Great Grandfather’s Knife Restoration

[Tenakal]

I have my Great Grandfather’s decorative hunting knife from West Germany in the early 50s-70s. I’ve preserved it as well as I can; but over the years - the stag handle has become loose and shaky. Any ideas on how I could fix this?

The knife is a Hugo Koller piece from Solingen, Germany. It has stag handles and a decorative marking.

https://imgur.com/a/I1BQqKv

 

[oldmanwilly]

Nice knife! Could you show some pictures of the pommel and the nut, if any?

 

[Tenakal]

oldmanwilly Thank you sir, I made a little video. Hope that helps.

https://imgur.com/a/6JXjCIp

 

[oldmanwilly]

It looks like there is a reasonably accessible pommel nut. I reckon you could unscrew the nut, remove the pommel, and see what's going on with the handle. Often times, these older stacked handles have leather washers that dry out and shrink over time, leading to gaps in the materials and loosening up the handle. You might be able to add an extra leather washer to fill up any gaps in the handle construction and re-tighten the pommel and nut back into place. This might not work if the antler panels come off in multiple pieces, rather than as one piece. If you do this, please take care not to scratch or rip up the brass pommel nut or the aluminum handle (which is easier to do than you might think).

If you intend to make this knife into a user then it may be worth it to try to modify the knife. If, however, this is a sentimental piece that you want to preserve then maybe it's best to just leave it as is and not risk causing any damage.

Somebody may very well come along with better advice, so wait a bit to read some competing suggestions before moving forward.

 

[Tenakal]

It looks like there is a reasonably accessible pommel nut. I reckon you could unscrew the nut, remove the pommel, and see what's going on with the handle. Often times, these older stacked handles have leather washers that dry out and shrink over time, leading to gaps in the materials and loosening up the handle. You might be able to add an extra leather washer to fill up any gaps in the handle construction and re-tighten the pommel and nut back into place. This might not work if the antler panels come off in multiple pieces, rather than as one piece. If you do this, please take care not to scratch or rip up the brass pommel nut or the aluminum handle (which is easier to do than you might think).

If you intend to make this knife into a user then it may be worth it to try to modify the knife. If, however, this is a sentimental piece that you want to preserve then maybe it's best to just leave it as is and not risk causing any damage.

Somebody may very well come along with better advice, so wait a bit to read some competing suggestions before moving forward.

It looks like there is a reasonably accessible pommel nut. I reckon you could unscrew the nut, remove the pommel, and see what's going on with the handle. Often times, these older stacked handles have leather washers that dry out and shrink over time, leading to gaps in the materials and loosening up the handle. You might be able to add an extra leather washer to fill up any gaps in the handle construction and re-tighten the pommel and nut back into place. This might not work if the antler panels come off in multiple pieces, rather than as one piece. If you do this, please take care not to scratch or rip up the brass pommel nut or the aluminum handle (which is easier to do than you might think).

If you intend to make this knife into a user then it may be worth it to try to modify the knife. If, however, this is a sentimental piece that you want to preserve then maybe it's best to just leave it as is and not risk causing any damage.

Somebody may very well come along with better advice, so wait a bit to read some competing suggestions before moving forward.

Thank you - it will never be used again by myself as I intend to pass it down to my children. It’s the last thing we have that belonged to our great grandparents. I’ll leave it as is. Thanks again!

 

[oldmanwilly]

Thank you - it will never be used again by myself as I intend to pass it down to my children. It’s the last thing we have that belonged to our great grandparents. I’ll leave it as is. Thanks again!

Very well. I, too, would have a hard time breaking the seal on a pristine, vintage knife like yours. I suppose I should be thankful that my predecessors didn't keep many safe queens around so that I don't have to think twice about taking them out for a spin.

If you'd like to experience a hunt with a knife like yours, I'll bet you could find an inexpensive user with a similar design somewhere here or on the auction sites. You could have your cake and eat it too.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Perhaps you could grind a notch in a flat screwdriver, and just see if the pommel nut will tighten.

 

[DavidABQ]

Perhaps you could grind a notch in a flat screwdriver, and just see if the pommel nut will tighten.

That is a great idea!

 

[Alberta Ed]

A needlenose pliers or Leatherman might work to tighten the nut. I had a very similar knife as a kid in the 50s.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

The proper method is to grind a notch in a flat blade screwdriver, put the blade in a vise, and tighten.
If there are threads left on the tang, you can tighten it. If not then you can remove the pommel and add a spacer. The tang may be peened slightly to keep it from loosening. If so, file the end down.

Using pliers is not efficient, and it mars the pommel nut.