My dad recently gave me the knife he carried in WWII. It has US M3 CAMILLUS stamped on the blade, and there is a symbol that looks like a lit bomb on the pommel. It is in good shape except for the handle. There is an almost 1/2-inch gap in the stacked leather washers. My dad says they're all there, they've just shrunk over time. There doen't appear to be any rot. Is there any way to restore them to their original thickness? My dad suggested soaking it in water, but that doesn't seem like a good idea to me. Maybe soaking it in mineral oil or neatsfoot oil? I suppose I could have them replaced, but I'd really like to keep the original washers. Any suggestions?
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Need help repairing M3 stacked-leather handle
- Thread starter jshock
- Start date
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- Nov 11, 1998
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- 1,714
Replacing them is almost impossible, as once installed on the knife, they need to be machined with a stack of milling cutters that are long gone.
I would suggest applying copious amounts of a leather treatment over a long period of time.
They may still be a little loose, but it is probably as good as can now be done.
I would suggest applying copious amounts of a leather treatment over a long period of time.
They may still be a little loose, but it is probably as good as can now be done.
Thanks Phil. After doing some googling I came across another suggestion to try and infuse the leather with paraffin -- melt paraffin and apply to the leather, then use a heat gun to help the leather soak up the paraffin. I might give that a try first. I'll post the results.
i'm not sure about the melted paraffin but you might put the handle down into the melted paraffin and see if it soaks it up. just make sure not to go past the guard just to be on the safe side as to not mess with the temper of the blade. if the handle does need replaced i can help you do it.
One of the things IMHO you have going for you is that the Camillus M3's had the pommels pinned (actually double pinned). A good craftsman could rather easily dis-assemble and replace the washers on the knife. The contour and grooves for the handle could be reproduced by hand. I've seen it done rather well on other stacked leather knives.
You can try reconditioning the original washers but in my experience I've yet to experience any success with it. Seems like once the leather dries out it just doesn't swell up enough to make the kind of difference you'd be looking for. A half inch is a lot. I don't see the paraffin working it will migrate between the washers just as easily as on them. For leather I'd be more inclined to use bee's wax but again I don't think it will make the leather swell. It will provide a good barrier to moisture.
You can try reconditioning the original washers but in my experience I've yet to experience any success with it. Seems like once the leather dries out it just doesn't swell up enough to make the kind of difference you'd be looking for. A half inch is a lot. I don't see the paraffin working it will migrate between the washers just as easily as on them. For leather I'd be more inclined to use bee's wax but again I don't think it will make the leather swell. It will provide a good barrier to moisture.