Question about Camillus Electrician Knife

[chevyrulez1]

I have searched and tried to research this out but am little confused by the lack of info on the old Camillus black plastic handled electricians knives. I have a few examples I have picked up from different sources over the years. Looking at the tang stamp on this particular one it appears it is late 70’s - 80’s manufacture. However, when I look back at the old Camillus product catalogs from that time period the only thing they are showing is the model 27, which has the brown delrin handles. So where did these black handled models come from? Were they made for another company like Excelite or something and the tang stamp is the only marking left? One of the reasons I am asking is that it seems like the blades are stainless, or at least semi-stainless but I can’t tell. They don’t appear to patina like 1095. I see mentioned online that they did start using Stainless at some point but nobody really seems to state when they switched to stainless from carbon steel. There is lots of info out there about the military TL-29’s, but these are not really the same knife. Here are a few pictures, I would appreciate any info or if someone could point me in the right direction on figuring out exactly what blade material this would be

https://imgur.com/a/p25iXw0

https://imgur.com/a/Q78vv6m

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I used to see Camillus TL-29s like that as part of a tool kit I used while working as an Electronics Technician in the Navy from 1981-'87. The kits we used were standard-order stuff and included Xcelite tools (screw/nut drivers) and Fluke digital multimeters. That Camillus TL-29 with the black plastic handle covers was a standard component in those kits. I imagine they were likely plentiful elsewhere in the civilian industrial & consumer market as well. Used essentially identical kits after my military service while working in semiconductor manufacturing as a technician from 1990 into the 2000s. I think the blades were stainless, but not sure. Being that I used these tools aboard ship in a saltwater environment 24/7, I never saw any significant issues with rusting. So that's a clue...

Camillus utilized a lot of 440A in their stainless traditional pocketknives, for a very long time. So, if the above-referenced TL-29 was in fact stainless, I'd guess it might've also been in 440A, which is known to be VERY stainless and I'd think ideal for use in an environment like I worked in.

 

[chevyrulez1]

Ok, so these knives looked like stainless but after cutting up a tomato and intentionally leaving the juice on there for a few minutes to see what it would do, it did start to discolor the blade in a few spots so it must be 1095 or some other carbon steel. So that answers that question at least. Thanks for the info Obsessed with Edges

 

[chevyrulez1]

Sorry, double tap

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Ok, so these knives looked like stainless but after cutting up a tomato and intentionally leaving the juice on there for a few minutes to see what it would do, it did start to discolor the blade in a few spots so it must be 1095 or some other carbon steel. So that answers that question at least. Thanks for the info Obsessed with Edges

Very good.

I was just getting ready to suggest something like that, if you wanted to be sure if it is/isn't stainless. I've tested blades with just a little bit of vinegar as well. A drop of vinegar left on a 1095 blade will cause some graying/darkening within a minute or two. But something like 440A or 420HC won't be fazed by it at all. And you can often smell the reaction too, between carbon steel and acid from vinegar, tomatoes or grapes, for example. Very metallic-smelling when it happens and food will taste metallic as well, after reacting with carbon steel.

 

[Hickory n steel]

I don't really know what the story is, but I can say the black handled version seems far more common than the brown handled #27.
I had one and hadn't even seen another before that.

Btw they did offer them with a Channellock blade etch, but even when the blade isn't exactly pristine the etch can still be seen.