How To Help me restore my childhood SAK Swiss Champ

Steelhog

Steelhog

Joined
Jul 2, 2009
Messages
1,176
Hey BF. Recently my parents brought me a box of mostly junk from my childhood that for some strange reason though I would want........ It was almost all junk (baseball cards, ball glove, tapes/CDs, sports medals, ect.) with the exception of my old Swiss Champ! Its in mostly good shape but needs some TLC.

I really would love to restore it to its former glory but not sure how to go about cleaning out the inside and removing the grime without damaging the magnifying glass. Also any recommendations where I can find replacement scales, small tools and the needle would be great! Thanks for the help BF.

https://imgur.com/a/RgeMMjO
 
I don't think much would damage it, tbh.

I have an old Swiss Champion and have cleaned the funk out using foaming gun scrub.
 
I use a pipe cleaner (not the bristle type) to clean the insides of my SAKs, including an old Champion and my Tinker that is always in my pocket.
Rich
 
I've got a Swiss Champ I've had since 1990, I clean it out with a toothbrush and dish soap under a faucet, then blow it out with compressed air and lightly oil it. She's on her third set of red scales, since I carried it as an EMT for years.

Check Ebay for a seller named "dm4976", they can hook you up with a new set of factory 91mm scales.
 
My method

Tub of hot soapy water and whatever type of brush works for you. A old toothbrush works
After a good scrub, blow out with compressed air.
Flush well with WD-40 , blow out with compressed air.
Repeat if you still have gunk coming out.
Lube joints with favorite knife lube.

The SwissChamp is a 91mm. I am pretty sure that you can get scales on the bay. I recommend sticking with the factory scales that way you know that they will fit properly.

A link to SakWiki about the SwissChamp.
https://www.sakwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=SwissChamp
 
If you're planning to replace the scales anyway, this probably isn't a concern. BUT, one thing to be careful with in future cleaning with new scales, is isopropyl alcohol. Victorinox's 'cellidor' scales will soften & warp with exposure to isopropyl alcohol. If they warp, they may not be able to do what they're supposed to, in securely holding the toothpick & tweezers. I learned this the hard way, with one of my own Vic SAKs that won't hold onto the toothpick anymore, after I simply wiped it down with some IPA. Doesn't take much exposure to mess it up.
 
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