily tell by the degree of finishing alone on many knives, as some are HT'd before grinding and some after. Idaho may be right on this one, but I don't know for sure.

 

[The Mastiff]

Is that a later 420HC unfinished blade from the Camillus auction?

 

[J_Curd]

AFAIK camillus blades were hardened BEFORE grinding. So this knife should be Heat treated.

Fact. I have a couple of Remington ground, but unsharpened, blades I acquired after the Camillus closing; they have hardening scale on them but they are carbon. Harder to tell on SS, but Camillus always pre-hardened before primary grind.

 

[scotchleaf]

Mastiff: its a later, 1987, I think, unfinished blade, but I'm not sure what "the" Camillus auction was. This was bought on an ebay auction a few weeks ago.