Need to clean up, and sharpen home made knives

Sunward · Mar 11, 2011

I am new to knife making. These two are from the 1960's. Made during "off time" in a tobacco machinery plant. The blades are made from steel used after priming the tobacco, to cut (decapitate) tobacco stock clean off as the harvester drove by, so probably very hard tool steel. What i need to know is how to clean them up and put an edge on them. Any ideas are welcome!

knife 1

knife 2

Patrickknives · Mar 11, 2011

They look pretty clean, I would not polish it would loose its history. At most some fine steel wool with a little oil.

To sharpen I would use a couple of stones, I dont like to use a coarse like you see in the hardware store, start with maybe a 400 and go to 1000. If the edge is really bad glue a 3" strip of sandpaper to a board and start with that , maybe 220. Just be carefull to match the bevel of the edge that is currently there and not make another bevel.

AcridSaint · Mar 11, 2011

I would just use a penetrating oil and wipe them down hard with a rag. Oil them up again and put them away as a keepsake.

richard j · Mar 11, 2011

i would do as suggested and keep them as they are. does the first knife a stacked leather washer handle?.

Sunward · Mar 12, 2011

richard j said:
i would do as suggested and keep them as they are. does the first knife a stacked leather washer handle?.

will do. wipe with oil. have a 400+ sharpening stone with oil, just touch them up, oil and hang them. 50 years and there is not much corrosion. belongs to father in law, who is 77yrs old and still hunts.

Handle is unknown. some kind of epoxy coating, nice grip. i will have to ask if he knows how they put the handle on. not sure since its not round if its stacked washers, end is definately wood. Thanks for your help!!

richard j · Mar 12, 2011

it looks like leather washers to me but its hard to tell from the picture. does your father in law live in canada or here in the states?

Sunward · Mar 12, 2011

richard j said:
it looks like leather washers to me but its hard to tell from the picture. does your father in law live in canada or here in the states?

We're in just west of Niagara Falls (1.5 hrs), in Canada, never heard of washers but it does have some weight in the handle.

Dixieblade57 · Mar 12, 2011

Take a look at this thread and yo will see what he is talking about washers, leather washers are used to create a handle that looks like the middle of the one you pictured. It looks as if the gurard was put on then a stack of leather washers and finally a wooden butt. You epoxy all this together and then when dry grind to shape and then that one looks as if it were coated with epoxy again! My two cents!

http://www.northcoastknives.com/northcoast_knives_tutorials_hints_tips12.htm

Nice piece of history you got there!:thumbup:

Sunward · Mar 14, 2011

Dixieblade57 said:
Take a look at this thread and yo will see what he is talking about washers, leather washers are used to create a handle that looks like the middle of the one you pictured. It looks as if the gurard was put on then a stack of leather washers and finally a wooden butt. You epoxy all this together and then when dry grind to shape and then that one looks as if it were coated with epoxy again! My two cents!

http://www.northcoastknives.com/northcoast_knives_tutorials_hints_tips12.htm

Nice piece of history you got there!:thumbup:

Thanks, the man that made the handle past away long ago. All i know is his last "bucket wish list" was a fly in fishing trip, which he did.

Thanks for the history on the knife, was wondering myself.