Texas Camp Knife!

waynorth

waynorth

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Nov 19, 2005
Messages
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Everybody in America, and many people elsewhere, have heard of Texas-sized items, referring of course to the biggest state in the continuous United States!
Large camp knives were made by a few old cutleries, and they proved to be very useful tools when the going got tough.
I have been discussing this up-coming project with Bill at GEC for some time now - at least a couple of years, but we think the time has come!

These are preliminary drawings. We've pretty much settled on the blades, but there were of course other variations in older days.
The opener will cut the top from a can, and will pop a crown top from a beer or a soda. The punch is a new/old design, never used in my HJs before - hmmmmmmm. . . . . .
Anyway, I hope you don't have to scroll side to side! This is a big'un!!

TEXAS_CAMP_KNIFE_4_zpsopvphsbn.jpg


Second option for shield:

TEXAS_CAMP_KNIFE%203_zpskwpwvt8f.jpg


If you have an old one please post it, and please tell me what you think of this one!!
The trend lately has been toward one-blade knives, because of portability, and because of cost - and possibly because we don't cut pen-points any more!:D This one bucks the trend in many ways!!:eek:

P.S. the deadline for this knife to appear is the first week in April at the Oregon Knife Show!
Here's hoping all goes well!
 
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Well, there goes my play money again....

Looks awesome Charlie - can't wait for this one to arrive!!

Any idea of handle materials yet?

One note, about the punch: The last round of WHJ's really knocked it out of the park. Functionally, it's the best punch I've ever used, producing the most perfectly round holes in leather on any of your HJ's to date (even my beloved 85's...). Please consider sticking with what works!
 
Well I've been babbling for a while how I want GEC to make a Scout knife, guess I need to set some money aside. Was hoping for somewhere in the 3.5" to 4" size range though.
 
4.83" closed...whoa, that's a big one. Looks like it's going to be a beauty, especially with that first shield.

I only have one camp knife, the near ubiquitous US Army Engineers pocket knife of WWII vintage.

 
...please tell me what you think of this one!!
Click to expand...
Do you only want positive comments? Short version: I'm sure it will be a beautiful well-executed example of the pattern, but it is not something I have any interest in.
 
That looks like a very useful Camp Knife Charlie, and a great looker too. You're hard to keep up with my friend! :D

Do you know the size of the clip blade Charlie?
 
I'll have one for sure :thumbup:
Here's Remington's R4243 "Camp Bullet Knife" that's just under 5" closed.

 
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...This is Not what I wanted to see when I opened this thread...

Open thread>Open eyes>Open wallet...
Sometimes I don't like this place, I Love it!

I will be in on the first batch. I am a Huge fan of Big clips too.
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Any talk of running two shields, one with a saw instead of the awl? Or a designated middle layer with a saw?
At 4.83" you should be able to fit a 3.5"-4" saw, that is more usable than the SAK versions.
 
Wow I can't wait to get my hands on one of these what's the time frame we are looking at
 
Looks good to me. So it is not unanimous (with one vote) I think the second shield looks best. More subtle and refined.
That said, my opinion is irrelevant, since there is no way I could ever afford one.
 
Yet more proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

I don't think I could be more thrilled. Here's hoping for some GEC branded ones, with acorns and 440C!

When are they coming??? Holy cow, I'm so stoked...will it be a full "regular run" plus a SFO?
 
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waynorth said:
If you have an old one please post it, and please tell me what you think of this one!!
Click to expand...

I think it's great that you and Bill are pushing the boundaries yet again. This is a far cry from anything we've ever seen from GEC. It's nice to see it on a new frame as well. Sometimes I get the feeling that the same knives are being run over and over with just enough changes to get people to feel like they have to rebuy a knife that they already have. (though I understand it from a business perspective) This is anything but that.

The size is a bold move. It'll be interesting to see if we have many people using these knives or mostly stashing them away in their collections. I would have liked to see it an inch shorter and without the sheepsfoot. Basically, a larger version of the Camillus Cub Scout knife. But, this is nitpicking.

I like the look of the jigged bone with the first shield option. The longer shield really fits that double ended knife. It brings a symmetry.

Overall, I'm sure that the knife will be a big hit with the collectors. I'll be interested in seeing how bulky and heavy they end up being and if people end up using them much. I'll probably hold off on buying one, but am nonetheless excited to see that they're being made. Kudos to the both of you for stepping outside of the comfort zone yet again. :thumbup:
 
That's a big knife, almost too big for a pocket knife. Its almost identical to the Remington R4243. That one is huge. Way too big for practical pocket carry. If it had a belt sheath it might be ok. I think the idea though was to hang it by the bail on a belt mounted snap hook.
 
I do have to say that an acorn shield would work well with a camp/woods type knife. It would just seem to "fit", tying it all in together.
 
That's a big'n. Excellent choice of blades.

What are the blade lengths?
 
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Not a big fan to the chamfered bolsters . Love the diamond shield but I think the "gimp?" Shield looks better to me.
 
I like the looks of that -- OTOH, I like the caplifter/screwdriver blade on the remington a lot, too.
 
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