1940s Boy Scout knives + cleaning/repair advice

[AlwaysTomboy]

I'm visiting my parents for the Thanksgiving holiday and at my request, Dad brought out his old Boy Scout knives so I could see them. They're not special or valuable except to me, & it's pretty cool seeing the knives that Dad would have used as kid/teen. 1940s is Dad's best guess for when he got them, but he also said he got them when he was a teen in the Scouts. Dad was born in 1935 and I'm not sure what "teen" means as far as Boy Scouts is concerned.

First one's a Camillus camp style scout knife.

Dad gave this one to my brother when he was in the Boy Scouts. Unfortunately, my brother did not treat it kindly. I was able to get the rust off, but I don't have the means to do anything about those chips in the main blade.

I should have taken more "before" photos, but I only thought to snap this one after I'd worked on the blade and can opener. All of the tools were pretty much in the same condition as these, though.

& After clean up. Probably not a super fantastic job, but I didn't want to do too much for fear of messing it up and was mostly concerned with getting the worst of the rust off to prevent further damage.

The main blade doesn't have much snap left, but i gotta say it got plenty sharp after just a few swipes on the medium Sharpmaker rods (before I figured there was no point to sharpening it with those big chips in it). I bumped my fingertip against the edge while trying to open the can opener with the main blade also open and it was plenty sharp enough to draw blood without me even feeling it at first.

I saw the two piece can opener mentioned in another thread about Camillus scout knives. Is there a particular reason it was made that way?


This is the other knife Dad used in the Scouts. Western L39 if my googling is correct, but that's all I know about it. I'd love to clean it up a bit if possible, but this seems like a more daunting task than the little pocket knife and I'm not sure how to go about it. Any advice on mitigating the existing damage would be very welcome.

 

[irona]

Nice job on the scout knife!
I hate to be one of those guys, but what do you mean by 'clean up' for the second one? Just getting the rust off or rehandling it or..?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Hickory n steel]

For cleaning up the western w39 I'd first use some simple green and a scrub pad on the handle leather followed by some saddle soap. For the blade I'd take a wire wheel for a dremel ( they have very fine wires and are consequently less harsh / less aggressive ) and remove the heavier rust followed by some fine steel wool with wd40 . This will also allow you to remove the rust from rust the tang without damaging the leather.
Just remember not to really bear down with the dremel, I've used a dremel wire wheel on many things without ever leaving scratches. The brass wire wheels are even softer, but I'd stay away from them or run them at a low speed as they will leave traces of brass all over your knife as the heat of friction melts the brass. ( it looks really cool, but you don't want this on your knife )
I suppose you could use a brass wheel on the guard and pommel, but someone else may have a better idea.

 

[Old Hunter]

A boy could join the Boy Scouts at age 11 and could stay until their 18th birthday, although many would join Explorers at age 14 if a Post was available. I think you did a nice job on cleaning up the Camillus pocketknife - looks very similar to my Imperial from the same era. Soaking the joint with some oil could bring back a little snap. OH

 

[wazu013]

Here's a link to some info about verdigris (green stuff) removal from knives.
http://www.oregonknifeclub.org/Verdigris.pdf
.
This knife wasn't quite as rough as your's but it had it's problems. I used 0000 steel wool and WD40 to clean the rust off then some Mother's mag polish to finish it off.

.

 

[Railsplitter]

This knife wasn't quite as rough as your's but it had it's problems. I used 0000 steel wool and WD40 to clean the rust off then some Mother's mag polish to finish it off.

I've gotten excellent results with 0000 steel wool as well. On the metal parts, that is. Not sure what to do about the handles.

 

[wazu013]

I've gotten excellent results with 0000 steel wool as well. On the metal parts, that is. Not sure what to do about the handles.

I probably should have said to do on the metal only. I wrapped a Popsicle stick with steel wool to get at the exposed tang without marking the leather handle.

 

[MrBitters]

I've had good luck with the fine grit 'Sandflex' blocks for this kind of heavy cleanup.

It's a rubberized block that has been impregnated with fine abrasives. You use it like an eraser with gentle pressure.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

I love old Scout knives. My mother in law gave me my late father in law's Cub Scout knife after he passed away 8 years ago this January. His is an Imperial brand with the Cub Scout logo recessed and lacquered over. I'm guessing it's a 50's era knife. My father in law was born in '48. I had to fix a slightly bent awl, but other than that, it was in good shape.

A bit of a sharpening and a stropping and it was popping hair. Nice little piece of history that belonged to one of the greatest men I have ever known.

As for super messy rust clean up, I too have had good luck with sanding sponges for the worst offenders.

 

[zzyzzogeton]

If that "smudge" I see on the guard of the Western L39 is an "L39", then it is a 1968-1972 version.

Western started stamping the model numbers on the guard in 1968 and dropped reference to "Boulder Colo" in late 1972/ early 1973.

 

[tongueriver]

The references I have (Holbrook, Kerr) suggest 1946 to 1949 for the Camillus scout knife with two piece canopener.

 

[AlwaysTomboy]

Dude, thanks so much to everyone for all of the replies and all the advice for fixing up the Western knife. I've added simple green, saddle soap, 0000 steel wool and wire Dremel wheels to my shopping list. :thumbup:

I hate to be one of those guys, but what do you mean by 'clean up' for the second one? Just getting the rust off or rehandling it or..?

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I'm not looking to do any major refurbishing. I just want to do what I can to get the rust off, stop any corrosion and prevent further deterioration of both blade and handle.

