Old fixed blade clean up

N

nhyrum

Joined
Jun 28, 2016
Messages
164
I received this knife from my grandfather, who is notoriously hard on things, especially anything from Sears(its a crapsman, I mean CRAFTSMAN)

It has definitely been hit on the spine, so probably used to split wood, which may explain the HUGE dent in the blade from I bet a nail, and it's just dirty and rusty.

Would taking a wire wheel to the metal be best for removing the surface rust?

What can I use on the handle? I believe it's leather

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I don't see any red rust on the blade, just black patina. Unless you mean the quillion and pommel, which do seem to have some rust. Wire brush, buffing wheel with compound, steel wool, WD-40 on a cloth, Bar Keepers Friend powder, or some combo of the above will remove rust.

You could use a saddle soap or something like Lexol leather cleaner to clean up the stacked leather handle a little bit, or maybe even a soapy damp sponge, though I would avoid totally soaking the leather with water since it would take a while to dry out.

Unless you just hate the looks of the gray patina, which is harmless, the only thing that knife really needs is a good sharpening. I'd start out on a coarse stone like a Norton Crystolon or India to get a fresh bevel set and remove any chips and dings, and then refine the edge using finer stones to your level of preference.
 
jc57 said:
I don't see any red rust on the blade, just black patina.
Click to expand...

That's mainly because I've stoned it off. It was pretty nasty.

I'll try some of the leather goodies I have on the handle.

I have a lot of work to do to completely remove the large ding in the blade because it goes all the way through the bevel, plus some.
 
Your knife was made by Schrade-Walden for Sears. They are very good knives.
I would just use paste wax or neutral shoe polish on the handle.
 
To bring some luster back to the handle I would start off with a little bit of saddle soap or leather cleaner and then rub some neatsfoot oil on it. That will moisturize and bring back the leather back to where it should be. Lastly, like I do with my boots, I would put on a little leather conditioner. I tend to stay away from polish, but to each their own. If you want to seal it from dirt, they make some great sealers with bees wax in them that would do a great job. I have to do the above to keep our boots in good repair, otherwise farm life would kill them in 6 months.
 
It's a knife handle, not a boot. You don't want to soften the leather, and it's not in bad shape at all.
 
I don't think it would be possible to soften the leather much anyway unless the handle is loose. Those leather washers should be compressed like an S.O.B. if everything is kosher with the handle, which means they'll be virtually as hard as a rock. If you just want to use as-is, personally I'd go with the paste wax or shoe polish. You could also lightly re-sand the handle first if you wanted to bring it back closer to a new finish. That's how those types of handles are finished when originally made.
 
Should you choose to sand the handle, sand AROUND it, not lengthwise-and only sand in one direction (not back and forth) or you will end up with a fuzzy mess.
The handles were finished originally on grinding wheels. I have filed them smooth the same way- go around the handle in one direction only.
 
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