Knife Restoration

[The_Tarnished]

Hey guys, first post on this forum. I was going through some stuff and I found a Case stockman knife given to me after my great grandpa passed a few years back. I dated it back to the ‘70s. It doesn’t really have any rust on it, it’s just pretty tarnished from age. I’d like to have it restored back to working order so I can use it, what are my options? Is it something I could do myself, or is it better done by a professional? How much should I expect it to cost? Any advice is highly appreciated, thanks!

 

[eveled]

Oil and a rag and some pocket time.

Resist the urge to use wire wheels sandpaper steel whool, etc.

Drip some oil in the joints, work the blades opened and closing them. Wipe off whatever oozes out, then wipe the blades with the oily rag. Let it ride along in a pocket usually will smooth out any rough edges.

 

[DennisM]

I recently traded for an older stockman with allot of tarnish myself.

After hours of DIY research - I watched a video on knife rust removers - kinda like a clay bar people use on car finishes but for knives and such. It also showed it removed tarnishing. I ordered the cheapest one I could find on AMAZON and gave it a whirl. Its rare that anything seen on the internet works as well at home so I had low expectations.

Got the eraser and holy crap - it worked pretty okay. Kinda changed the look to a satin/brushed look but I kinda like that anyways. After I finished with the eraser, I cleaned the whole knife with Wicked Clean and then applied Wicked Wax. I was thoroughly impressed with something that was so easy to do for a novice.

Image 1 - rust eraser I bought
Image 2 - the tarnishing that was on the blades, bolsters and springs.
Image 3 - Wicked Clean
Image 4 - Wicked Wax
Image 5 - cleaned and wax knife

Once done - apply knife oil to the pivot points and springs and work it in.

Good luck - you got this.

 

[Khromo]

I use that Rust Eraser to clean sharpening stones, and it is pretty coarse. I wouldn't use anything that harsh unless I had a problem that wouldn't rub away with some cream polish or some other solvent or cleaner. The oil squeezed out when you flush the pivot is often all you need to loosen any grime or surface residue. Rub it away and sharpen the blade, and you get to carry Grampa's knife! Very cool!

 

[Bill DeShivs]

It's amazing what some people think "restoration" means.