Camillus Mark 2

Joined
Aug 16, 2021
Messages
13
Good evening, new member here but long time lurker. As I get older I have started to collect more knives, something my wife is very understanding about for some reason. As a young boy(7) my father gave me his military knife, he was in the Army as an officer in the early 60s. My parents were divorced so when I came home with it the knife was taken away . Upon a visit from my uncle my mother gave the knife to him to remove any mischief I could get into with that. Well long story short I never got it back. So here I am almost 50 years later looking to replace it. I remember what it looked like, but don't remember any markings. So I have picked up a couple recently, didn't pay too much. Both Camillus, one a Mark 2 and the other a regular fighting knife dated 60s to 70s going by the info found here. My question is about the Mark 2, the condition of the blade is horrible as it appears someone has tried to polish it and it is very smooth, so much so it feels thinner then my other knife. The blood groove is almost flush. So is this knife even worth salvaging? I mainly bought it for the Nord scabbard. Any opinion or information is appreciated. Added an image, hope this works.

 
Last edited:
Rottonj,
The older model with bent guard is a ww2 1219c2 version,very much worth saving!
The specs for those state the blade thickness to be 9/64,this is why it will feel thinner than the newer model,because it is,but not much.
(This spec was changed after ww2 when production stated again in the early 60's.)

The fuller on these older models are usually shallow anyway,dont worry about it,shes good to go!
My advice is just put some leather preservative on the handle,sharpen it up and use it.
Hope this helps:thumbsup:
 
Well that is good news. I will never really know what version of these knives my dad game me so this is more of a keepsake then anything. Being young I really only remember it was a large wide blade, had these style stacked leather handle and the scabbard was green. It for sure wasn't a bayonet. As I said the blade isn't in great shape, no nicks but very smooth to the touch and the work done to maybe attempt to polish looks like it may not have been completed. It does have an edge, but it isn't overly sharp. There are no visible hard lines like my other knife. How would I go about getting the blade more presentable? Also on the pommel I only see a pin thru one side. Is that normal or is that something someone mucked with also? I have no plans or ambition to ever disassemble the knife , the handle is in good shape so that is just an observation. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you for the reply.
 
Presentable in what way?
What do you want to do with the knife?
Do you want to put it in a shadow box on the wall?
Do you want something to put in your truck?
Do you want to use it while hiking/camping?

There isnt much you can do to bring back the hard lines,they are gone.
I wouldn't do anything more to the blade,and polishing it will be like
putting alloy wheels on a model T ford,just looks wrong.
The pin will go right the way through,but may be hard to see on one side.

If this were my knife and I wanted to use it,I would take it apart.
Give the tang a good clean,then soak the blade,guard and pommel in vinegar
for a few hours to colour it up(forcing a patina).
Then rebuild it with the original washers if they are still okay,or customize to your taste.

This is my old 1219c2 made by Union Cutlery (Ka-Bar) Guard marked.
She was is pretty ordinary shape when I got her,but with a bit of work she
is now as good as she ever was!
DhahMrL.jpg
 
That is a great looking knife! My knife will never be used, this is just a keepsake as I have many knives to use for any situation I would need(but there is always room for more lol). I am including a picture of the blade, it's difficult to see but it has what appears to be some sort of blue dye in many areas. I know bringing it back is not possible, but making it look better with some direction may be. I don't want to make it worse, but I don't like the way it looks now either. I'm kind of particular I guess. I paid 50 dollars for it at a flea market with the scabbard which is in very good condition, I looked it over and saw the damage and figured if its not salvageable I will put my other Camillus in there and call it a day. but if I can do something with it I will. Thanks for the reply, again any suggestions are appreciated.

 
Yikes,someone really went to town on the blade with the sandpaper!
If your not going to use it,this is what I would do;
Wash the blade to remove the sanding residue,fingerprints,dye/oils,etc.
(You could use some 1500 to smooth out some of the scratches if you wish)
Then just put the blade,tip down,into a container of white vinegar.
(I use a soft drink bottle with the top cut off)
Leave it to darken up for a few hours.
Wash in clean water to remove acid.
It should end up looking like mine in the pic above.
(I've used mine to cut up some lemons which really gave the patina a more motley pattern,love it!)
This will give the blade a more aged look which will suit the knife better than a polished look,in my opinion.
Then just wipe with an oil soaked rag and put it away.
For the price you paid,you could always sell the knife and just keep the sheath.
You may find a knife in better condition at a later stage.
 
Thank you, this was the type of information I was looking for. I will try all of the above and post back my findings. With the 1500 is that sanded wet? I wont sell the knife regardless of how it turns out, but we will see how it turns out before I decide on replacing it. Thank you again, its appreciated.
 
Well I gave it a good try, but think this blade is just too far gone. I didn't get the results I was hoping for so i will have to figure if I will just use my other knife or look for a suitable replacement. I included a picture, pieces of the coating came off and I think even the top edge by the tip may have lost something as it seems sharp . I appreciate the advice. Thank you for the replies. [url=https://ibb.co/Kh1jCgB][/URL]
 
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