Looking for some Pro advice; possibly service.

EngrSorenson

EngrSorenson

Noticed by Senpai
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Jul 3, 2019
Messages
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Not sure where to put this, but I have a buddy at church who’s not a knife guy, but he likes knives. He bought one from Nantucket as a souvenir which was very expensive, and from what I can tell, he might have been paying for the scrimshaw. The knife itself is underwhelming. (As you might expect).

We he carried it, it went through the wash, it fell apart… and then he superglued one side back together (…poorly). He gave it to me asking if I could see if anyone can fix it (almost 20 years later).

I don’t have high hopes, but the guy is an excellent dude of the highest caliber, so I’ve got to try. Looking for any input- drilling and pinning, epoxy and filler… whatever you got, and some FB supporters who’d be willing to do the work. The original “maker” I think is just an artist and doesn’t do repairs.

Thanks in advance for your time.


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That would not be hard to fix up. Some strong epoxy and re-inking the scrim work. I would be glad to help your friend out with the work.
The work looks pretty basic and the glued on scale is just ivory applied to what appears to be a cheap pocket knife.

The card says he is Charles A. Manghis. I'll let you look him up, but there are some serious issues with him and the legality of his work.

If your friend wants it fixed, I will do it gratis. Just send it to me and cover return shipping.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
The card says he is Charles A. Manghis. I'll let you look him up, but there are some serious issues with him and the legality of his work.
Click to expand...

:eek: :eek: :eek: holy moses...
I'm blown away. I hear about this kinda thing but I never thought I'd ever come in contact with it.
I just figured it was cattle bone, like most things.
Reading up on it, ivory was seized from his place of operations in 2005, which is exactly when this knife was purchased.

Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
If your friend wants it fixed, I will do it gratis. Just send it to me and cover return shipping.
Click to expand...

A very kind offer, and I will take you up on it.
Thanks so much- you're doing a good thing for a guy who does great things for others.
(Unfortunately repairing a knife put together by a guy who's kind of a dirt bag.)
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
The card says he is Charles A. Manghis. I'll let you look him up, but there are some serious issues with him and the legality of his work.
Click to expand...

Is there any way to tell if it's ivory or whale bone vs. cow bone?
I've texted my friend to see if he still wants it fixed considering the possible illegal nature of the products used.
I'm trying to read up on the legality of merely possessing such a thing, but I'm hoping that it's just cow bone.
 
Unless you are in California, NY, or one of the other few states with an outright ban on whale ivory possessing it is legal.
Send me an email and we can set it up.
 
The dark specks indicate nerve and blood vessels, and that means bone from what I ve heard. I'm sure someone will be along who knows more than I do. The point is, don't give up yet.
 
Update:
The scales were dyed bone.
The repair has been done. Original name and whale next to restored ink. I also replaced the missing corner and filled in the chipped other corners. See original photos. If you look at the original photo of the whale, there is no signature. It re-appeared when the ink was redone.
The scrimshaw on the whale looks a bit smoother in the hand than in the high-contrast blown up photos.

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Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith

So due to illnesses, travel and various other issues my buddy Kevin and I kept missing each other… but tonight was the worship team rehearsal and we were both there. I gave him the knife and he was floored. All the musicians enjoyed the rather unusual kindness of a complete stranger to fix it.

To your credit, some of the less observant couldn’t tell the knife was broken to begin with.

So thank you- a big thank you- for helping my friend. You really made his night and my only regret was you weren’t there to see how happy he was.
 
Thank you for the kind words. I am a firm believer in living my life that way.

It doesn't stop with one kind deed to a stranger if that stranger passes it on and helps another out. As worship team leaders I believe you and Kevin understand this. It is a regular topic of mine when I am in the pulpit.

"I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same. People will never know how far a little kindness can go." ~ Rachel Scott

If I am up your way one day, we'll all have to have a meal together.
 
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