Kabar 1013/barlow (Cleaning / Maintenance)

ac700wildcat

ac700wildcat

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May 24, 2011
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Recently I've been getting into knives again. When I was a pre-teen I had a small collection that I had forgotten about until just recently. I just dug them out two of them are cheap chinese stockmans, one is a small brass cross with a tiny blade that could be put on a chain, and the last is this kabar 1013 which I have found is also called a barlow.

This thing is pretty rusted (think I found it while we were shore fishing) and I'd like to see if it could be cleaned up and made into a user. IF I were to take it apart how hard is it to put it back together with the pinned construction? Would I be better off just cleaning the parts that I can get to with it still all together? Other suggestions would be welcome too.
 
always nice to find your knives from when you were younger, except it usually means you're about to get poorer... hide your credit card:D
i wouldnt recommend taking apart a slipjoint, they are complicated little things. Depending on the level of rust and neglect a thorough cleaning to the parts you can get too should suffice! Joints can be flushed out with mineral oil, wd-40 etc. just keep spraying it in there and working the action. 000-0000 Steel wool with Mineral oil will take care of the rust and whatnot and isnt overly abrasive. Depending on if its a manmade handle material or natural material you may want to keep from soaking the handle with oil, etc. Dish soap and hot water will work wonders also (just dry everything well afterwards)
Alot of rust and crud will come off/out this way, then you can polish the bolsters, blades if you see fit.... In old knives less cleaning is better.
good Luck
gene
 
Thanks for the quick reply. I was just playing with it a bit and both blades and the bolsters are pitted pretty good. I took some 400 grit sandpaper to the bolsters and the one side has very significant pitting and the other a bit less. Both blades are pitted and have a bit of side to side play. The handles are some sort of plastic, so I might go ahead and give it a little soak with some kroil to see if that helps clean it up a bit and then maybe a bit more sanding.
 
Naval jelly is good for removing rust (although don't do this unless the knife has no collectors value)
Side play in the blades can be fixed with TINY taps with a hammer.
Lay the knife on a hard surface, pad it with some cardboard or leather, and tap the pivot area with a hammer.
Tap, test, repeat.
Don't be tempted to hit too hard, it takes a lot less force than you expect and it's easy to go too far and make the pivot too tight.
It's best to choke up on the handle of the hammer and just let the weight of the hammer do the work.
 
Cool, just take it slow with the sand paper, if its a user have at it!:D
If ya can, post a picture! Blade play while annoying generally doesnt affect use.
with the flushing and oiling, etc. it should start looking like a serviceable knife, carrying it will also help keep it looking a little more polished. The pitting will be something you'll have to live with, in order to remove it completely you'd likely have to remove alot of material, that may not be a good thing.
gene
 
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First time posting pics on here, so hopefully they work. The knife looks fifty times better than it did a while ago. Just imagine every spot of metal covered it rust and that's what it looked like. I'm attempting to put a point back on the tip as well, beings it was broken off a bit. It was definitely a user at one time and I think I'll make it one again. I got rid of some of the bladeplay using the tip from jamesbeat.
 
and it looks like its going good, not too familiar with kabar but it sure looks similar to a Camillus Barlow, they made knives for everybody...
Looks like its got alot of life left in it:thumbup:
Steel Bolsters, the handle is likely Delrin (sawcut texture)
Cant beat a Barlow one of the classic pocket knife patterns, even non knife nuts will remember the pattern name.
Keep us posted on your progress:)
gene
 
Glad it worked for you :)
Try the naval jelly too, it will get the rust out of the pits without removing material like sanding does.
It leaves a dull grey film, but a little buffing gets rid of that easily.
This will make the pitting look a lot less intense.

If you want to keep it looking 'vintage', then the oil and steel wool should be enough.

Whatever you do, it's important to kill any active (red) rust so that the pits don't get any worse.
 
At one time I had some naval jelly, I'll have to see if I still have it or not. If not, I'll just grab another jar of it when I'm out and about today. Thanks for all the tips.
 
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