- Joined
- Dec 5, 2009
- Messages
- 1,528
Hi guys. Back on February the 6th my mom passed away at age 64. On that day, I lost more than just my mother. I lost a best friend, a confidant and a mentor. For over 45 years my mom was involved in the restaurant business in one form or another, even owning a total of 3 restaurants over the years. I spent most (and I mean MOST) of my childhood and teen years working in those places with her and becoming the cook (and the man) that I am today. I learned countless lessons under her watch and she will be sorely missed.
In cleaning out her house, I ran across an old drawer full of old kitchen utensils. In the bottom, were 3 Forgecraft Hi-carbon butcher/kitchen knives. I've seen these knives over the years in mom's businesses and knew they were really good quality or she wouldn't have them. The last restaurant she had closed in 2001 due to her extreme Rheumatoid Arthritis, so they would have been in this drawer for at least 9 years. After doing some research, I find that these blades are equivilant to Old Hickory and are probably at least 50 years old. She probably even got them from my grandmother no telling how long ago.
In remembering her, I decided I would refinish these knives and put them back into service. The wooden handles were still in great condition and all had no movement except for one scale that moved just a tiny bit, barely noticeable. The blades were rusted, pitted slightly in some spots, and darkened from not being stored properly.
I first washed the blades in hot, hot soapy water scrubbing off the rust with a scotchbrite pad. I then sanded the blades to remove the rest of the corrosion and get them back shiny again. I didn't like the squarish corners on the handles so I sanded them down and reprofiled them slightly to make them more rounded. The wood looks like oak to me and was in great shape. Years of oils in the hand and from food had sealed them with a thick coating.
After sanding, then wetting and dewhiskering as much as possible, I stained the handles using Birchwood Casey Walnut stain. Several coats later and this color is what I ended up with.
After the stain had set and dried, I started applying Birchwood Casey Tru Oil to the wood. I had already used this in refinishing a 60 year old muzzleloader of mine and loved the results. I used several thin coats applied with my finger. The final coat was applied with a soft papertowel to give an ultrasmooth finish.
Now, at this point I realized I didn't like the shiny blades and how easy rust formed if not dried properly so I did some reading on forced patinas and gave it a shot. First I used papertowels soaked in vinegar wrapped around the blades. After that I made a thinned mixture of yellow mustard and vinegar and applied it with a small brush. Finally, I used straight mustard applied in a splotchy pattern with the brush....it sat for 2-3 hours. These last pictures are of the completed knives, washed, dried and a coat of mineral oil applied to the blades. Once the Tru Oil cures I may take the gloss down to a soft matte finish, I haven't decided yet.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pictures and sorry for the "book" of a post lol. I just wanted to show you guys a small project I completed yesterday in memory of my mom. I hope these will become heirlooms that will get another 50 years of use. They are definitely going to be used this fall processing deer! Now, to sharpen them...
In cleaning out her house, I ran across an old drawer full of old kitchen utensils. In the bottom, were 3 Forgecraft Hi-carbon butcher/kitchen knives. I've seen these knives over the years in mom's businesses and knew they were really good quality or she wouldn't have them. The last restaurant she had closed in 2001 due to her extreme Rheumatoid Arthritis, so they would have been in this drawer for at least 9 years. After doing some research, I find that these blades are equivilant to Old Hickory and are probably at least 50 years old. She probably even got them from my grandmother no telling how long ago.
In remembering her, I decided I would refinish these knives and put them back into service. The wooden handles were still in great condition and all had no movement except for one scale that moved just a tiny bit, barely noticeable. The blades were rusted, pitted slightly in some spots, and darkened from not being stored properly.
I first washed the blades in hot, hot soapy water scrubbing off the rust with a scotchbrite pad. I then sanded the blades to remove the rest of the corrosion and get them back shiny again. I didn't like the squarish corners on the handles so I sanded them down and reprofiled them slightly to make them more rounded. The wood looks like oak to me and was in great shape. Years of oils in the hand and from food had sealed them with a thick coating.
After sanding, then wetting and dewhiskering as much as possible, I stained the handles using Birchwood Casey Walnut stain. Several coats later and this color is what I ended up with.
After the stain had set and dried, I started applying Birchwood Casey Tru Oil to the wood. I had already used this in refinishing a 60 year old muzzleloader of mine and loved the results. I used several thin coats applied with my finger. The final coat was applied with a soft papertowel to give an ultrasmooth finish.
Now, at this point I realized I didn't like the shiny blades and how easy rust formed if not dried properly so I did some reading on forced patinas and gave it a shot. First I used papertowels soaked in vinegar wrapped around the blades. After that I made a thinned mixture of yellow mustard and vinegar and applied it with a small brush. Finally, I used straight mustard applied in a splotchy pattern with the brush....it sat for 2-3 hours. These last pictures are of the completed knives, washed, dried and a coat of mineral oil applied to the blades. Once the Tru Oil cures I may take the gloss down to a soft matte finish, I haven't decided yet.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pictures and sorry for the "book" of a post lol. I just wanted to show you guys a small project I completed yesterday in memory of my mom. I hope these will become heirlooms that will get another 50 years of use. They are definitely going to be used this fall processing deer! Now, to sharpen them...
