12OT Old Timer Pal

[Spill]

Hello,

I just joined the BladeForums community and wanted to ask the forum a question, with everybody's kind indulgence. I recently bought a Schrade 12OT Old Timer Pal because a co-worker has a knife that was issued to him by the Air Force back in the '60s and I liked the way it looked. His knife is a bit bigger than mine and has three blades but the handle looks exactly like mine. Anyway, I am not sure how I am supposed to care for it since all my other knives are stainless steel. Also I wanted to know how my knife compare to the other Old Timers and the rest of the Schrade knives. Thanks in advance.

 

[steve1701d]

Welcome aboard! You will like this knife. It's small enough that it will not take up much space in your pocket, and will handle most day to day cutting chores. Very sheeple friendly, too.
As far as caring for the knife, the main thing is the blades are going to discolor. I tried for the longest time to keep my Old Timer and Case knives with carbon steel from discoloring, but finally gave up. I liked older knives allot, and noticed most of them have dark blades, because of the non-stainless steel. Always wipe them off after exposure to water, as they will rust. Fruit and vegatables will cause a nice patina to appear on the blade over time, giving it some character. Keeping a thin coat of oil on the blade will help fight rust, but will need to be wiped off really good before slicing an apple, or the apple will taste like oil (I use olive oil sometimes). I clean my blades with soap and water when nessesary, and dry them off well.
Keep it sharp, oil the pivot from time to time, and clean the lint out of it, too. These will get sharp easily, and get real sharp, too!
Good luck!

Steve