Camillus Electrician's Knife

JK, that is an interesting change to the screwdriver blade. I think it would be more useful.
 
Cami TL-29s are a sideline for me. This is my best one to date.....300Bucks

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This scale color is nice also. I am pretty sure the Craftsman versions were also Camillus made.

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I bought a Camillus Electrician's knife at an antique store in Woodstock, NY last year for $15. It is like Guyon's on page one, Channellock blue, but also with a bail, Channellock racing etch on blade as xbxb noted, some patina, minor edge chips, etc but still good useful condition.

I sharpened it up and have been using it for 'nastier' jobs. The utility of that locking screwdriver is just endless. Great knife!
 
I just bought a black handled one from a local antique store. My wife should know never to send me to such a place:)
Im considering re-handleing it. it is in good condition, a few nicks on the handle scales, but i think it is the factory edge. what do you think, bad move?. Ive got a bit of stag in the shop that might make this thing pretty cool. of course, i may end up destroying it in the process, but its prolly never going to be worth more than the 25 i dropped on it to begin with, so why not, right?
 
There are threads on the forum where people have added new scales to the knife and they look good. Hope you find out how to post pictures after you are done.
 
I have this exact same knife. I know nothing about knives, I just know that over years I have bought many of them because they are nice and I love old things. I am an old woman and just use them around the house or camping, or just to look at.

I know NOTHING about knives, so I was glade to find out this is an electricians knife. What else should I know about it?
My blades are tight, I have the leather case and the knife appears in excellant condition to me.

I have many knives I have bought through the years and just finally decided to see what I can find out about each. Tonight is my first time on this site.


desmobob said:
That's a nice one, Guyon!

I just picked one up today in excellent shape. It's a later version with so-so fit and finish, but it was unsharpened and lightly used. I put a nice mildly-convex edge on it and it's scary sharp now. The following is a scan, not a photo, so the blades look kind of dull and gray:

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When I was a young kid, I only remember ever seeing two folding knives in the house (my dad was NOT an outdoor type or the least bit mechanically inclined). They were both in the tomato basket my dad used as a tool box. One was a cheap Barlow pattern, and the other was an electrician's knife. Even as a young boy, I could sense the elelctrician's knife was a quality item while the Barlow was of low grade, like most of my dad's tools. :)

It's funny that I never had an interest in picking up either of these patterns until lately. The Camillus will satisfy my desire for the electrician's pattern. I haven't thought too much about a Barlow, although I've looked hard at Northfield versions from Great Eastern Cutlery.

Stay sharp,
desmobob
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t1mpani said:
Well, I'm know I'm pulling this one up from the dead, but that's already been done once to it, so I don't feel so bad. ;)

I'm currently cleaning one up for a friend of mine and am not really familiar with them. I can see that the screwdriver blade has a bit of a knife-like primary grind on it----was this secondary blade meant to be really sharp, or more of a scraping blade? Chisel edge bevel or V? I just don't want to get it wrong. :)
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Looks like a V grind. Bought an old one yesterday to replace one I lost years ago. My guess is that the semi-sharp blade is for cutting the plastic coating on electrical wire without cutting the wire itself. I sharpened mine up a little. There is an unsharpened round notch at the base of the blade for stripping the coating. Both blades are in good shape and have half-stops, and the springs are super strong. In fact, I can barely get the wire blade open. Working on it right now. I like the brass liner lock on that one. Reminds me of my old Camillus Cub Scout knife. Just took a couple of minutes to get the spear blade wicked sharp. I think I got a real quality tool for 9 bucks.
 
Up until a little over a year ago one of these was my EDC knife. Handled most tasks I needed, not too heavy in the pocket. They're great knives.
 
Picked up this nice user at the flea market for a $1. Appears to have just sat in a tool box rattling around and never used much if at all.

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This model knife has a military lineage. Going back to WWII It's official name is TL-29 I believe. It was part of a kit that a radio operator would have. It was a leather sheath that held linesman pliers ( with bare metal handles) and the pocket knife in a pocket between the pliers handles. In Vietnam the sheath became sinthetic because the leather rotted in the jungle.
 
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