I have sinned and must repent.......

K

Karda

BANNED
Joined
Jun 1, 2007
Messages
22,470
I did something i normally don't do......
I gave a worn out ol' soldier some spa treatment.
I normally don't refinish old knives, but when i recieved this one i couldnt believe how well the picture had decieved me. In the pic's the knife didnt look all that bad and i had supersized them and thought i got a good look. But i was on the phone when i placed the bid...glad i didnt pay too much for it.... I coulda bought a couple cups of coffee for what i paid. A couple good lessons were learned.

When this ol' kabar got here, it was as though it had spent awhile in the bottom of somebodies grandads tool box. Black corrosion all over in its nooks a crannies. Pitting on the blades, springs and bolsters. Crud throughout. The blades looked like they had never seen a stone, but instead visited the grinding wheel everytime it needed sharpening. It was scratched and gouged beyond belief. There was some side to side play on the large blade, but the pen was nice and tight, although half ground away. To top it off, i couldnt have fallen on it and hurt myself it was so dull.

I knew it was gonna be a user when i bought it since the blades were half used up. I figured it would be a good one. I wasnt mistaken. It just needed a little lovin care....

I washed her out with soap and water, blew out all the crud with my compressor and made sure to displace any water with WD. After a couple days i gave it probably the first oil it had seen in a long time.
Then i began to sand the pits and gouges out, but left plenty of character in it. I gently eliminated the play and surprisingly got some snap back in the large blade. The pen still snaps almost like new. I also gave her a little light time on the buffing wheel to get the crap out of the crevices that i couldnt get at easily.
Tonight i sat down and sharpened it up. I'm not the greatest damn sharpener, but it took a nice edge on both blades.

I think i like these ol' 1013 barlows. They feel like they're built like tanks.
I also think this one is good for another 20 years or so now, but it will see the care that it deserves.

There... i've made my confession and i feel better. I just hope i didnt doom myself to hell for eternity.




attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • DSC00349.jpg
    DSC00349.jpg
    63.7 KB · Views: 425
Looks fine to me.

Now I've got to get brave and clean up the Schrade I got a month or so ago. Probably just needs a good mineral oil soaking...
 
I get into an inner turmoil about cleaning collectibles/antiques.
I hate to remove the patina, the aging, the love marks and signs of a life well lived.
I'm a fixer by nature and was a cleaner by trade.
But theres a point where you fix it up and do these things or watch them rot away.
This one reminded me of a very grizzled old veteran, full of battle scars, half dead but holding onto his spirit waiting for salvation or final demise. It was making me kinda sad to see it like that.
I thought about polishing it up and making it shiny like new....
But then i thought....that would be like sewing the old vets lips shut so he couldnt tell his many stories.
So i decided i'd just heal some of his wounds and give him some decent clothes to wear.
I just wanted to take it far enough to put a smile on his face again.
I'm grinning too.

It's funny how the things you took for granted when young catch up with you. I lost all but one or two of the many barlows my late pops gave me. Now at times i feel like i'm trying to make up for lost time, or maybe trying to get something back that i'll never be able to. I seems i just cant get enough of certain barlows. Of the ones i like, such as the old imperials, shrades, hammers, ulsters....camillus, camco....i just cant seem to have or get enough.
I think i got a sickness.
 
A good deed not a sin. None will think it's a new knife, but a vintage well kept with a lot of character. Well done.
Mike
 
Thanks all.... When i first posted this i was unsure what would be thought of my deed.
I was hoping, but also preparing for death by stoning. ;) :)
 
Looks like it is pocket and work ready for another generation or two.

Sin, What sin? :D The only possible sin I see after that cleanup is not enjoying it's use. If it is not a rare antique that should be preserved, I think ya done good, but that is just my opinion.
 
