Old Ranger RD7

Horn Dog

Horn Dog

Joined
Sep 9, 2005
Messages
4,363
I cleaned up my old Ranger RD7 today. A lot of the coating was worn off anyway.
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So I stripped it and gave it a vinegar patina. I didn't bother sanding out the old tool marks. I just left it crude.
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I just love this old camp knife.
OldRD7010.jpg
 
That came out good. I like the old spear point style better than the newer clip point.
 
Thanks, tknife. I guess this belongs in another forum, but I know a lot of the survival guys here like the big heavy "survival" knives. It is great in the yard and for camp chores. That vinegar did its thing in an hour.
 
Very knice:D I love the vinegar patina; it gives it an 'old school' look. BTW have you ever used mustard for the patina? If so, any comparisons?
 
mustard make a much darker and more defined patina...the vinegar is more broad and subdued
 
I have a spear point RD6 that I did the same thing to, nice job:thumbup: That RD7 is a keeper.
 
HD,
I have one of the old RD7 also. It is one tough knife. I used it to dismantal a FAT wood stump. I spent two hours batoning the RD7 into the stump and then pulling side ways to break out chunks. I batoned with an AX. No problems. No broken tips. My RD( is the newer clip point. I like the drop point better.
Ron Athay
 
People like us need sharpened prybars. Those new Swamp Rats in 154CM just aren't up to "RD" style abuse. If I want to slice something, I'll grab my Rat Trap or Dejavoo.
 
That patina is really uniform.
Did you immerse the full blade into the vinegar? I did a vinegar treatment on my opinel (balsamic - 'cause I'm a snob) by wrapping the blade in paper towel soaked with the vinegar.

With mustard, you get drying of chunky splotches that leaves a pattern to the patina probably due to higher oxygen delivery and reaction at the retreating fluid front. Sometimes you get dramatic, black splotches, but I found that these fade quickly.

Here is my RC-4 done up by the mustard method.

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Excellent job HD! (as always, and I hope you'll remember your 3rd world employee's :p )

I also prefer the "Old" RD series;
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I think they recently went up in value!
 
kgd said:
...That patina is really uniform.
Did you immerse the full blade into the vinegar? ...
Click to expand...

I removed the scales, stripped the paint off with stripper, buffed the blade and tang with a Scotchbrite wheel. Then I immersed the whole knife in a baking pan filled with vinegar. After an hour or so, I removed the knife, dried it off, oiled the steel and attached the scales. Then I sharpened the blade on my belt sander.
 
Sweet knife..that thing is a tank!
 
Thats very thorough HornDog and you get points for work there. Why did you want to remove the coating under the slabs though? Wouldn't that coating under there just be great protection even if it sacrifices a thin strip of exposed tang under the handle slabs that isn't the same color as the blade?

Just wondering - and trying to rationalize my laziness :)
 
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