I have what appears to be a vintage puma with a date code of 42606, produced in the second quarter of '66. I basically have two questions. First is can it even be repaired? Second is what is it? I have looked through quite a few images of that year and cannot find anything that matches it. Any help is appreciated. Link to photos is attached. Thank you.
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Recommendation? Puma knife repair
- Thread starter rtango
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The answer to the first question is that everything can be fixed if you have enough time, motivation and equipment. You can fix this knife too. You will remove the rust, reshape the tip of the blade and remove the handle and install a new handle. there are knife makers on the forum who can do this for you. Answering the second question requires you to answer one question first. Does it have puma written anywhere on it?
Totally wouldn't attempt that myself. Hoping i could find someone either local to me in CO or that I could ship it out to. It does not say Puma anywhere. The only markings are the stamped 42606 on the finger guard and the two times the name Casna was carved into the handle.
Welcome to Bladeforums rtango.
It looks to me like the remains of a Puma bowie (example pictured below).
As far as repair, there doesn't seem to be much there to repair, but that's up to you to decide if it's salvageable, and if it's worth the expense. You could ask here for someone to fix it- http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/wanted-knifemaker-craftsman-related-services.871/
It looks to me like the remains of a Puma bowie (example pictured below).
As far as repair, there doesn't seem to be much there to repair, but that's up to you to decide if it's salvageable, and if it's worth the expense. You could ask here for someone to fix it- http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/wanted-knifemaker-craftsman-related-services.871/
eisman
Gold Member
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If it doesn't say "Puma", it's not a Puma.
As noted it could be made into a useful, cleaner, knife with a pit of work. There are guys on this Forum who do that type of work. Look here: https://www.bladeforums.com/forums/the-custom-shop-services-offered.870/
As noted it could be made into a useful, cleaner, knife with a pit of work. There are guys on this Forum who do that type of work. Look here: https://www.bladeforums.com/forums/the-custom-shop-services-offered.870/
- Joined
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If it's not written on it, I don't think it's a puma. This is a very used handle style. It is constantly seen on European knives. I think you should look into other solingen brands and you can find something similar.
Blade etchings, like the kind Puma used/uses, can be destroyed or obscured over time by corrosion, sanding, hard use, etc. And clearly the OP's knife has seen some hard times.
I can't say for sure that the OP's knife is a Puma, but the mere fact that it no longer says "Puma" does not mean it isn't a "Puma". It's possible that if the OP looked very hard in the right place that he might see remnants of the Puma etchings.
Also, according to Puma's own website, they use a 5 digit numerical date code stamped into the guards of their fixed-blades. The OP's knife has a 5 digit number stamped into the guard, and when you enter that number into the date code search function on Puma's site it comes back just like the OP said, the second quarter of 1966.
If it looks like a Puma, has a 5 digit number stamped on the guard like a Puma, and the number perfectly matches a specific date code in Puma's date code registry, I'd say there's a good chance that it's a Puma. At least I'd say it's strong evidence of it
.
Picture showing a Puma knife with guard-stamped date code.
I can't say for sure that the OP's knife is a Puma, but the mere fact that it no longer says "Puma" does not mean it isn't a "Puma". It's possible that if the OP looked very hard in the right place that he might see remnants of the Puma etchings.
Also, according to Puma's own website, they use a 5 digit numerical date code stamped into the guards of their fixed-blades. The OP's knife has a 5 digit number stamped into the guard, and when you enter that number into the date code search function on Puma's site it comes back just like the OP said, the second quarter of 1966.
If it looks like a Puma, has a 5 digit number stamped on the guard like a Puma, and the number perfectly matches a specific date code in Puma's date code registry, I'd say there's a good chance that it's a Puma. At least I'd say it's strong evidence of it
.Picture showing a Puma knife with guard-stamped date code.
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Unless the knife has an emotional attachment, clean it up yourself (just take your time with various grits of sandpaper), and re-tip it the best you can. That knife will be a money pit for any type of professional restoration. You'd be close or at the price of an excellent example by the time everything was done, if done right.
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Also wouldn't be surprised if it actually IS a Puma. All that corrosion on the blade might easily obscure the original etch, if any was there. All the other keys to ID'ing as a Puma seem to be there: the choil at rear of the blade, the guard, the date stamp, handle form / shape and handle rivets, lanyard hole - all look like Puma to me. The blade's choil in front of the guard seems to be unique to the Bowie pattern itself, as far as I can tell - other Puma fixed blades don't seem to share that trait.
My 6396 Original Puma Bowie, a 1981 model, is shown below. Even in as-new condition, the etch is pretty light. Wouldn't take much to obscure it. If the pictured knife in the OP was a Bowie, then it looks as if the clipped forward portion of the blade has been reprofiled / reshaped at some point, maybe making the best of a broken blade perhaps. That's the only thing that looks significantly different to me.
My 6396 Original Puma Bowie, a 1981 model, is shown below. Even in as-new condition, the etch is pretty light. Wouldn't take much to obscure it. If the pictured knife in the OP was a Bowie, then it looks as if the clipped forward portion of the blade has been reprofiled / reshaped at some point, maybe making the best of a broken blade perhaps. That's the only thing that looks significantly different to me.
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Hi All,
Thank you so much for your input. This does have sentimental value, so i may still have it "repaired" or at least attempt a clean up myself, now knowing it is nothing close to it's original glory. The blade shape is what I couldn't match up to anything and why I am not certain it is a Puma. If it was a Puma the chrome appears to be long gone, except for slight traces of something shiny towards the guard. If anyone is interested I'll repost once i clean up the blade with any additional markings if they are present. The backstory to this knife: it was found buried in the sand on a beach. It was lost when the beach house it was in was destroyed in a blizzard and I found it 20 years later in its current condition. Since then it has just sat on my shelf until I recently tried to find it on the internet, since that was not an option 25 years ago when I found it originally. Since I found more information about it this time, I figured I finally had enough to reach out to and finally quench my curiosity. I am glad I did. You all have been very helpful and your input is much appreciated.
Thank you so much for your input. This does have sentimental value, so i may still have it "repaired" or at least attempt a clean up myself, now knowing it is nothing close to it's original glory. The blade shape is what I couldn't match up to anything and why I am not certain it is a Puma. If it was a Puma the chrome appears to be long gone, except for slight traces of something shiny towards the guard. If anyone is interested I'll repost once i clean up the blade with any additional markings if they are present. The backstory to this knife: it was found buried in the sand on a beach. It was lost when the beach house it was in was destroyed in a blizzard and I found it 20 years later in its current condition. Since then it has just sat on my shelf until I recently tried to find it on the internet, since that was not an option 25 years ago when I found it originally. Since I found more information about it this time, I figured I finally had enough to reach out to and finally quench my curiosity. I am glad I did. You all have been very helpful and your input is much appreciated.
Bill DeShivs
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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The blade has been reshaped, likely because it was broken.
It should be reshaped into something resembling a knife, when you clean it up.
If you carefully remove the steel rivet heads in the handle (be careful to not damage or lose the brass washers) the handle can be removed and the blade cleaned up.
Do not use vinegar. I don't know why vinegar is the thing that everyone uses to remove rust, but it does a bad job of de-rusting and it stains the steel black.
It should be reshaped into something resembling a knife, when you clean it up.
If you carefully remove the steel rivet heads in the handle (be careful to not damage or lose the brass washers) the handle can be removed and the blade cleaned up.
Do not use vinegar. I don't know why vinegar is the thing that everyone uses to remove rust, but it does a bad job of de-rusting and it stains the steel black.