Old Remington RH-32 Comes Back to Life (Sorta)

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utah_fish

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Oct 21, 2011
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I have a lot of newer fixed blade knives and enjoy them all but I really like the vintage ones. So I picked this up recently based on some pics but was surprised how bad the condition was when I received. (Fortunately it was pretty cheap.) The sheath literally crumbled in my hands. There was so much built up grunge and the leather was caked with years of dead animals, bacon fat and who knows what else. I actually stuck it back in the box and was ready to relegate it to the "lessons learned" file........but then I thought, what the heck, I'll give it an hour of my time and see what happens. Too bad I didn't take the before pics. I started by sanding the leather with some 220 and that went well because the leather was still tight and pretty dry. Next I took 150 grit to the blade and spent about 20 minutes on that. The blade was close to black when I started and the edge is still terrible. Next I got some 000 steel woll and used it on the spacers for 5 minutes or so and lo and behold, they were in pretty good shape. The grunge probably preserved them over the years. After a brief wipe down with a damp cloth I put a coating of Armor-All (yes that's right) on the leather and it too came back to life. Finally I went over everything but the leather with some mineral oil and here is where I am so far. Pommel is a bit loose and edge needs to be worked on but I am pretty happy with it now. Still needs some sanding. Then some new pants and off we go to the woods for its next trip.









 
I've owned several RH-32's. Keep it as original as you can while still making it useful again.
 
mossyhorn said:
I've owned several RH-32's. Keep it as original as you can while still making it useful again.
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Only planning on doing the edge. Any suggestions? Stop with the sanding? Tang markings are still good. Sweet little knife. Can you post a pic or two of yours?
 
Sharpen that puppy and use it....This is an example of how I have rescued many of my favorite knives. Some may not appreciate it for their taste but none will own anything that can outperform that which you have...Herb
 
The R-32 is a copy of the original Marbel's Woodcraft model. Many copied that pattern as it was well received. It was a good general purpose blade of 4 1/2" and could skin and quarter most size game. Hang on to it as those are not easy to find. DM
 
oldgoat1911 said:
Sharpen that puppy and use it....This is an example of how I have rescued many of my favorite knives. Some may not appreciate it for their taste but none will own anything that can outperform that which you have...Herb
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Yup, love the old steel (1095) on these old boys and I was really surprised how much I liked the feel of this little Remington. I'd stayed away from them because of the big upsweep but this one just feels right. Granted its a 3 finger knife, but for what I do, its just fine.

So Oldgoat, can you post some pics of some you've rescued? Actually that would be a good thread to start.
 
Those traditionally do have shorter handles and the nice sweeping blade allowed it to be a good skinner. Fitting more belly into a knife is what attracted me to that model. DM
 
David Martin said:
Those traditionally do have shorter handles and the nice sweeping blade allowed it to be a good skinner. Fitting more belly into a knife is what attracted me to that model. DM
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Hey David, good to chat with you again. I just sent it to my sheath guy to make some new pants for it and plan on taking it on the first outing after I get it back. I'm selling off some of my larger knives and picking up some vintage smaller ones like this as i find them to be the users I defer to. Still have a few big ones like a customized PAL 36 and a really nice old Remington RH-36.
 
Yes, I'm with you. I as well have a Pal 36 and like it. When you get the new sheath, post a photo so we can enjoy it. DM
 
Utah, I hope you don't mind... Here is Buck's model of the same knife a Cabela's exclusive. I like the design and the way more room was made for the nice skinning belly. All is the same as yours, flat grind of 4.5". DM
 
I saw the Buck when it came out and it is a classy looking blade. I will post a pic when I get the knife and sheath back from Marcus. He makes some awesome sheaths at a very reasonable price.
 
Ok, thanks. Sounds good. I may have a picture of your Rem. knife made by Kinfolks if I can find it. So, many cutlery companies made copies of that Woodcraft model. DM
 
Just got the sheath from Marcus Claxton and as usual, its a beaut plus it holds the knife perfectly. I know I'm a bit unorthodox in getting a dangler for this but I really like how the dangler functions.







 
Yes it is, as is the knife. Right now its my favorite. I have about 7 knives that have sheaths by Marcus. He makes a solid sheath at a good price.
 
Yessir. BTW - look at the difference in the leather from the first pics to the ones with the sheath. I applied some Lincoln brown stain wax shoe polish and that old leather came back to life. Because its wax, and not just oil, it does not overly soften the leather. I highly recommend it.
 
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