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1949 Camillus Stainless US Army 17-170A Prototype Knife


cmt04444
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  • 8 months later...

Here is my newly discovered US Army Specification 17-170A 1949 Camillus stainless utility prototype knife. I have read in other discussions on this board that a very small number of these were produced and less than 10 are known to exist. I have searched daily for more than 15 years to find one of these. It was worth every minute of the search. This is my find...

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I really lucked out on this one. I guess now there is one more to add to the count of existing examples. The condition on this one is what really grabbed me. The only imperfection is a very, very tiny piece of the tip was lost and reshaped. Other than that it snaps like a bear trap on all tools, has a straight bail, full pin heads, minimal pocket wear, and lots of factory shine left.

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Thorin6, I have always drooled over yours since I saw it posted the first time several years ago. I thought that I would never find one. I had corresponded with Tom Williams many years ago about info on this knife and he just told me good luck in finding one. I miss his posts. There was more knowledge in his head about Camillus and Mil-K knives in general than we could ever hope to gain from just finding examples. He told me that he made Mil-K knives at the factory for many years...He also sent me some old pics of the factory back in the day taken by helicopter.

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Something new that I just noticed about the 1949 Camillus. It appears that the bail is a different colored metal than the scales. Different batches of steel? Maybe a harder or softer steel? Starting in 1957, the bails appear to be the same type of stainless steel.

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Gary is another soft spot yet. I was corresponding with him on research about Camillus knives very shortly before he passed. I still do not feel right about getting out and looking at certain knives yet. I miss his helpful and considerate nature along with his drive and dedication to the hobby we all enjoy and he really loved. I just came back to the forum to post this thread for the first time since his passing. He is missed...

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I took a look at it and I'd like to look at it again under natural light. I'll compare it to some of the WW2 and later examples I have too. Get back to you.

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Frank Trzaska

Actually many different materials are used in the 1949 example.

Spear blade is 440B Stainless Steel

Can Opener 420 SS

Screwdriver 420 SS

Punch 420 SS

Grip Liners 430 SS

Center and side scales Brass

Pins (exposed) and Clevice (Bail) 18% Nickel Silver

Pins (internal) Brass

Stud for Screwdriver 416 SS

 

In any case great find in super condition!

 

All the best

Frank Trzaska

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I just noticed that my Ulster 48 is the same exact way. This knife is one year off from the 1949 Camillus. It has a bail that the color varies slightly too suggesting the use of a different metal or alloy for the bail. It makes sense on the bail for strength and or non-conductance of spark maybe. Kind of like copper or brass bails on rope knives. Just some ideas.

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It is always great when Frank adds to the discussion. He always seems to have the facts and figures to answer our questions. It is really amazing the attention to detail and R&D that was put into the development of these amazing little knives. Frank, did Tom Williams ever retrieve or post the original drawings or S-Card for the 1949 Camillus? I would love to see that if it still exists...

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Last night I was suspecting nickel/silver from what I thought I was seeing. Agree that looking at different knives the clevis most closely resembles the Ulster 48 and some of the WW2 Kingston's although the Kingstons don't show much if any of a yellow tinge to the overall grey color.

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I am really glad that this discussion has turned to the different alloys that compose the knife and the reasons behind it. I have been doing some research and have located an example of a knife that could possibly turn our thinking about the origins of the Mil-K and the Knife, Pocket, General Purpose on its' ear. My next thread will present and discuss this missing link in beautiful nickel silver!!!

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Frank Trzaska

Here are copies of the production cards on the 1949 where I got the info from. I have not found how many they made yet.

All the best
Frank Trzaska

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Here's the actual cover page for the patent on the new can opener.

 

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Anyone who wants to read the accompanying four pages of text that coming with this can just do a search for (patent 2,391,732) and read the whole thing.

 

IMHO, the applied for date and the issuing date are interesting. Applied for on Nov. 7th 1944. This is seven months after the Apr 3 1944 date that the United States Marine Corps officially adopted the metal scaled knife with this can opener and got started getting knives made with the intent of getting one to every Marine in the field. Also November 1944 is well into the Army's Board of testing inquiry into a new general purpose utility knife.

The issuing date is about five months after the War ended.

 

At the least this is making me rethink what the markings would likely be on the earliest Kingston made knives. IMHO, I now think the the first version can openers would not include the words (PAT PEND) stamped on them.

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You assumption is correct. Imperial (Kingston) applied the stamped word CanOpener. The added PAT PEND would be from November 1944 to December 1945. Yes Imperial were producing this style of can opener starting from about May-June 1944. Think of the PAT PEND as the middle production or product. Patent applications often come pretty late, for example General Electric didn't have a recorded application for a patent of the ESM/1 signal mirror until after close to a year from when it was developed. It may be interesting but not that interesting. How long did it take for when you submitted the paper work for a patent application for it to be officially processed and recorded as "Filed", I would assume some months. A clerk reviews applications in due process and only after it is determined to be properly filled out does it then get recorded as "Filed" then there is the grace period to assure it doesn't conflict with other patents and contest. My point is, is that a patent application isn't instantaneous.

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