New York Knife Co.- spa treatment- final update

No promises r8shell, but I may be able to come up with a proper shield for you around the end of the month. You will have to glue it in if that is not a problem for you.
 
Thanks for the advice, Jon. This particular example is, as you say, an experimental knife. I really don't think I could have made it look worse unless I actually burned off the covers. So hair conditioner, oil, etc. was fun to try. (also, when I say soaked in mineral oil, I mean liberally doused with it, and left to sit a bit and then wiped down. As opposed to sitting days fully submerged, if that makes any difference)

If I ever get an example of decent stag that has maybe gotten dried out looking, what would you recommend?
 
Codger_64 said:
No promises r8shell, but I may be able to come up with a proper shield for you around the end of the month. You will have to glue it in if that is not a problem for you.
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Hey, thanks! That would be neat.
Strange thing, but while it looks like it had a pinned shield, the hole doesn't actually go through the liner.
 
r8shell said:
If I ever get an example of decent stag that has maybe gotten dried out looking, what would you recommend?
Click to expand...

Wax instead of oil. Something to seal and shine the surface without soaking into the pores. I am a HUUGE fan of Sunshine Cloth. It contains both a very fine abrasive, as well as wax. Makes my knives shine like nothing else. I do all parts, blades, bolsters, handles, everything..

Now that you oiled the stag handle, glue wont work. So, if youre feeling experimental, I suggest you blow it out with brake cleaner (which is mostly acetone), or Qtip it with Acetone (but not the type with oil in it as some manicuring acetone), or alcohol, to get rid of the oil, at least so the shield can be glued.

Codger Rocks! A real asset to the community, and super generous of him to offer you a shield.

Happy knifeing (I wont say *inkering, so *narfeng isnt tempted to banish this thread :-)
 
As the handles dry out a bit, sometimes many days, the handles may lay back down tight to the liners. Moisture under handle material can make the underside swell, causing the handle to curl like a potato chip!
 
jon_slider said:
Wax instead of oil. Something to seal and shine the surface without soaking into the pores. I am a HUUGE fan of Sunshine Cloth. It contains both a very fine abrasive, as well as wax. Makes my knives shine like nothing else. I do all parts, blades, bolsters, handles, everything..

Now that you oiled the stag handle, glue wont work. So, if youre feeling experimental, I suggest you blow it out with brake cleaner (which is mostly acetone), or Qtip it with Acetone (but not the type with oil in it as some manicuring acetone), or alcohol, to get rid of the oil, at least so the shield can be glued.

Codger Rocks! A real asset to the community, and super generous of him to offer you a shield.

Happy knifeing (I wont say *inkering, so *narfeng isnt tempted to banish this thread :-)
Click to expand...

I would agree to give the newly spa-treated covers time to dry and stabilize. You can speed that up by, no kidding, burying the knife in a small jar of white rice. I do this when I absolutely must submerge and wash a knife in soapy water. Also, yes, clean out the shield cavity with a q-tip dampened with denatured alcohol before glueing the shield. As I keep repeating, I am not a cutler, but I am thinking to use 3m clear silicone for the glue. It will adhere to both surfaces, and still be flexible when it vulcanizes. I've used it before with good results in Delrin cavities. If/when I get a shield, we'll see if it has a stud on the back as I suspect, that presses into the stag. If so, that is likely why yours fell out. When the knife was submerged, the stag swelled and then shrunk as it dried out.

Now you are inspiring me to go to work on a stag reject 897UH knife I have. I bought it from the factory auction in '05 and it has sat unattended since then. Hmmm... should I jig it before dyeing? Jig and flame? Jig flame then dye? Jig, flame, dye, seal with resin? Hmmm... Here are a couple I got recently that were done better than my reject, a poor picture of knives sent by another member thinning his herd and graciously gifted to me.

152gnew.jpg
 
R8Shell, I went to an auction and it jogged my memory. Your knife is a SMKW SFO by Schrade circa 1995. Several patterns actually.
NYK8S
NYK34S
NYK94S
NYK77S
NYK152S

These had stag handles, modified Empire shields, 440a stainless blades.

77NYKC. These were worked up in August/September of 2001 for preselling at the Blade Show. The initial order was for only 500 pieces serialized. Amber jigged bone, plain white gift box screened in-house, warranty #7180711. These were not made for SMKW, from what I can learn. They were for Long Lewis Hardware (Birmingham, Alabama founded 1887).

So this is what your knife is. Unserialized, it is a NYK77S.

sfbjac.png


Oh, and the auction? An addition to my Sharpfinger collection. A stag handled NYK152S.

1rdnjl.png
 
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Nice looking Sharpfinger, congrats!

Thanks for the info. The picture looks about right, although mine has a nail nick, and not a long pull. They must have produced a few different runs.

The stag is starting to settle down and is looking pretty nice. I'll take some more pictures in daylight when I get a chance.
 
Yours may well be the 2001 77NYKC then. I don't have a file photo of that one. Shield should be the same though.
 
Last update:
Codger was kind enough to send me some shields, but unfortunately, they don't fit. (He suggested I do a shield giveaway, so that will probably happen, unless I come across someone who needs that particular one first) Thanks again, Codger.

So I thought what the heck, and looked through my odds and ends and scraps and found a thin little piece of silver left over from an art class and just freehanded it.


I'm pleased with it. It's not perfect, but it looks OK if you don't look too close.


A little warmer lighting:


I'm still amazed what a quality hair conditioner can do for stag. :)

I started this thread asking about New York Knife Co. and ended up attempting to restore an old Schrade. It's been an educational process.
 
I like it! It's not easy to fit those shields, especially a hand made one, so great job!
 
Great work on the shield, Rachel!!
That is a painstaking job, I would not even attempt!
It was nice to see you rescue that old clunker! It is now a self-respecting pocket knife!!
 
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