Recommendation? Polish or no Polish??

[ccccchunt]

Hello everyone,
New to the Group. Recently found this knife I bought back in 2002 timeframe. Over the years the brass dulled with patina and there is a small amount of vertigri on the hilt. Was wondering if I should polish the brass or leave in it's "aged" condition. I know that it is a SOG recon SEKI in Japan as it is listed on many websites as a collector item. I just don't know if I should polish or not. Thanks for any advise you can give.

 

[killgar]

Welcome to Bladeforums.

Did you buy the knife new in 2002, or is it an older Vietnam-era SOG that you bought in 2002?

It is commonly advised to not polish antique knives that have historic value. Like Civil War-era knives or knives that were actually carried by soldiers in WW2, etc, because whether it's the patina of age, or the patina of war, collectors like the natural finish that such knives have developed.

If it is a Vietnam-era SOG, and if it was carried in Vietnam, then I would advise against polishing it. But you should still remove the verdigris.

If it's a post-Vietnam SOG, then it doesn't have any real historical significance, and i don't believe the patina will add any value. So there is nothing to lose by polishing it.

 

[ccccchunt]

Thank you so much. I did not buy the knife new and actually think I bought it at a knife show in Honolulu probably in 2000 or a little after. I don't think it is a Vietnam Era knife as it has the Seki markings and I don't think those old knives did. But I may be wrong. Might be a good time to bring this to someone local that could give it a good "look over" for me. I also believe the Vietnam era knives had sharpening stones incorporated into the sheath and mine does not.

 

[eveled]

Get the verdigris off of it. Don’t polish it. Don’t store it in the sheath.

Polishing gently probably won’t hurt it, but why chance it? Plus it will just tarnish again. So why waste your time? Definitely clean off the verdigris.