Old Folder

T

Texas_T

Joined
Oct 8, 2002
Messages
85
I currently carry an old folder that had got to be over 20 yrs old. I don't know what brand it is but it has a shield similar to bulldog. The blades have been sharpened down 1/8 inch over time and both tips or no longer points. But even with all this use it still keeps a shaving sharp edge. I don't know the history of the knife it was sold to me for a penny (not given) and was pretty stiff from rust. It cleaned up very nice. I guess after all this rambling my question is this, how many here still carry an old knife after many years?
 
Here's mine!
imp.jpg

1960something Imperial. It was kicking around on my Dad's workbench for ages...I think he found it. It was rusty and pitted, now just pitted ;)
I'm workin on that, mousepad and 800 grit makes a nice shine and a wicked convex edge too.

Who else?
 
Two of my favorite carry knives used to belong to two of my great grandfathers. One is a Waterville EO regular jack and the other is a "tear drop" pattern harness knife that carries the name of a Milwaukee company. (I can't remember the name of the second knife's company. It is not on me, right now, and I seem to be enjoying a "senior moment".) My estimate of their ages would put them both at or near the century mark. Both have seen considerable use but they still cut like the dickens and carry "easy". It may be just me but I would swear that these old knives take and hold an edge even better than most modern slip-joints, even those with carbon steel or "wonder stainless" blades. Either way, they are good old knives and they help to make a bridge for me to men who are long gone and a time that is long past.
 
After some seaching I realized that the knife I was refering to is an imperial. It's very similar to Ebbtides with the exeption of red handle and different cut on the large blade ( tapered on the top to the tip) sorry don't know the correct way to explain this. Anymore carry old folders?
 
The first knife that I paid cash over the counter for, back in the 70's, was a Western USA Stockman stamped 742 D. It still finds it's way into my pocket from time to time. Kinda botched the photo touch up on the blades.
 
It is amazing how many old memories come to surface when you start cleaning one of the knives that you carried years ago. Just a thought.
Greg
 
I couldn't agree more. The knives that I mentioned earlier were received from two of the kindest and best men I ever knew, my mother's father and my grandmother's brother. I can't tell you how many times I've carried one of those old knives just to have something of one of those two good men with me. It is almost like carrying therapy in a pants pocket.
 
Very nice Ebbtide...any tips as how you did all of that? I am currently working on my Grandpa's '67 Camillus Stockman. VERY grimy. sat on his work bench for 34 years!!!
Matt
 
step 1. Lots of WD40 & rags.
step 2. Lots of Flitz & rags.

repeat steps one and two as necessary ;)

The inside of this one still needs work, I think that is the hardest part...q tips, popsicle stix...somethings gotta fit.

The mouse pad/conves edge is really easy. Buzzbait put up a tutorial on it. Pretty sure he has a link to it in his posts.
Basically it is sandpaper (temporary) glued onto a mousepad that is (permanently) glued onto a block of wood. Lay the entire blade on and stroke spine first. Polish and sharpen at the same time :D
Really, look for the tutorial, it is worth the search.
Good luck and put up pix!
 
My Dad was a Printer, and always had a knife on him. Nothing big or expensive, but always sharp and well cared for. I got a lot of hand-me-downs from him as a kid. I must admit, I abused or misplaced most of them., but I still have a couple. This little Imperial "Peanut" is one of my most prized. I have no idea where those scratches on the main blade came from, not from my Dad's sharpening that's for sure, and I don't remember ever trying to clean it up. This is pretty much the way he had it, and he's been gone over 20 years. There's like a plastic film over the jigged (whatever it is) that's flaking off, that I'd like to get rid of. This knife gets handled a lot, it's a Touchstone to my father. I don't carry it often, but when times get rough it's more likely to be in my pocket.
 
I soak 'em in WD-40 or oil for at least a week before even trying to clean an old knife. If the build up is really bad I then use a nylon scrub pad. GENTLY !! Even the nylon pads will scratch the knife. Usually several oilings and wiping with rags will get most of the build up. I never use sandpaper. I wore out toothbrush works pretty good. Mothers Mag and Aluminum polish works good on the metal parts too. It can tend to shine the knife up a bit tho. Matchsticks and toothpicks are a must. You can't get in a hurry on this. A little at a time is best. You can always take more off but can't put anything back on.
Greg
 
mckgreg brings up a good point...
I was not talking about restoring a valuable old knife (read: collectable/antique).
I was referring to every day users that have been neglected and are being returned to user status.

Do not use sandpaper or anything abrasive on any knife of undetermined value!

There, now I feel better.

Pocket carry does wonders for polishing up the bolsters
:D

Edited fur poor spellin.
 
My Case stockman, jigged red bone, was bought new in 1950. It was my only pocket knife for more than 20 years. They don't make steel like that any more, for its sharpness and hardness is extraordinary. The three blades, clip, spey and sheepsfoot, are the best all around shapes for a pocket knife that I've ever found. I don't carry the little Case much any more: it's been lost and found, loaned and returned so many times that it has used up its luck. It stays at home these days. As pocket worn, 'patinated' and honed down as it is, it's still the best folder I own...a keeper at 43 years of age.
PS: Come to think of it, it 'walks and talks' better at that age than I did!!! :)
 
Interesting post. I sell old pocket knives to
pass the time when my wife has a booth at local
fairs. Nothing expensive mind you just garage
and estate sale stuff. I tinker with cleaning
and such at the fairs talking to the fella's that
visit with their wives giving us both something
to do. Most fellas will buy a knife or two as
tool box knives or such but I haveta' tell ya.
some of the big burly farmers and factory workers
I've sold to often wonder out loud about the stories the old knives could tell. Some remember
their youth or a important family member holding
an old knife.
 
Gunhou:

That's a great story about your old Case - can you post a picture of it?

As a collector of antique pocketknives, I naturally go for the near mint specimens for my collection. However, the knives that fascinate me the most are often the old, well used, well cared for knives that are often just about worn out but still functional. Handles worn down, blades well sharpened, a lot smaller than their original profiles, with a dark blue patina from age and use.

"If only they could talk!"
 
I have my dads old sak. Its a wenger with a metal shield and crossbow in the center. Its stamped "wengerinox" and was made prior to the 1950's. It has the old fiber handles wich are poinned, and riveted on. I pulled it out the other day to check on it, and remembered all the times he used it to cut branches, whittle ect. Its kinda thinned out from use (blade that is), but I have to say its sentimental to me.
 
My Dad bought a SAK for me in Frankfurt, Germany in 1972. I carried it daily for many years, but now that he's gone it's stored safely. Many, many good memories with that knife.
 
I've had many pocket knives as a boy, but the one I remember the most I got as a teenager in the early 80's. My dad gave me a Schrade Walden 3-blade medium stockman that had belonged to his father, who had just passed away. This thing was near mint, and had the blade etches and everything in tact. It was sharp as a razor.(I have the scars to prove it) I used the knife for a number of years, managed not to damage it, and it now occupies a place of honor in my collection.

I would love to carry it all the time, but would die if anything happened to it.
 
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