Let's see your Scout/Camp knives

Here's a 1950's Western split-tang BSA knife. It has some sharpening scratches on the blade (possibly from me as a kid, I was an idiot with trying to use a sharpening stone) and slight rust/pitting along the exposed tang in the handle and a few areas of mild patina/etching on the blade itself. Considering it was in a leather sheath in a drawer or similar for 50+ years, it is in surprisingly good shape. Now that I know how to sharpen a knife better, I find it an exceptionally useful tool when out in the yard, and it's very comfortable to hold.

https://imgur.com/ByZm2IJ

ByZm2IJ.jpg
 
How have I missed this thread? I'll have to go back and do some reading this week.
In the mean time, here's a Camillus I just got. I'm still working on getting all the rust and gunk off the inside of the backsprings.
Camillus camp knife 1.jpg
Here's one that's a bit older. It looks in rough shape, but it's in good working order.
Camillus camper 3 (1).jpg

I've found it challenging to acquire a Kutmaster Girl Scout that is still in nice shape since the handles are so easily scratched up / destroyed... they need to go virtually un-carried. I was pleasantly surprised when I unwrapped this one the other night :)

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- V_P

My mom gifted me her old girl scout knife from 1950. This is one I can treasure and pass down to my daughter.

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Seeing those Kutmaster Girl Scout knives with the "looking glass" covers always make me smile. A few years ago, I posted in a "what was your first knife" thread about how I lost mine many years ago, shortly after getting it. Soon after, a surprise showed up in my mail box. A gift from Jsega51!

Kutmaster GSK cropped (1).jpg
 
I always like to see your worthy projects, Rachel!! You have saved many knives over the past years!! Nice going!!:thumbsup:

And a worthy gift for a valued member, Jsega51. Kudos to both of you!!:)
 
This is a big one for me. I finally completed my collection of Camillus-manufactured Premium Scouts from A.G. Russell. It's my understanding that a black "rucarta" run was done in 2001, and the jigged bone and stag runs were later done in 2004. Here are some screen captures of A.G.'s website from back then:

TzHlDEvh.png

ScMmtWth.png


My father-in-law and I were overjoyed when we first saw these in A.G.'s paper catalog, but we never pulled the trigger on them. We figured that we'd wait for the price to come down a bit first, or see if we could snag some bargains from the A.G. Seconds bin of imperfect knives. But the seconds sold out too quickly for us to grab, and then they were all gone. We totally missed out.

There was a time a few years ago, that you could find one on auction for a less than the original price. That's how I got my micarta scout. But that time has gone now. The secondary market has gotten to where the prices are often far higher than original cost.

As you'll be able to see from the pictures below, the micarta and the jigged bone are the real deal. The blade etch is there. The stag scout was probably assembled after the closing of Camillus, and made from spare parts. According to A.G. himself:
I can only assume that parts were sold in the final auction when Camillus was sold out. I would think that the blades are original but not etched. I do not think ssome one got our stamp and counterfited the knife. It is fake and whoever it was had no right to sell knives with our mark on them.

I'd love to say that these are the holy grail of scout knives, considering their amazing beauty and the 154CM main blade, but there are some problems. First off, all of my Premium Scouts exhibit some fit issues. The walk and talk of the main blade on my micarta is a bit weak with a pull of maybe 3. The crinking on my jigged bone was done quite badly, so the main blade likes to close on top of the cap lifter. The counterfeit stag is probably my best one, with only a lazy cap lifter. These knives were made in the final years of Camillus, and the deteriorated quality shows a bit. My "average joe" Camillus 99's have far bet fit than my Premium Scouts. The grinds on the 154CM blades are also thicker behind the edge than the main blades on other Camillus scouts, which is unfortunate from a performance perspective.

nK43pPyh.jpg

aM6LO7Oh.jpg

yRV5NShh.jpg


But all in all, I'm overjoyed to finally have one of each of these Premium Scouts, 17 years in the making from start to finish. They're truly beautiful knives. I have a feeling that the stag will see some pocket time in the future.
 
