Junk knife brought back to life

[Stringplucker]

I picked up a few lots of parts knives on the auction site recently...about 70 or so knives in various stages of decay and destruction from rusted relics to busted blades. Basically, a little bit of everything. The price was right, and I needed some stock to work with. In the mess were a number of Hammer Brand knives, some of them being Hammer Brand Kamp King knives. I found two in the batch that looked pretty bad, and decided to see what I could do with them. Both were rusted to the point the blades wouldn't move. One had plastic scales and was missing one of the bolsters, and the other had full stamped scales, with the plastic overlay peeling away. One had broken springs and good blades, and the other had good springs and a broken awl.

After disassembling both knives, cleaning the metal bits and pieces, I was able to piece together a complete knife. I'm not a fan of polishing all the years of patina from a blade, since that is part of the knife's life...much like our own experiences make us who we are. Anyway, after hitting the blades with the 3M wheel on the drill press to remove the rust.

I re-used the full metal stamped scales instead of making new scales. Since I couldn't recreate the plastic overlay that was on them originally, I masked off the bolsters, then primed and painted them with Rustoleum. I was careful removing them so putting them back on would be easy and without damage.

I hate seeing these knives turn to junk.

Here's a few photos...

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[totkst1]

I have almost that exact same kamp king knife I am trying to restore at the moment. Mine is an imperial made

 

[Ernie1980]

I love piecing together "new" knives from parts!! I never thought of just doing a coat of paint like that on the shell knives...I am going to steal that idea from you

 

[Stringplucker]

I've got another 3 or 4 of these that I'm hoping to make into one complete knife like this one.

 

[Stringplucker]

I love piecing together "new" knives from parts!! I never thought of just doing a coat of paint like that on the shell knives...I am going to steal that idea from you

Feel free. I don't know how durable it will be, but I'm hoping it will last awhile. I've got a number of other shell knives that have lost their overlay that need color. This being the first one I did, I now know it can be done rather easily. I plan on doing it to the ones that have both sides intact. Those with one or both sides missing will just go into the "needs scales" box for future projects.

 

[Ernie1980]

I typically make new scales, but for some knives putting a coating like that will be much easier and probably more durable that you think. I have several knives apart right now, including a Diamond Edge that will get the paint treatment

 

[Stringplucker]

I typically make new scales, but for some knives putting a coating like that will be much easier and probably more durable that you think. I have several knives apart right now, including a Diamond Edge that will get the paint treatment

I'm thinking durability depends on whether or not you prime the surface first. I wasn't able to sand this surface like I will on the smooth knives. Instead, I used a red 3M paint stripping wheel in a dedicated HF crap drill press to clean it up as much as possible, then used a primer prior to paint. Rustoleum is a fairly durable paint, so it ought to last awhile.

 

[screened porch]

Great job, and I think you'll be fine with the paint.
I believe these handles were originally painted, before the invention of the celluloid sheet stretch. (As always I could be wrong.)

 

[thegeneftw]

Wow! I wish I had the skills and tools to do what you did. You did a wonderful job bringing that piece of history back to life.

 

[Stringplucker]

If they were painted prior to the plastic overlay coming to be, I've never seen one. I remember seeing some Chinese copies back in the day that had paint, but not Imperial. From what I'm seeing, these Hammers are all Imperial made Hammers. I'm going to have to get a few cans of different color paint, other than black...kinda want to have an option. I've got epoxy paint, but I've never been lucky with getting a decent finish with it, so I'm using Rustoleum. I've got one can of a Chevy maroon touch up that I may try on one, followed by a lacquer clear, just to see how it comes out.

I just stripped another one down to parts, and have them soaking in some cola to work on the rust. The blades weren't bad at all, but the springs were pretty bad. When that one's done, I'll start a thread for it. I'm taking more photos of this one as I go.

 

[Buzzbait]

Nicely done. Great way to breathe new life into a vintage shell knife.

The painted covers actually gives an opportunity for a bit of artistry. One could use an airbrush, with a few different colors, and attempt to recreate the look of real jigged bone.

 

[scattershot]

When I was about six, I was given my first knife. It had textured scales like yours in the picture, and it was painted. This was in the early to mid- 50s.

Nice work, by the way.

I just read somewhere that Cerakote is available in spray cans now. That may be a more durable option than paint, but I'll bet it's pretty costly.

 

[screened porch]

I think it was in a thread on Imperial Bay's Knives (nothing like the GECs of the same name). Where the OP talked about them being painted earlier. I remember because I posted without reading the thread and made a fool of myself.