Simple question..... for some

M

Mountainwind

Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
980
Has Western always been made by Camillus, or was it bought out or something?
If it was aquired later in Westerns years, where was the change over in the models, or how to tell the difference?
 
Someone more informed will come along and give you the details, but Western was founded in Boulder Colorado in 1911 by H.N. Platts as Western States Cutlery which became Western Cutlery, later in 1978 moved to Longmont, Colorado, then was bought by Coleman and became Coleman-Western in 1984, then by Camillus in 1991. They claim a root year of 1896, but this goes back to the Platts factories in the East.

Codger
 
Oh no... Thanks guys for re-awakening the sleeping giant. I had been off Western knives for at least 2 years. Perhaps I'll start cruising eBay for them again. I'd like to get a 'Shark' knife that is in decent shape to pair up with the one my Grandfather left me (one tang is broken at the butt cap).

Codger, you mentioned that you had a particular interest in the 88 model (the one that resembled the Marble's Woodcraft). I have 2 Western 88s, one L88 with the stacked leather handle, and one W88, with a wood handle. They are both old knives, and need some freshening up. I haven't handled them for a while, so tonight I'll pull them out and dust them off. The 88s have always seemed hard to find.

Older Western knives = good stuff!
 
Thanks for the link, that was most interesting. I only have a W36 and the Western Gambler series (minus the Jack, seems hard to find) but have been looking at the later knives just to add to collection. Now I will also start looking at earlier knives also.
 
Thankyou for posting the thread link Bill. I brought the thread forward again. Some threads are like fine old knives, you just have to take them out and play with them every now and again!

Codger
 
Hi Codger! I'll try to get some pics together tonight to add to your Western thread.

Edit: Yep, added pics.
 
Mountainwind,
The Western knives made by Camillus have different model numbers for the fixed blade knives. Camillus added a "W" for Western in the beginning of the model number-for example model #WW49 stands for Western, wood handle and 49 which is the large bowie knife. The original Western Cutlery Co. called this knife a model #W49.
Any Western fixed blade knife made by Camillus does not use the split tang design that was patented by Western in 1931. Camillus uses threaded tangs or pinned butts.

Tom Williams
 
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