Ontario 499 Rust

[Brooks2]

I have an ontario pilot survival knife from 1980. My uncle who wanted to become a pilot was given the knife from some air men in the 80's. It also has a mismatched sheath from the 60s or 70s. The knife proceeded to sit in my grandparents basement until I found it more than 30 years later. The many years have not been nice to the knife, its leather feels brittle and its blade a bit rusted. I have mostly fixed the rust issue but how should I go about fixing and preserving the handle and sheath. Also what type of steel is used on these knives? From what I can tell its 420hc with some sort of bluing. Whatever finish the knife had, it mostly worked.

 

[eveled]

Leather issues and what product to use is usually a hot topic. They all claim to be great, but many will do harm over time.

I use bag balm. Because it’s always handy and it has antiseptic quality’s. It of course is not intended for this use. (It’s for udders).. so use at your own risk.

Obenauf’s is supposed to be the best. It is highly recommended by lots of different people.