Clean up & date an old Buck 307?

Grease

Grease

Joined
May 10, 2012
Messages
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Hey guys, this is (I think) my first venture into your part of the forum!

My dad just handed me what I'm pretty sure is the only pocket knife he's owned in the last 30 years, a Buck 307. He said (paraphrased) "This is sad. My son is a knife guy and my knife is this dirty old thing often neglected in a drawer."

Basically, he wants it cleaned up and sharpened. Cleaning the blades up and sharpening them is easy enough, but I would much rather find out if it's possible to disassemble the knife a bit and polish up the insides, where the joints have rusted a bit and made the blades too stiff (the wharnecliff can't be opened with the nail nick, it's so stiff :()

Basically I have two questions for you guys. One, how should I go about cleaning it up? And two, is it possible to date this thing? He doesn't remember when he got it.

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I have always have good experience with Buck's CS. Might want to give them a call and see if they would be willing to do a re-furb on it.
 
Frank you are too kind.

Nope no exact date, the date info I can give you is that it was made after 1974. Previous to that the tang will be stamped Buck, Made In U.S.A. with 307 stamped on reverse. I think it best to NOT attmept to take it apart yourself, if at all.

The top of the heap method would be to see if Buck will take it back and give it what we call the "Spa" treatment. I would not email, replie times test your patience. I would call the 800 customer service number on the website and discuss cleaning and sharpening.

If you feel that is not an option, then there are 'opinions' a-plenty on how to clean up a folder. This one is stainless so a toothbrush and hot soapy water is your first attack. Then dry it with a hairdryer till its hot to hold. Yours looks to be in really good shape. You might smarten up the metal a little with some Flitz or Mother Mag Wheel polishes. None of that heavy grit stuff please. I will admit that I have a small ultra-sonic parts cleaner that I use on some. Never stag handles. If you must do something now, do the soap and water thing and soak it in mineral oil overnight, won't hurt the scale and will loosen up the sheepfoot blade.

But take my recommendation, "The Spa" treatment will give you a brand new looking knife. They were thinking about having to limit warranty repairs on some of these older knives because they have run out of spare parts. Thats why I would call and get the straight info. And remember if you send a knife to them (or any other maker) don't use the word knives in the address line. Just use initials. Forwarned, etc, etc.

Heres a old cruded up 301, white stuff is scale material 'de-gassing'
Scum.jpg


Here is post soap and water, one time
Soapandwater.jpg


Here is mineral oil soak for 24 hrs and hot water and soap again. Hair dryer.
Soak.jpg
 
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Awesome info guys. Thanks!

I think I'll give the mineral oil bath a try.


I wonder if I could mimic a ultra-sonic cleaner by sealing it in a container of mineral oil and putting it on a massage chair... :)
 
Grease said:
Awesome info guys. Thanks!

I think I'll give the mineral oil bath a try.


I wonder if I could mimic a ultra-sonic cleaner by sealing it in a container of mineral oil and putting it on a massage chair... :)
Click to expand...

It might work if you have an ultra-sonic massage chair ;)
 
Buckthorn,
Off the top of my head, without looking it up. The early models were carbon and were changed to stainless in the 80's. Hence your reference might slightly date said knives as pre or post 86, I believe. Good point. With carbon springs I am still not adverse to the hot soap and water routine because I use a hairdryer to dry them out to the point they become too hot to hold. And then oil them.

Again, lots of folks like working on their own knives but folks who send them into Buck for the 'Spa' workover are always amazed how they come back looking brand new. In the collector world you get debates on whether you should do this but if I had an old user that was going to be carried and showed around I would want it shiny....
300
 
Great post and really good advice! But, I would like to keep it with it's history showing. I like the "at home" method. Clean it up yourself, sharpen it and oil it up, it'll still feel like his knife. I'd be afraid it would just feel like getting a brand new knife back if it had the spa treatment at Buck. Just my opinion......I like old knives!!!!!!

Mark
 
Well, this one's a pre-86 one then. They're definitely carbon, and the mineral oil bath last night followed by rigourous toothbrush scrubbing today seems to have done the trick. Got the blades shiny again, got some of the stuff off the handles, got the blades all opening smoothly again...
 
About 10 minutes in an ultra sound with some of the solution made for cleaning stainless parts would clean that right up. A gallon of solution costs about the same as a decent ultrasound.

The best stuff for de-gassing synthetics is pure glycerin. Mineral oil won't last as long.
 
Glad to help here and glad to learn the new information. Always think new information is great to learn.......as a collector I tend to hedge to the 'conserving' level rather that the total make over level. Just depends on what someone wants. Again thanks for the new info guys........

As a side note. Some of the 'new' 307s you see on the bay, in weird looking Buck boxes, are Camillus factory shut-down parts knives. They were bought up by Cami workers assembled and sold. They followed standard operating procedures and I have NO issue in calling them regular good Buck 307s. The boxes are not right but the knives are good...ha

300Bucks
 
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