Traditional Kamp King Scout Pattern - stainless or carbon?

F

Fedelis

Joined
Jan 30, 2016
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12
Howdy all,

I had an old carbon steel Hammer Brand Kamp King that went missing after years and years of EDC. I've recently set out on to replace it. I saw another hammer brand on eBay and picked it up, only to have it arrive with apparent stainless steel blades - not carbon like I thought it would be.

I thought Hammer Brand Kamp King pocket knives only came in carbon steel until they moved production to Ireland in 1955?

Should I hold out for another carbon steel Kamp King and resell this stainless steel one?

Any insight or opinions would be greatly appreciated.
 
I'd keep the stainless for use in times when it would benefit and get a carbon for all other times! Good excuse to own both.
 
Stainless may not be the "original" for a Kamp King, but it'll probably last longer given where you live. i was down in that area (Cocoa Beach) a week ago, and yowser, was it ever hot and humid!

Seriously, rust can be kept from carbon steel, but in that climate you'll need to stay on top of it all the time.
 
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Fedelis said:
Not sure. My first hunch is that it's stainless due to the mirror finish. Any way to tell for sure?
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Mirror finish is just the finish; any steel can be polished to mirror. Witness the tumbled & polished blades from Case, in both CV and stainless ('Tru-Sharp' 420HC).

If it's plated, at least the edge bevels should be exposed steel, as the plating would be ground off there. A little bit of vinegar left on the ground areas for a few minutes will cause carbon (non-stainless) to at least 'grey' a little bit, and maybe get darker; stainless steel won't be discolored at all, by vinegar.


David
 
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I've had a ton of Kamp Kings go through my hands, all made in Rhode Island by Imperial. They were all mirror finish carbon steel. Not sure about Hammer Brand ones.


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I was thinking that too. The Hammer Brand scouts I have don't say Kamp King on them. Doesn't mean, of course, that there's no such thing.
 
Hmm, maybe it is carbon steel. My first gut impression was that it's stainless by the stains on the blade, but maybe I was wrong. The blade does attract a magnet, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is stainless steel.

Here are some pictures:

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And better lighting:

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That's carbon steel.^ Whether plated or not, the dark oxide spots and/or pitting are a clear indicator. Stainless won't oxidize like that, as the chromium in the stainless will instead oxidize on the surface; it's an extremely thin layer and essentially 'clear' at that thinness, and doesn't darken when it oxidizes. And because the chromium oxidizes almost immediately upon exposure to oxygen, that is what makes the stainless steel 'stainless', as the raw iron underneath the chromium oxide layer is never exposed long enough to oxidize on it's own.

Testing with a magnet won't usually prove anything with hardened cutlery-quality stainless steel. Very low-grade stainless, as used with kitchen/table flatware, sometimes won't be magnetic, or at least minimally so. But any steels hardened enough to hold a sharp & thin cutting edge, whether stainless or not, are of a composition that'll always be magnetic, so far as I've seen.


David
 
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Looks to me like plating that's failed where the dark spots are. If it is plating, you won't get any rust or patina where it's intact. Anyway, you got the carbon you wanted.
And sure enough, it is a Hammer Brand Kamp King, even though I've never seen one.
 
Thanks for all your help guys. I think the mirror shine still on it made me think it was stainless at first sight. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but some staining on the blade looks like stains I've seen on stainless blades. Perhaps it's just plated carbon steel, or such nice carbon steel that it fooled me.

I went ahead and ordered the other Hammer Brand Kamp King I saw on ebay and I'll compare. I really have a love for Hammer Brand Kamp Kings. I know later down the road, Imperial switched to Stainless Steel, but I've had excellent luck with my carbon steel hammer brand Kamp Kings. They were affordable back in the day (and still are), and makeexcellent users.
 
Fedelis said:
Thanks for all your help guys. I think the mirror shine still on it made me think it was stainless at first sight. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but some staining on the blade looks like stains I've seen on stainless blades. Perhaps it's just plated carbon steel, or such nice carbon steel that it fooled me.
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I have a US Army Engineer's knife (4-blade camper pattern, same as the Kamp King) that was made by Camillus back in 1942-44. (The "fork" can opener dates it.) The knife is all (carbon) steel with bone scales, as brass was a war-economy controlled material.

Although the blades have a good deal of spotting, there are locations on them which have a mirror polish that I have to assume is factory-original. So it's not at all surprising to find decades-old carbon steel knives with still-bright mirror polish on the blades, at least partially. Everything depends on how they were handled in use, how they were put away, and in particular the conditions where they spent the last couple of decades.

The tang end of the main blade, the can opener, and the awl each have significant amounts of mirror polish lurking among the black spots and sloppy grinder work (not by me!).

tumblr_nwyd5inZrW1r4zf5xo1_1280.jpg
 
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