A boy could join the Boy Scouts at age 11 and could stay until their 18th birthday, although many would join Explorers at age 14 if a Post was available. I think you did a nice job on cleaning up the Camillus pocketknife - looks very similar to my Imperial from the same era.

Thanks for the info about ages for Boy Scouts. That makes Dad's estimate for when he got the knife right on target. It was made 1946-1949 so he'd've been 11-14. He loved seeing your photo, btw. Thank you for posting it.

I've had good luck with the fine grit 'Sandflex' blocks for this kind of heavy cleanup.

I have this (Sabitoru Fine) rust eraser. Not sure if that's comparable, but it's worked well for me. It's what I used on the Camillus scout knife. A larger block with more surface area probably would be easier to use on the Western, though.

<respectful snip for focus> Nice little piece of history that belonged to one of the greatest men I have ever known.

High praise, indeed. He must have been an amazing man. I've told Dad that I want to inherit these knives someday. Not any time soon, mind, but when the time comes, I want to make sure I get them.

If that "smudge" I see on the guard of the Western L39 is an "L39", then it is a 1968-1972 version.

Western started stamping the model numbers on the guard in 1968 and dropped reference to "Boulder Colo" in late 1972/ early 1973.

Good to know. I'll file that away for future reference. I don't remember seeing anything on the guard, but I also wasn't looking for anything there. I'll ask Dad to take a closer look next time I talk to him, or I can check in a few weeks when I'm back down there for Christmas.

The references I have (Holbrook, Kerr) suggest 1946 to 1949 for the Camillus scout knife with two piece canopener.

Oh cool. I found the same info on this page about Camillus (and other) Boy Scout knives, so I'm glad to have validation for that data. :thumbup:

Does anyone know the reason for the 2 piece can opener, though? Was it cheaper or easier to make, or more functional or durable than if it were made of one piece?

 

[r redden]

The Super Eraser works really well you can get one for about $10 off the internet just Google it. For polishing I use Flitz metal polish and a micro fiber cloth with a ton of elbow grease.

 

[brownshoe]

I cleaned up a Western in similar condition. I used saddle soap first with a toothbrush on the leather, blade, etc. I used saddle soap on the sheath as well with a tooth brush. After that I used a polish (Flitz is a good one) on all metal and fine steel wool on certain tough areas. I personally would not use any power tools in an effort at more restoration rather refinishing. At the end I put on a light coating of mineral oil (e.g. honing oil) on the blade, handle and sheath. Now I prefer Renaissance Wax

 

[Hickory n steel]

I cleaned up a Western in similar condition. I used saddle soap first with a toothbrush on the leather, blade, etc. I used saddle soap on the sheath as well with a tooth brush. After that I used a polish (Flitz is a good one) on all metal and fine steel wool on certain tough areas. I personally would not use any power tools in an effort at more restoration rather refinishing. At the end I put on a light coating of mineral oil (e.g. honing oil) on the blade, handle and sheath. Now I prefer Renaissance Wax

Normally I wouldn't use any power tools either, but when you have thicker tougher rust the little fine wire wheel for a dremel really helps. it can be really hard to get that rust off of the tang, and the dremel wheel is perfect for getting it off without touching the leather .
Wire wheels are the perfect tool for derusting axe heads which have much softer steel for most of the head , so there's no reason a soft wire wheel would hurt a knife blade which is all much harder Steel.

 

[neal70]

Personally I might try handwork before power tools, but that's simply my preference (plus all I have are old cumbersome dremels). Using your hands might save you in the long run, if only from a mishap. No going back with power tools; that said if you have some tough areas they would be just the thing. Leather handle use saddlesoap, maybe two applications, see where you're at, then mineral oil or ren wax. The oil will revitalize, the wax will protect. Try the oil in a small place first tho', that way you can get an overall idea of what it will look like; maybe you'll like it better without. Oil and wax will tend to darken the leather as well, not a lot you can do about that.
Thanks, Neal

 

[AreBeeBee]

A useful and interesting online guide to scout knives: http://www.scoutknives.net/index.php

 

[brownshoe]

Normally I wouldn't use any power tools either, but when you have thicker tougher rust the little fine wire wheel for a dremel really helps...[m/QUOTE]

I guess I should say I don't have a dremel I'd use it on some thibgs if I did.

I find a lot of rust will go away with Flitz used with a toothbrush. I use a wooden stick and mineral oil as well if I don't want to use polish. For tough things I use 400, 600, 1000 grit sandpaper. I have folded sandpaper to the size of the spine for getting the exposed spine of a Western style stacked handle, but not sand the leather.

 

[AlwaysTomboy]

I've used my Dremel with the wool felt drum attachments and Flitz to polish knife blades after using the rust eraser on newer knives that I want to keep shiny. I've never used it with any coarse abrasives on a knife, though, so I figure I'll see how far I can get by hand just because I feel like I have more control that way.

Regarding sandpaper, if I go that route, what kind should I use?

 

[Hickory n steel]

I've used my Dremel with the wool felt drum attachments and Flitz to polish knife blades after using the rust eraser on newer knives that I want to keep shiny. I've never used it with any coarse abrasives on a knife, though, so I figure I'll see how far I can get by hand just because I feel like I have more control that way.

Regarding sandpaper, if I go that route, what kind should I use?

I wouldn't use sandpaper as it'll take away the patina and character of the knife.