Military Knives Site?

I have looked at their stuff, but IMHO, have always considered a lot of their stuff over valued. They also seem to consider stuff that has been cleaned and polished to be "near minty".
 
The site and guys behind it are alright, I've never seen seen any problems related to authenticity, etc.... You'll pay a premium, but that's always the case on stuff coming out of a known collection. Also, they tend to get a lot of rare stuff.

As far as the criticism on cleaned knives, that is a fair one, so always ask about each specific knife. Also, the problem of cleaned knives is a fairly common one with many old knife dealers, especially if the cleaning job is an older one.
 
tltt, thank you. Ask them if they cleaned the specific knife? to inflate the condition of the knife? Sorry, if dumb question. I'm just getting into this. Thanks, again
 
OldMarineVet said:
tltt, thank you. Ask them if they cleaned the specific knife? to inflate the condition of the knife? Sorry, if dumb question. I'm just getting into this. Thanks, again
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Not so much if they cleaned it, but if there is evidence of cleaning. Sometimes if the knife was cleaned long ago by the previous owner(s), a dealer may not mention it, or expound on it. Or if it was a small cleaning job, like a small rust spot polished out, a dealer might overlook it.

This isn't so much about one dealer, as it is about the antique knife biz. Always ask questions if something seems odd.
 
tltt said:
Not so much if they cleaned it, but if there is evidence of cleaning. Sometimes if the knife was cleaned long ago by the previous owner(s), a dealer may not mention it, or expound on it. Or if it was a small cleaning job, like a small rust spot polished out, a dealer might overlook it.

This isn't so much about one dealer, as it is about the antique knife biz. Always ask questions if something seems odd.
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Understood. Thanks for explaining
 
I've bought and sold with John and Gary for years, great to deal with. I highly recommend them.
 
tltt said:
Not so much if they cleaned it, but if there is evidence of cleaning. Sometimes if the knife was cleaned long ago by the previous owner(s), a dealer may not mention it, or expound on it. Or if it was a small cleaning job, like a small rust spot polished out, a dealer might overlook it.

This isn't so much about one dealer, as it is about the antique knife biz. Always ask questions if something seems odd.
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tltt, thinking more about this response and wondering about a knife with a blued blade I'm keeping pristine for possible resale. Would using something like Du-Lite's "Kwik-Seal" periodically to maintain bluing need to be reported when selling? Would that hurt the value of the knife? Would using Renaissance Wax on top of the blued blade instead of "Kwik-Seal"be better for that purpose? If so, should that also be reported? Thanks for your help with this.
 
Generally, a light coat of mineral oil is recommended with periodic re oilings every few months. Renaissance Wax has developed a strong following too. Something like that is fine, and not a problem, it's expected. A major overhaul like a rebluing, wheel buffing, etc.... is where it needs to be mentioned.
 
tltt said:
Generally, a light coat of mineral oil is recommended with periodic re oilings every few months. Renaissance Wax has developed a strong following too. Something like that is fine, and not a problem, it's expected. A major overhaul like a rebluing, wheel buffing, etc.... is where it needs to be mentioned.
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Thank you, tltt. So do you think periodically putting the blade into bath of Du-Lite "Kwik-Seal" might be considered a "rebluing" overhaul? Thanks, again
 
No, that's fine :). I'm not super familiar with the product, but it seems to have a good rep. In general, preventive maintenance is never frowned on. It is only "restoration" that is a sticky wicket, because much of it that goes on in the knife world is amateurish.
 
tltt said:
No, that's fine :). I'm not super familiar with the product, but it seems to have a good rep. In general, preventive maintenance is never frowned on. It is only "restoration" that is a sticky wicket, because much of it that goes on in the knife world is amateurish.
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Ahh, I understand. Thank you
 
tltt, sorry to keep bugging you about permissible cleaning.

But, I'm happy to say I just happened on the following 2 knives my father (served in WWII OSS, 1943 - 1946) owned. The WWII Remington UMC RH28 is a recognized military issue, but the Marbles Gladstone is not. I'm waiting for help on whether the Marbles knife might have been used by my father in WWII (it has a sharp clip...guessing it wasn't purchased that way.)

Both knives have bluish (surface?) rust all around their Guards. For some reason some of the bluish rust is on the hard rubber (?) handle of the Remington knife. Is it ok to remove that rust from these knifes? Normally I'd try CLP first. Is it ok to clean the their blades (CLP again?)

Is it ok to clean the handles? If so, Marbles calls their handle Stag Handle/Stag Pommel but I'm not sure what material (some sort of plastic?) and I think the Remington is hard rubber. I normally use Windex for my knife handles. The Remington pommel is aluminum. I normally just try to wipe aluminum with a dry cloth diaper.

Sorry to keep bring this up. I especially don't want to screw up these knives. As always, your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you

Marbles Gladstone Knife
http://i.imgur.com/qqYaFie.jpg

WWII Remington UMC RH28 Knife
http://i.imgur.com/3fM1Q9f.jpg
 
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The blue green tarnish is verdigris, common on guards, it's a reaction from storing the knives in the sheaths for long periods. You can take it off, that's not a problem. CLP would be a bit aggressive, I'd start with just a bit of mineral oil on a old tooth brush or piece of wool, and scrub a bit. I'd wrap the handles first though, and not clean them other than maybe wiping them off with a damp cloth. The handle is indeed real stag, but the high degree of finish may cause you to think plastic, and it might darken or stain if exposed to cleaners. Also it might bother the rubber handle on the Remington. Best to let them be.

If you need to get the verdigris out of slots or cracks, a tooth pick is handy too. If the verdigris is sticking and you really want it off, you might try Nevr Dull polishing cloth, It's the mellowest of the metal polishes and the best in the eyes of many collectors, a can is cheap ($5-6), and lasts a long time -

nevr-dull.jpg
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After you're finished, best to store the knives separate or not touching the sheaths, You'll always have a bit of verdigris on stored metal, but the tanning acids in leather really accelerate it.
 
tltt, Mineral Oil worked great. Just a little elbow grease and it removed all the verdigris from both knives. I'm using it on all my knife blades now even the blued blade. Just a damp cloth worked good on the handles. Dry diaper brought back the luster to the chrome on Remington. Thanks again for your help!
 
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