I recently picked up a Case knife off of the "bay" and had a similar experience. Sometimes photos and descriptions just don't add up. However, I purchased the knife as a user. So I set about polishing and sharpening just as you did. With a little care a well made knife can spring back to life. Had so much fun that I puchased another knife just to bring it back from the brink. Kind of rewarding, isn't it? You can also get some great deals on knives in this condition. Of course if it were a really RARE find it would be unadvisable. Could ruin the value.
 
arrowhd said:
I recently picked up a Case knife off of the "bay" and had a similar experience. Sometimes photos and descriptions just don't add up. However, I purchased the knife as a user. So I set about polishing and sharpening just as you did. With a little care a well made knife can spring back to life. Had so much fun that I puchased another knife just to bring it back from the brink. Kind of rewarding, isn't it? You can also get some great deals on knives in this condition. Of course if it were a really RARE find it would be unadvisable. Could ruin the value.
Click to expand...

Yes, it's quite rewarding and satisfying to know that you've given a second chance to something most people would call junk.
On NM or lightly used pieces though, which is what i try to collect, i wont touch em'.
 
Karda said:
I did something i normally don't do......
I gave a worn out ol' soldier some spa treatment.
Click to expand...

Karda,

I'm very fine with how you spruced up the knife.

As much as I appreciate having some things saved away in museums and collections, as a maker of things, I take great joy when the thing I've made is being used as it was intended. Seeing a knive (or anything else) set aside just makes me sad. And once you commit to the path of the knife (or whatever) being used, you're talking about maintenance and wear. "Everything falls, after all", as the old song says.

Let me put it this way, if I were guy who made that knife, I would smile and say, "Finally, somebody is using and caring for that knife the way I wanted it to be used." And I say that knowing full well it may lead to an earlier grave for the knife.
 
I think you did just right by that knife. It has a lot of life left and yet, you can see it has had some rough times. But, it came through it all and you reached out and rescued it. :thumbup: :thumbup:

Ed J
 
I love Barlows and I really like older KA-BAR's as long as she is a user I wouldn't put too much emphasis on what she looks like that knife still has a ton of life in it and deserves to be used IMO.
 
Very nice! Makes me miss the Ka-Bar stockman that was my favorite EDC, until I gifted it to an old friend a few weekends ago. Nothing wrong with a little spit-shine on that old girl, to bring her back into service! :thumbup:
 
you did well... if you insist repenting you could make giveaway :D

Nicely restored. I see that one going generation or two more in your family :thumbup:
 
Great work IMO, I have been having a lot of fun buying old as dirt folders with blade wobble, heavy corrosion and some that wont even open and making them users...I had NEVER peened a folder until a few months back and it wasn't as daunting as I thought it would be...you can have a lot of fun doing just what you did! enjoy. :)

Karda said:
Small hobby vise + rag + careful and easy pressure.
Click to expand...

I do the same thing but I use some old leather, it seems to crush a little more consistently and if the pin does need to be peened I put a flat head tack hammer in the vice and use another hammer to lightly peen it over.

Restoring can get addictive, I'm always on the hunt now for clapped out oldies.
 
Hey there Karda, hows things?...mate I did the same with an old Sheffield Pruner that had been ground to hell and back..it was so worn and horribly disfigured that it was for display onlyfor the Stag only( and boy has it got nice Stag ), so I had to file the kick down so that the half of the blade that was left would actually sit down in the liners, I then had to file and stone the side of the blades as they were very very badly ground.
In the end I have a user now...still slightly misalignes itself when closing a bit, but you can now actually use it and everytime I do I admire the Stag.
I think if you did this and sold it as a genuine knife to a collector-that would be the sin..but I agree with the other folk...you turned it into a great user again..to be enjoyed :thumbup:
 
Yeah, it is pretty fun and one can easily get too carried away.
My fear is that i'll decide my collection needs touching up.....
so i restrict myself to only those that i will definately use.

I recently got an old Camillus 51 barlow w/black delrin scales. Full blades but has been (poorly) sharpened.
It came with a nice as heck pouch sheath that looks like it was never used. Now i have a good reason to put my belt back on everyday.

Nice Duncan! I wish i could find some stag barlows. I love stag on this pattern. But i try to keep my purchases as cheap as i can, usually under $20. I havent seen any old stag beaters that cheap, and when i do the bids get a little outta hand for my tastes.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top