Old Hickory Find

[45Frank]

Good day all.
This is my first post here so here we go.
Helping someone clean out an old basement for a move and they were throwing out a box of about a dozen or more of Old Hickory Knives which as a junker of course I ended up with. She said she has had them at least 50 years which I don't care much about but is there a way to age them?
But the reason I am posting is the wood is all there but old and loose so I will remove the wood and lightly sand it, what do I seal the wood with after a light sanding? I would like to keep the original wood because it also has the old Hickory logo.
Mirror shine on the metal isn't necessary but a clean look would be nice. I only have a grinder/buffer and a DA sander other then my hands of course.
What grits do I start and finish with on the metal? There is no pitted rust just yrs of basement life and some surface rust is all.
Thanks.

 

[jc57]

Photos of the knives would be awesome, if you have a way to post them. Set up an Imgur or Flickr account.

Those older Old Hickory knives are just fine, and people frequently use them for refurbishment or restoration projects like you are considering.

If what you are referring to as rust is a gray discoloration, then that is "patina" and is both expected and somewhat desired, depending on how it looks. It it's red rust though, it needs to come off. Light buffing with 0000 steel wool should take care of it.

 

[45Frank]

These are the one I have here with me.
No real rust just patina. Also the handles are loose and I would like to sand them some then seal them.

 

[deltaboy]

Sand with some 110 then 220 wipe down and then apply 4-6 coats of Tung Oil.

 

[45Frank]

Sand with some 110 then 220 wipe down and then apply 4-6 coats of Tung Oil.

Looks like the handles are going to be slightly sanded and will use the tung oil since that seems to be the consensus.
I just picked up some new rivets so will start some work on them today or tomorrow.
I don't need or want the blades to be new looking either just clean and rust free is all. I will keep updating and thanks for all the advice.

 

[45Frank]

Started a little work on one of the knifes this afternoon.
I used some Navel jelly since the rust was purely surface then just hand rubbed with Mothers, don't know if that was a good idea. There is No Pitting at all that's just the metal which is good for me. The handles I have the one the way I want it, the other I just hit quickly. Picked up some tung oil today so will do that tomorrow probably.
Thanks!