Buying old knives

glassjaw

glassjaw

Joined
Jul 28, 2014
Messages
283
So I am not the greatest at searching on the forums. And if this needs to be moved to Bernard's forum mod's let me know.

I have been going around to places in my town trying to find older knives to add to my budding collection. What I found at some of these places was a little discouraging. What I'm asking is what condition do you find most older knives in? At what point is it just not worth restoration? And what blade ware is acceptable? I would like to be able to carry something I restore, I like the idea of carrying and using a piece of history.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Gabe
 
First and foremost when I look at buying an old knife, is there any blade/s left. If the blade/s is worn to a toothpick I will pass because I cannot add steel to the blade/s.
Second are the springs and blade tangs good.....do the blade/s snap back and forth like they should.

The rest is aesthetics and what you are satisfied with. I buy parts knives and replace broken blades, handles and springs on the old knives that I like and I don't sell them.
 
I, myself go through a mental checklist that goes as follows:
1. Is there any blade left?
2. Where is it made(I tend to avoid Pakistan, China, or Japan)?
3. Can I recognize the brand?
4. How's the fit and finish(Springs flush, blades snapping, blade alignment)?
5. Do I think it looks/feels nice?
After that it depends on what I'm looking to add to the collection. I try not to spend more then 20 smakaroos on a knife that I do not deem perfect.
 
Only you can say what is acceptable to you or worth your time and effort to restore. I've found knives in very good condition, and I've also found some old wrecks that I've had mixed results at fixing up. Every now and then I find something I think is really cool! It's kind of like fishing. Unless you enjoy it, it's often cheaper and faster to buy fish at the store. I actually enjoy spending a Saturday afternoon going to flea markets and pawn shops and antique stores. I have dug through quite a few bins of rusty old pocketknives and often there's nothing that interests me. That's why they call it "fishing" and not "catching" :D
 
Most old knives I see for sale, especially at shops and estate sales, are grossly overpriced and/or broken pieces of junk. I don't mind picking up a used knife for my pocket once in a while, but I'm strict about functional condition and not overpaying. I do not enter used knives into the Collection either.
 
r8shell said:
Only you can say what is acceptable to you or worth your time and effort to restore. I've found knives in very good condition, and I've also found some old wrecks that I've had mixed results at fixing up. Every now and then I find something I think is really cool! It's kind of like fishing. Unless you enjoy it, it's often cheaper and faster to buy fish at the store. I actually enjoy spending a Saturday afternoon going to flea markets and pawn shops and antique stores. I have dug through quite a few bins of rusty old pocketknives and often there's nothing that interests me. That's why they call it "fishing" and not "catching" :D
Click to expand...

This^^^

The grail quest is about the quest.

K 'nuffa that.

Depends on what you want. A good day for me is to find a great knife in great shape which I will "collect" and a great knife in beat up shape (but still with steel to use) to drop in my back pocket and use hard while tinkering with it.

I have a Schrade 34OT with a broken main blade I carry a lot. Plenty of steel in the width but the main blade had to be reprofiled to a bit more than half it's length. I use that puppy as hard as I want. it's holding up great too.

They are another tool they "don't make like they used to". I look for other old, good tools too.
 
I agree, it depends on what you want. But there are also other considerations, like what actually gets used. I want a Dwaine Carrillo flipper, and they are so rare, (read expensive) that if I got one I would have to keep it in the safe. On the other hand I have an old aluminum scaled traditional slip joint pocketknife that I found in a market in Vietnam, that I keep oiled and use all the time. It just feels right, and it's there when I need it. You could find treasure in a very unlikely place. The search is what it's all about.
 
Thank you all for the information. I think the lack of blade was most of the knives problems. Although there is a camillus scout knife that may have my name on it.
 
Don't be discouraged! The hunt is lots of fun and can be very rewarding. I've found that most antique stores seem to be a place for knife collectors to dispose of the really worn knives they've come across. But, that being said I still hit every one I can because every once in a while I get lucky. Estate sales are the best place to find the really nice ones, as long as you beat the other knife guys there, so go early.
 
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