This is a big one for me. I finally completed my collection of Camillus-manufactured Premium Scouts from A.G. Russell. It's my understanding that a black "rucarta" run was done in 2001, and the jigged bone and stag runs were later done in 2004. Here are some screen captures of A.G.'s website from back then:

TzHlDEvh.png

ScMmtWth.png


My father-in-law and I were overjoyed when we first saw these in A.G.'s paper catalog, but we never pulled the trigger on them. We figured that we'd wait for the price to come down a bit first, or see if we could snag some bargains from the A.G. Seconds bin of imperfect knives. But the seconds sold out too quickly for us to grab, and then they were all gone. We totally missed out.

There was a time a few years ago, that you could find one on auction for a less than the original price. That's how I got my micarta scout. But that time has gone now. The secondary market has gotten to where the prices are often far higher than original cost.

As you'll be able to see from the pictures below, the micarta and the jigged bone are the real deal. The blade etch is there. The stag scout was probably assembled after the closing of Camillus, and made from spare parts. According to A.G. himself:


I'd love to say that these are the holy grail of scout knives, considering their amazing beauty and the 154CM main blade, but there are some problems. First off, all of my Premium Scouts exhibit some fit issues. The walk and talk of the main blade on my micarta is a bit weak with a pull of maybe 3. The crinking on my jigged bone was done quite badly, so the main blade likes to close on top of the cap lifter. The counterfeit stag is probably my best one, with only a lazy cap lifter. These knives were made in the final years of Camillus, and the deteriorated quality shows a bit. My "average joe" Camillus 99's have far bet fit than my Premium Scouts. The grinds on the 154CM blades are also thicker behind the edge than the main blades on other Camillus scouts, which is unfortunate from a performance perspective.

nK43pPyh.jpg

aM6LO7Oh.jpg

yRV5NShh.jpg


But all in all, I'm overjoyed to finally have one of each of these Premium Scouts, 17 years in the making from start to finish. They're truly beautiful knives. I have a feeling that the stag will see some pocket time in the future.
That's awesome Buzz congrats! Great looking trio :thumbsup:

- Kevin
 
This is a big one for me. I finally completed my collection of Camillus-manufactured Premium Scouts from A.G. Russell. It's my understanding that a black "rucarta" run was done in 2001, and the jigged bone and stag runs were later done in 2004. Here are some screen captures of A.G.'s website from back then:

TzHlDEvh.png

ScMmtWth.png


My father-in-law and I were overjoyed when we first saw these in A.G.'s paper catalog, but we never pulled the trigger on them. We figured that we'd wait for the price to come down a bit first, or see if we could snag some bargains from the A.G. Seconds bin of imperfect knives. But the seconds sold out too quickly for us to grab, and then they were all gone. We totally missed out.

There was a time a few years ago, that you could find one on auction for a less than the original price. That's how I got my micarta scout. But that time has gone now. The secondary market has gotten to where the prices are often far higher than original cost.

As you'll be able to see from the pictures below, the micarta and the jigged bone are the real deal. The blade etch is there. The stag scout was probably assembled after the closing of Camillus, and made from spare parts. According to A.G. himself:


I'd love to say that these are the holy grail of scout knives, considering their amazing beauty and the 154CM main blade, but there are some problems. First off, all of my Premium Scouts exhibit some fit issues. The walk and talk of the main blade on my micarta is a bit weak with a pull of maybe 3. The crinking on my jigged bone was done quite badly, so the main blade likes to close on top of the cap lifter. The counterfeit stag is probably my best one, with only a lazy cap lifter. These knives were made in the final years of Camillus, and the deteriorated quality shows a bit. My "average joe" Camillus 99's have far bet fit than my Premium Scouts. The grinds on the 154CM blades are also thicker behind the edge than the main blades on other Camillus scouts, which is unfortunate from a performance perspective.

nK43pPyh.jpg

aM6LO7Oh.jpg

yRV5NShh.jpg


But all in all, I'm overjoyed to finally have one of each of these Premium Scouts, 17 years in the making from start to finish. They're truly beautiful knives. I have a feeling that the stag will see some pocket time in the future.
Those are absolutely gorgeous knives.... stunning really
 
