Is this verdigras a deal breaker?

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Philipsdc

Joined
Feb 1, 2023
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Hey everyone, there's a Remington RH-134 UMC knife that I'm potentially interested in buying -- I know the woman I'd be getting it from, it was her father's that he used in 1931 when he lived in Alaska, so it's at least that old -- and it appears to have (from searching on this forum) verdigris on the hilt. (And yes, she's been storing it in the sheath.) I'm trying to figure out if this is a deal breaker. I read through the forum, and know, understandably, that there are concerns about cleaning old knives. Can/should this be cleaned, would it be very difficult, would it ruin the value? I don't plan on reselling it, but some day who knows. Thanks.

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Have her clean it off with a cloth and retake the pic, verdigris is usually not harmful, and removing it is fine. It's maintenance, not really the destructive cleaning we worry about. The knife is a nice example. Also get a pic of the other side of the knife.
 
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Thanks, that's very helpful. She was afraid to remove it, lest it be the kind of cleaning you're not supposed to do. And you mean the knife is a nice example of verdigris?
 
No, a nice example of the pattern, you don't seen them often. It was one of their premium models, and expensive for the time.
 
tltt said:
No, a nice example of the pattern, you don't seen them often. It was one of their premium models, and expensive for the time.
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Oh very interesting. Yeah, it's gorgeous, she showed it to me, and I'm not really a knife person, and was really wowed by it.
 
tltt said:
Yes, nothing to worry about with that one.
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Oh good. Do you concur that there's no harm is wiping the hilt down with wd-40? And do you wash the blade at all? The picture doesn't really do it justice, it was quite nice looking in person. I bought another Alaska-related piece from her, that was her dad's, so I like the idea of having his knife from his time in Alaska as well, and knowing the story of the man.
 
I'd use mineral oil very lightly on the blade. For the handle, just use something like a dry wash cloth and maybe a very soft bristle toothbrush for the tough areas. With old leather handles I tend not to do anything but clean them off of the easy to remove stuff. Right now the handle is fine, so I'd leave it be. If it were a user, the advice would be different, but old leather can be odd, so if the handle is tight, etc..... I leave them alone.
 
tltt said:
I'd use mineral oil very lightly on the blade. For the handle, just use something like a dry wash cloth and maybe a very soft bristle toothbrush for the tough areas. With old leather handles I tend not to do anything but clean them off of the easy to remove stuff. Right now the handle is fine, so I'd leave it be. If it were a user, the advice would be different, but old leather can be odd, so if the handle is tight, etc..... I leave them alone.
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Okay, that's what I was thinking. Maybe use a soft toothbrush to see if any of the verdigris comes off in any of the indentations. And is the mineral oil on the blade to lightly clean it, or is it something you do occasionally to protect the blade? I appreciate all this feedback, thank you.
 
Yes, just a little drop a side on the mineral oil every few months if it looks like it needs it. The mineral oil should get off any loose dirt, etc..... and it acts as a good rust inhibitor for old knives. It being stainless it shouldn't have big problems with rust, but a little extra help from the mineral oil is a good thing. Also as you mentioned, storing the knife outside of the sheath.
 
tltt said:
I'd use mineral oil very lightly on the blade. For the handle, just use something like a dry wash cloth and maybe a very soft bristle toothbrush for the tough areas. With old leather handles I tend not to do anything but clean them off of the easy to remove stuff. Right now the handle is fine, so I'd leave it be. If it were a user, the advice would be different, but old leather can be odd, so if the handle is tight, etc..... I leave them alone.
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Hey, now that I've got you here, how does one know WHICH version of this knife it is, when it was made? I've seen this version online for sale, with different ages. Including one that was made between 1926 and 1930 (the one I'm interested in was used by a young guy in 1931, so it could be that). Is there some way to tell WHICH year this is from? I'm seeing a mention of a sheath number, is that actually ON the sheath? Not seeing it in my photos, but I didn't photograph the back side of the sheath.
 
No way to tell a specific age, but they were advertising them mid 1926 through 1927 a lot -

https://books.google.com/books/cont...sig=ACfU3U1pmE8vQJCQ09YYjOTqPQUbT5igww&w=1280 .

https://books.google.com/books/cont...sig=ACfU3U0emy5XwDs05by4E4AVKlxJ66S4Zw&w=1280 .

https://books.google.com/books/cont...sig=ACfU3U3zid-ajWsUI6DLD2XohxD1LWHf_w&w=1025 .

Above are some old ads from that time. It's a very uncommon knife, almost never see them, and only see the Camillus / Remington semi-reproduction from the 90's that used the pattern number. Stainless was very new for the time and people were leery of it, and it also added a decent bit of cost to the knives that did use it. Some Remingtons have a number on the sheath, I don't know if this one did, but it's a standard Remington sheath of the time.
 
tltt said:
No way to tell a specific age, but they were advertising them mid 1926 through 1927 a lot -

https://books.google.com/books/cont...sig=ACfU3U1pmE8vQJCQ09YYjOTqPQUbT5igww&w=1280 .

https://books.google.com/books/cont...sig=ACfU3U0emy5XwDs05by4E4AVKlxJ66S4Zw&w=1280 .

https://books.google.com/books/cont...sig=ACfU3U3zid-ajWsUI6DLD2XohxD1LWHf_w&w=1025 .

Above are some old ads from that time. It's a very uncommon knife, almost never see them, and only see the Camillus / Remington semi-reproduction from the 90's that used the pattern number. Stainless was very new for the time and people were leery of it, and it also added a decent bit of cost to the knives that did use it. Some Remingtons have a number on the sheath, I don't know if this one did, but it's a standard Remington sheath of the time.
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I love those ads! Boy's Life! Those are great. I think I'm definitely getting this. Just have to figure out what to offer.
 
Philipsdc said:
Thanks, that's very helpful. She was afraid to remove it, lest it be the kind of cleaning you're not supposed to do. And you mean the knife is a nice example of verdigris?
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Verdigras develops on the brass surfaces as a result of extended contact with the leather sheath. Best way to clean it properly is using Simichrome polish or something similar. You should probably clean up the aluminum pommel also while you are at it....
 
I’ve removed a ton of that green crap from military gear. Canvas. Leather. Old buttons, rivets, snaps, badges.

I’m not telling you to do this.

But, it works beautifully on everything I’ve tried.

A Q Tip and acetone. It instantly dissolves Verdigris. Wipe it off with a dry Q Tip and a paper towel.

I’d then coat everything down with Renaissance wax.

Do a little research. I’ve never tried it on a knife handle.
 
Sgt 127 said:
I’ve removed a ton of that green crap from military gear. Canvas. Leather. Old buttons, rivets, snaps, badges.

I’m not telling you to do this.

But, it works beautifully on everything I’ve tried.

A Q Tip and acetone. It instantly dissolves Verdigris. Wipe it off with a dry Q Tip and a paper towel.

I’d then coat everything down with Renaissance wax.

Do a little research. I’ve never tried it on a knife handle.
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Be careful using acetone. It might not play nice with the colored plastic spacers...
 
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