Bob’s Old Knife (cleaning)

GB940Rookie

GB940Rookie

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Hello ladies and gents. Hope everyone is having a fine Mother’s Day.

A friend of mine passed away recently and while visiting his wife today, she asked if I would like to have Bob’s old knife. I told her I would be honored to have something that belong to my long time friend.

Is there a best way to clean the crud off this thing without loosing too much of the patina? Also, the main blade seems to have lost it’s spring to it. The smaller blade seems like it would work decently if cleaned. There is also a slight gap between the bolster on the main blade side and the spring.

Is there someone who cleans and restores knives. I’m sure it’s not worth anything but it would be cool to bring it back to life a little as long as it didn’t cost an arm and a leg.

I loved Barlow types as a young boy.
Thanks

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I agree with the general consensus here... Oil it up, maybe rub the surface rust with a cloth, touch it up and put it to use if you're so inclined. I'd imagine cutting up a couple of boxes would clean the Lions share of that surface oxidation and still leave you with your friends patina.
 
If it is really gunked up, soak it in some WD40. Then liberally lubricate it. It seems like even if you wipe all of the WD40 off, it will still need several lubricating sessions afterwards. (WD40 is actually a solvent, thus the several rounds of lubrication to flush it all out.)
 
GB940Rookie said:
Hello ladies and gents. Hope everyone is having a fine Mother’s Day.

A friend of mine passed away recently and while visiting his wife today, she asked if I would like to have Bob’s old knife. I told her I would be honored to have something that belong to my long time friend.

Is there a best way to clean the crud off this thing without loosing too much of the patina? Also, the main blade seems to have lost it’s spring to it. The smaller blade seems like it would work decently if cleaned. There is also a slight gap between the bolster on the main blade side and the spring.

Is there someone who cleans and restores knives. I’m sure it’s not worth anything but it would be cool to bring it back to life a little as long as it didn’t cost an arm and a leg.

I loved Barlow types as a young boy.
Thanks

yMHIjrD.jpg

wcb9moC.jpg
Click to expand...
If I had that knife , I would oil the heck out of it . Do not even consider any Sandpaper at all . Cut some Pine 2 x 4's into pieces small enough to handle easily and use the rough edges to rub the Rust and Dirt off of it . That is an exceptionally nice old Russell Barlow . And anyone should be very happy to have it . The fact that it belonged to a good friend makes it even more special .
One of my most special knives .

I would hope that you post a picture of it after you get it cleaned up . Carry it in good health my friend .

Harry
 
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The method I use for old and used knives is a 24 hour soak in a mineral oil bath. Then 24 hours sitting on a paper towel to drain. Then a good flush under hot water. Then a good rinse with wd40 to get all the water out. Let it sit till dry and it’s good to go.
 
I agree with the rest. Oil it, wipe it down and frame it along with a photo of your late friend. The truth is there is no restoring an old knife; you can make it shiny, you might scrap the original and use the parts for a New knife project, but the material will never grow back and the more that you grind the less that will remain of the original knife.

n2s
 
Many traditional knife collectors regard the Russell Barlow as a special knife. Finding one in usable condition is a very satisfying thing. Finding a Russell in minty condition would probably cause a strong man to weep. Add sentimental value to it, well who knows.
 
At first glance I reckon a goodly wipe with clean rag and a bit of light oil ..sewing machine oil ,3 in 1..will get that red rust off ...then as the others have said..protect and preserve.
 
Old Engineer said:
If I had that knife , I would oil the heck out of it . Do not even consider any Sandpaper at all . Cut some Pine 2 x 4's into pieces small enough to handle easily and use the rough edges to rub the Rust and Dirt off of it . That is an exceptionally nice old Russell Barlow . And anyone should be very happy to have it . The fact that it belonged to a good friend makes it even more special .
One of my most special knives .

I would hope that you post a picture of it after you get it cleaned up . Carry it in good health my friend .

Harry
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Well friends, here it is. I took y’all’s advice on cleaning.

I oiled it down good with SLIP 2000 EWL (CLP) and let it sit for a while. Then, while still wet, I broke some toothpicks in half and used the fat end to clean the inside of the channels where the blades rest. After that I wiped it down with a cotton cloth, washed with soap and hot water and then blew it out with compressed air. Repeated the process twice more.

The small blade has good snap to it now, half way and fully open. I was surprised it recovered so well. The main blade never recovered its snap, but that’s ok.

The most unexpected part of this whole thing is how much I’ve enjoyed researching the Barlow. I stayed up til 1am last night until my wife made me go to bed.:) It being a straight line is all the more exciting. I feel very fortunate. Mostly being able to have something to remember my friend by, but also to have such a great piece of knife history.

Thanks again all who chimed in.

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GB940Rookie said:
Well friends, here it is. I took y’all’s advice on cleaning.

I oiled it down good with SLIP 2000 EWL (CLP) and let it sit for a while. Then, while still wet, I broke some toothpicks in half and used the fat end to clean the inside of the channels where the blades rest. After that I wiped it down with a cotton cloth, washed with soap and hot water and then blew it out with compressed air. Repeated the process twice more.

The small blade has good snap to it now, half way and fully open. I was surprised it recovered so well. Tha main blade never recovered its snap, but that’s ok.

The most unexpected part of this whole thing is how much I’ve enjoyed researching the Barlow. I stayed up til 1am last night until my wife made me go to bed.:) It being a straight line is all the more exciting. I feel very fortunate. Mostly being able to have something to remember my friend by, but also to have such a great piece of knife history.

Thanks again all who chimed in.
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Wow !!!! That came out looking pretty good . You now have a Real Gem of a knife to carry in memory of your friend . Don't worry about hurting that old knife . Just keep it lightly oiled and sharpened and pocket wear will shine up those bone handles . Having that in your pocket may put a Hop in your Step . Carry it in good health my friend . Thank you so much for posting your pictures .

Harry
 
That's a bit of a Treasure there, if you did really want to use the Knife - you could send it to one of our great Knife Moddin' Fools here - I would like to mention one but afraid of upsetting anyone, and have it re-pinned! 0000 Grade Steel Wool won't shine - it will just keep that Rust at bay use that with Mineral oil ( Baby Oil ).
There could be bigger reasons why it doesnt have Snap on the Main, the Cam could be Worn etc, but if that were mine, I would want it fixed so I could use it! a new Spring maybe - don't shine it up and man... that thing will do another 90 or so years!
 
Yeah and while yer at it ..why dont you fix the smile on the Mona Lisa with a bit of new acrylic paint:rolleyes::p
Im fairly certain the Sphinxes nose could be fixed with some chicken wire and cornice cement too....
Old Maori saying:
Kaua rawa e uru ki waenga i tetahi Kiwi me tetahi maripi tawhito!
 
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