Why I love perusing my local flea market...

PocketKnifeJimmy

PocketKnifeJimmy

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Aug 4, 2013
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This is the reason for my Sunday Flea Market excursions... for the simple little finds. I picked up this 70's to 80's vintage Camillus Cutlery Electrician's pocket knife this morning.
Camillus Cutlery, (that worked out of Camillus NY), went belly up in 2007. It's cool to run into unused specimens, (such as this one), to add into my collection of "interesting objects".
Camillus made quite a few of these while in business, even making them under Government contract for the US military. But, I usually run into them looking pretty well used up, not looking minty like this one. Twenty bucks got me what I consider to be a piece of Americana.
 
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PocketKnifeJimmy said:



This is the reason for my Sunday Flea Market excursions... For the simple little finds, like this 70's to 80's vintage Camillus Cutlery Electrician's pocket knife that I picked up this morning.
Camillus Cutlery, (out of Camillus NY), went belly up in 2007, so it's cool to run into unused specimens, (such as this one), to add into my collection of "interesting objects".
Camillus made quite a few of these while in business, even making them under Government contract for the US military. But, I usually run into them looking pretty well used up, not looking minty like this one. Twenty bucks got me what I consider to be a piece of Americana.
Click to expand...

Nice find.
Earlier this year I bought an unused Channellock etched Camillus Electrician just like it.
I also have a less common ( not by a lot though) brown handled electrician that I bought used.
I really like Camillus stuff, and it's such a shame what they're slapping the name on today.
I'd be happy to have a military TL-29, but I'm fine with the everyday civilian electrician like this or my brown handled model 27 ( over the years they had 'em with or without various model numbers I believe)
 
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PocketKnifeJimmy said:
How were these knives marked, and/or any other differences, from the ones made for the military contracts?
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The only thing I know of is the TL-29 handle stamp on the military contract examples.
Lots of variations for civilian versions over the years, advertising and etching...ect.
Probably not possible to collect every single variation.
 
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I was visiting an in person cuttlery store years ago. Rhey had new and old knives. Many cusrom traditionals and roll after roll of private collections they were selling on consignment.

They has a whole display of these electricians knives. I must have looked through hundreds trying to find one that was not all used up, gapped, etc. I never did find one I wanted to pay their price for.
 
Hickory n steel said:
The only thing I know if is the TL-29 handle stamp on the military contract examples.
Lots of variations for civilian versions over the years, advertising and etching...ect.
Probably not possible to collect every single variation.
Click to expand...
I have a WW2 one stamped U.S.M.C. instead of tl29 :thumbsup: Your definitely onto something with lots of variations, I had no idea there was so many different ones until I opened the thread I linked to above to others to share pics and information o_O:thumbsup:
 
PocketKnife Jimmy - I have that exact Camillus knife with brown scales. I bought it in 1977 when Sears sold them for about $12.00. That screwdriver blade has gotten me out of SO MANY situations over the years. I definitely see why the Radio/Communication guys loved those knives. I will be buried with that knife. 1095 Carbon steel rules. I haven't found a knife THAT sweet at a flea market for a very long time. But just like beautiful women, you always got to look...... You got lucky man.
 
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From what I have read the TL29 was the US Army designation for the WW-II version of the Signal Corps wiremans knife - often seen paired with a small side cutter in the wireman’s tool pouch. The TL27 was Camillus designation for the same knife packaged for civilian sale (I have one in the box that I will find and photograph). My TL27 has a textured brownish-tan Delrin cover. My TL29 has a harder synthetic cover. OH
Wiremans-toolset.jpg
 
Old Hunter said:
From what I have read the TL29 was the US Army designation for the WW-II version of the Signal Corps wiremans knife - often seen paired with a small side cutter in the wireman’s tool pouch. The TL27 was Camillus designation for the same knife packaged for civilian sale (I have one in the box that I will find and photograph). My TL27 has a textured brownish-tan Delrin cover. My TL29 has a harder synthetic cover. OH
Wiremans-toolset.jpg
Click to expand...
Very nice just like the one I have.
Even rarer in England.
 
Here is another variation of the basic civilian electricians' knife, this one with a modified hawkbill for skinning service cable and other large cables. It has the textured Delrin handles, which I see as frequently as I see the smooth Delrin on the C27 series. Not sure what model number Camillus assigned to this variation. OH
Camillus_Electricians_Knife_-_main_blade_variation.jpg
 
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