I bought my No 8 Caribone in 2003 for working on the farm. It was used and abused and at the end of the day was stuck in a pocket without attention to cleaning or care. At some point it disappeared and for seven years i never gave it a second thought.
It was rediscovered about 5 years ago hiding under the seat of my van. I was elated, like i had found an old friend. Unfortunately years of lying caked in mud had taken it's toll. The beech wood handle was black and lifeless and the blade was stuck closed within the handle. When i eventually got it open, the carbon steel was covered in rust.
The knife appeared as if it was ready for the bin, but my interest in Opinel was kindled in a way it had never been before and i enthusiastically researched the company with the aim of buying a replacement knife. Instead i discovered people were stripping them down to restore or modify.
To cut a long story short, I stripped it down, carefully cleaned and oiled the handle which miraculously became pristine, even highlighting the wood grain, although somewhat darker than before and the Opinel lettering had all but disappeared. Next the blade was cleaned of rust with fine grit paper but years of neglect and dried mud has left the steel pocked with pitt marks but on the plus side, it now has a unique vintage look. Needless to say, it didn't take much to sharpen it to a fine edge.
The knife is now loved in a way it never was when new and used for work. It now has pride of place in my campervan and is frequently sharpened an oiled.
Out of curiosity though, I have a question. The crowned hand logo on my knife lays horizontally along the blade with the crown along side the hand but all the images i have seen of new and restored knives has the logo sitting upright on the blade with the crown above the hand. Does anyone know when the logo was changed?
. Like your style.