I picked up this Hoffritz SAK a few weeks ago and finally got some pics taken along with a little research... from what I gather Hoffritz is / was store in New York City that started in the early 1930's and was mainly an importer of cutlery. They went out of business in the early 1990's and the rights to their name was sold in 1995 and might still be used for kitchen cutlery. At one point, Hoffritz was one of the largest importers of the famed Victorinox SAK knives. The one I have is somewhat unique since a large portion of their knives had "Victorinox" stamped on the blades but the one I found only has Hoffritz stamped on one side of the spear blade and the other side has "Switzerland Stainless Rostfrei". I realized after I took the pictures that I forgot to pull out the punch so I guess I'm pulling no punches tonight. :D

HOFF-1A.JPG HOFF-1B.JPG HOFF-1C.JPG HOFF-1D.JPG

- Kevin
 
I picked up this Hoffritz SAK a few weeks ago and finally got some pics taken along with a little research... from what I gather Hoffritz is / was store in New York City that started in the early 1930's and was mainly an importer of cutlery. They went out of business in the early 1990's and the rights to their name was sold in 1995 and might still be used for kitchen cutlery. At one point, Hoffritz was one of the largest importers of the famed Victorinox SAK knives. The one I have is somewhat unique since a large portion of their knives had "Victorinox" stamped on the blades but the one I found only has Hoffritz stamped on one side of the spear blade and the other side has "Switzerland Stainless Rostfrei". I realized after I took the pictures that I forgot to pull out the punch so I guess I'm pulling no punches tonight. :D

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- Kevin
Nice! :thumbsup: I remember when most shopping malls had a Hoffritz store.
 
I got this one in the mail today. Just happened across it with the auction almost ended and zero bids, so now it is mine.

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O.B.

Nice catch!!! Camillus made those for Remington with both bullet shields and UMC shields. The bullet shield variation like yours is definitely more difficult to find.
 
Buzz, congrats on the culmination of that particular hunt! While I love my old Ulster scout, it has long been relegated to bench duty, owing to it's heaviness in the pocket. How do you like to carry any of the bigger scouts that you have?
 
Here was my Boy Scout knife. Mid 1980's Ulster:

https://imgur.com/VP7w13J

VP7w13J.jpg


I have to be honest, I hate that knife. The blade was pretty hard to open, but the other accessories were almost impossible. As a kid I've torn part of my thumbnail off on it, and folded the end back many times. Even as an adult it was ridiculous to open the non-blade bits. I used a screwdriver to pry open the screwdriver bit for this photo... I gave the knife away because I couldn't think of what else to do with it. Hopefully my friend's kid doesn't have a low opinion of traditionals as an adult as a result.

As a somewhat older kid, a SAK Craftsman replaced this knife. It was much easier to use, though quite a bit less convenient in size. As a kid though I really wanted a SAK with a philips instead of the corkscrew.

Like the Western I posted earlier, the Ulster also features scratches on the blade from my ham-fisted youthful sharpening attempts. I guess I stopped laying the blade on the stone by the time I had the SAK, or maybe I just didn't sharpen knives anymore, but somehow it escaped similar marks.
 
How do you like to carry any of the bigger scouts that you have?

I use a number of different carry methods. The one I use most is a paracord lanyard. One end gets looped through a front belt loop. The knife is attached to the other end, and dangled into my back pocket, alongside my wallet. If I’m wearing cargo shorts, the knife dangles into a leg pocket. The knife gets sat on a lot in his configuration, so I mostly only use the lanyard with Delrin, G-10 and micarta covered knives. Thie advantage of this method is that it’s pretty close to impossible to lose the knife. You can also make quick easy cuts without having to unclip the knife from the lanyard.

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For bone and wood covers, I like to use one of a couple different leather pouches that dangle into my front pocket. Dangling gets rid of that feeling like there’s a brick in the bottom of your pocket, and it’s reasonably secure. Not as secure as a lanyard, but pretty good.

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The monster Texas Camp Knife lives in a pancake sheath on my belt. It rides nice and tight.

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Showing my lack of knowledge here - what is the unusual looking tool on the far right for? I would think it has to be a can opener? is this an improved design can opener?

I got this one in the mail today. Just happened across it with the auction almost ended and zero bids, so now it is mine.
 
It is a can opener, but an older type and at least IMO not nearly as user friendly as the hooked kind like on the Ulster above, or the Swiss Army Knife version. John
 
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