Recommendation? Help! Replacement handle and bolster for vintage Sheffield pocket knife

M

M Hal

Joined
Mar 2, 2021
Messages
6
Hello all,

Made my account today to ask about this:

I am looking to restore my Grandfather's old pocket knife as a Father's day gift for my dad. I need a new handle and bolsters for one side of the knife (pics attached). The only markings on the knife are the words "Made in Sheffield England" on the lower part of the blade. The closest thing I could find online are made by Richards of Sheffield England. I am wondering if it would be possible to buy a similar knife and use the handle and bolsters from that on mine? What do you all think? The knife is about 3 1/2" closed so I would be looking for the same.

Alternatively is there anyone who would be able to sell me the parts or restore the knife?

Many thanks for any advice.

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That's a Richards of Sheffield Scout Knife. The other cover may have been the same, but it may have had a picture, such as the example below (but there are numerous variants). Probably not though, as I see the 'Cracked Ice' is on the mark side (though it may itself have been replaced). Are you in Europe or the US M M Hal , knowing that will make it easier to give advice :thumbsup:

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I'm in Canada, although I'm not opposed to shipping it to someone internationally as I think the sentimental value of having this repaired for my dad is worth it. I would also be okay with new parts that look similar provided they fit. I've seen handle blanks for sale and wondered if there are people who would be able to cut it to the right shape and size.
 
It is a stamped sheet metal shell construction , and the sides are held on by folded tabs.
Your best bet would be to find another for cheap on Ebay to use for parts.

It's not hard to carefully bend the tabs out with a small screwdriver or pick then remove the scale, you can then put the scale on this knife and bend them back down.

A little epoxy on the under side of the shell side may be a good idea if you can't get the tabs tight enough.

I've done this on a few shell handle knives, it's very easy.
 
Thanks for the advice, I searched and it seems there are a ton of these knives with an RCMP image on one side and a pearl/ice handle on the other. I think I will try my luck with using one for parts as they're quite cheap. Thank you!
 
Good advice, I think what I'll end up doing is taking the handles off the knife I buy and then trying to reattach them!
 
This was one of Richards most popular patterns, and produced by the thousand. It makes sense that the R.C.M.P. models are commonly available in Canada, but Richards produced Scout knives in numerous designs, and all have the same cover dimensions. Here in England, they can be picked up very inexpensively on market stalls, but you you will hopefully have no problem finding a replacement where you are. If you do pick up one of the R.C.M.P. ones, you might want to consider swapping the covers around, since the picture cover goes on the mark side. As recommended, you might also want to practice before working on your grandfather's knife. If you need assistance, there are a number of members here who do that kind of work, and could even replace the covers with solid ones if you wanted. Replacing the bail should be much easier. Good luck, I'm sure your father will be thrilled with the gift :thumbsup:
 
I realize I'm thread necroing here, but I wanted to add closure to this thread so that anyone with a similar idea might use this to help them in the future. Replacing the scales was incredibly simple as both the top and bottom bolster, and the handle are attached. It was as simple as bending up two tabs on the inside of the bolsters, taking the handle off, and then placing it onto the other knife and bending the tabs into place. Pics below.

I purchased this Richard's RCMP knife off of ebay for the replacement, handle; one side has an RCMP motif and the other is a cracked ice/pearl style.
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Here is the RCMP knife with handle removed, you can see two protrusions on the top and bottom - this is where the clips are hooked into.

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Here is the removed handle, you can see the tabs on the top and bottom.
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Here is the finished product. I also attached the lanyard loop on the bottom as my Grandfather's knife was missing that as well. This was also simple to attach as it just pushes into a hole on either side of the lower bolster.
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Thanks again for the help everyone!
 
I have an identical knife except it’s blue and I dropped it in a fire so just the plastic part of the knife handle is melted away. Do you know if it’s possible to just replace the plastic part without replacing the metal bit?
 
Russell3732 said:
I have an identical knife except it’s blue and I dropped it in a fire so just the plastic part of the knife handle is melted away. Do you know if it’s possible to just replace the plastic part without replacing the metal bit?
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You could try with some coloured tape?
 
Russell3732 said:
I have an identical knife except it’s blue and I dropped it in a fire so just the plastic part of the knife handle is melted away. Do you know if it’s possible to just replace the plastic part without replacing the metal bit?
Click to expand...
I have had success re-covering similar knives using adhesive vinyl lettering material. I found it sold in sheets at the crafts-supply store. If you can tuck in into the slight gap between the liner and the handle, it won’t go anywhere, and it seems very durable.
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Just Tom. said:
I have had success re-covering similar knives using adhesive vinyl lettering material. I found it sold in sheets at the crafts-supply store. If you can tuck in into the slight gap between the liner and the handle, it won’t go anywhere, and it seems very durable.
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Great job Tom 👍
 
M Hal said:
I'm in Canada, although I'm not opposed to shipping it to someone internationally as I think the sentimental value of having this repaired for my dad is worth it. I would also be okay with new parts that look similar provided they fit. I've seen handle blanks for sale and wondered if there are people who would be able to cut it to the right shape and size.
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Your grandad went through alot of blade on that knife,I remember getting that rcmp knife at ponton gas station in Northern manitoba in the early 70's
 
Just Tom. said:
I have had success re-covering similar knives using adhesive vinyl lettering material. I found it sold in sheets at the crafts-supply store. If you can tuck in into the slight gap between the liner and the handle, it won’t go anywhere, and it seems very durable.
xCIXEUO.jpeg
Click to expand...
Thanks I’ll try it 👍
 
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