Look what I found in the field!

TheDandyLion

TheDandyLion

Joined
Mar 27, 2013
Messages
764
I was doing some weeding on the back of my property and saw buried in the grass. It looked like my all to familiar Opinel collar lock but I figured it was a rock. I picked it up and saw to my dismay, I was right. The dirt and rust was caked on too much I couldn't make out which one it was. Judging by the size next to my Opinel No. 9 I think it's a No. 7 or No. 8. I can tell it was sharpened way down and the tip broken or ground down. I've seen this done to knives so you can use it as a screwdriver. Could have just broken off. I can see that the owner ground some shallow jimping into the spine. There was also a large chip taken from the collar from what Imagine was from battoning the closed blade or something. This is some serious mistreatment to the blade. I hit the back of the blade with a file and judging by the softer steel, entirely missing handle and the blackened stainless blade it wouldn't surprise me if it slipped out of some workers pocket into a burn pile (very common to burn brush out here). Who knows how old it is though, any way of telling?

Pictures here: http://imgur.com/a/KdYXQ
 
No idea of how old it might be. Just wanted to say I like what you did with your user. Did you sand the sides flat a bit before putting the "wood jimping" on?
 
Shotgun said:
No idea of how old it might be. Just wanted to say I like what you did with your user. Did you sand the sides flat a bit before putting the "wood jimping" on?
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I had rounded it off and put in the "wood jimping" in before staining it. The I sanded off the stain after getting sick of it.
 
Carbon steel, yah think, lol

CZQ88GI.jpg
 
TravisH said:
Sure, since that's INOX stainless steel, that's probably just surface rust. A little steel wool and about a 100 hours of elbow grease. ;)
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Or, some rust converter fluid, wire wheel treatment etc... It doesn't look that bad to me and isn't the Opinel INOX steel 12c27? It'd be a worthwhile undertaking IMHO.
 
Interesting find you have there, Probably has been out in the elements for quite some time for that much rust
to develop.
I think a Opinel would be a great outdoor whittler.

Take care of it! :thumbup:
 
Shotgun said:
A vinegar soak would do it some good too.
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Yeah, for sure! :thumbup: It would depend on what sort of finish/end result the Op would looking for I guess. It would be neat to leave it a bit rustic and build a handle to match. :thumbup:

Steampunk Opinel... ;)
 
It's just a little rust... It's still good, it's still good!

Also, it will buff right out.

EDIT: Damn it mete, beat me by 3 minutes, LOL!
 
I'm considering rebuilding it. If I do it would be quite the process and I'm almost positive that the temper is ruined. It's just waaayy too soft (I definitely think this was in a fire). I might end up rebuilding it just to look at if nothing else
 
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