Metal detector find in back garden Bowie Knife?

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Manse666

Joined
Jan 1, 2022
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Hi, a friend suggested I try this forum. Brought my 10 yr old a metal detector and after trying it out in the back garden found this Bowie Knife about 6 inches down.

I’ve taken the rust off but can anyone tell me about it?
https://imgur.com/a/YJRD48c
 
Looks like that critter got worked by the wire wheel pretty nicely! However, my question is how you got the wood and brass so clean!
 
Stickgunner said:
Looks like that critter got worked by the wire wheel pretty nicely! However, my question is how you got the wood and brass so clean!
Click to expand...
I haven’t done anything to the wood except wash it with water and let it dry.
The brass had the same treatment as the blade with the wire wheel
 
Manse666 said:
I haven’t done anything to the wood except wash it with water and let it dry.
The brass had the same treatment as the blade with the wire wheel
Click to expand...
I would suggest looking into some sort of oil or other substance to preserve the wood handle. One big problem with wood, particularly old wood, is that as it dries out it will shrink, crack, and split. I'm guessing that being underground has kept the wood wet, but it's not underground anymore.

I don't remember off the top of my head what's best to use on old wood, but I'm sure there are several references over in the "Maintenance, Tinkering and Embellishment" sub-forum.
 
killgar said:
I would suggest looking into some sort of oil or other substance to preserve the wood handle. One big problem with wood, particularly old wood, is that as it dries out it will shrink, crack, and split. I'm guessing that being underground has kept the wood wet, but it's not underground anymore.

I don't remember off the top of my head what's best to use on old wood, but I'm sure there are several references over in the "Maintenance, Tinkering and Embellishment" sub-forum.
Click to expand...
It already has started to shrink and crack.
The metal that the handle is attached to is now wider than the wood(if that makes sense)
 
Manse666 said:
It already has started to shrink and crack.
The metal that the handle is attached to is now wider than the wood(if that makes sense)
Click to expand...
I just checked the Maintenance sub-forum, and several people say they use mineral oil on their wood handles. Others use various waxes (more to preserve the woods natural moisture rather than to restore moisture). For your knife handle I'd want to use something really "thin" (oil) so that it soaks deep into the wood rather than just coating the surface (wax).

Your description makes total sense. The wood handle slabs are shrinking and exposing the edges of the blade tang (portion of the steel under the handle).
 
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