Is this knife gassing out or just dirty?

[steve99f]

I picked up this little Schrade in September. I'm concerned about the discoloration underneath the handles. I suspect out gassing as evidenced by some light oxidation on the master blade that was easily removed. I would like to know for sure from experienced people. If it is out-gassing I would like some suggestions as to repair and replacement. I've attached pictures. Appreciate any help.

[muskrat man]

it has been cleaned up so it's hard to tell if its the culprit or if it was just in with another that was outgassing. best thing to do is to quarantine it, and look for discoloration at the handle/bolster joint after some time. could take a couple weeks or a month or more depending on how advanced the degredation is. if it shows no obvious tarnish within a month or so I bet its ok.

liner blotches normally are not a sign it's gassing, that is usually just where moisture got between the handle and liner is causing green tarnish to grow.

[orvet]

Well said Kaleb.

+1

[steve99f]

Thanks to both orvet and kaleb. I have keep it separated from the herd since I got it and have seen no other signs so maybe its good. A little more time won't hurt though.

[deo-pa]

Please tell a novice a little bit about outgassing. I understand what out gassing is but I don't understand why old celluloid knives haven't completely out gassed years ago. I'm sure heat would promote renewed outgassing but is there some other phenomenon that causes an old knife to suddenly deteriorate? Thanks, Dennis

[muskrat man]

temperatures, humidity, exposure to various solvents and oils etc. and some patterns are more stable than others. candystripe, christmas tree and cracked ice seem to be some of the worst. solid colors like yellow, black, etc while they can out gas are not as prone. Unless you are talking about the old yellow case used to use in the tested and XX era and that stuff seems to be broken down more often than not.

[orvet]

This article by Dennis Ellingsen of the Oregon Knife Collectors Association will give you little more information and background on celluloid.
It's not the final word in the discussion on celluloid but it is an excellent beginning.
http://www.oregonknifeclub.org/celluloid_02.html

[deo-pa]

Thank you Muskrat and Dale. There sure is a wealth of information in that article.