Refinishing Grandpas knives, do or do not?

[roninelh]

I have recently found a few of my grandpas knives and have started refurbishing them. I wanted to share this one with all of you and ask if you guys would do the same thing or leave it in it's original condition? This is a colonial forest master, it turned out pretty well, the steel loop thingy was missing and i'm not sure if I want to make a new one or just fill it with something (maybe brass or micarta). I have to say that this knife is my new favorite edc and I get some crap for carrying a slippie when there are so many "modern tactical" type blades out there, but it makes me feel good that im carrying the same blade that Grandpa did. These knives are built to last a couple lifetimes if you treat em right...

 

[midnight flyer]

Tough question. You should get a lot of feedback on this subject.

Personally, I only have one pocket knife that belonged to my grandfather. It was his old CASE extra large stockman. I gave it the lightest cleaning possible to make sure it wasn't rusting or otherwise deteriorating, and then a light coat of oil. It has seen a lot of hard work in its life, and it was his favorite knife according to my uncle. He told me that he never saw his dad give any concern or care to any other folder. Just this one knife. So it stays the way it is.

He put every scratch on the blade, every pit is there from fishing or hunting, and who knows why the tip was ground off a bit. The scales are worn pretty dang smooth and the shield is gone... but I won't change a thing. It was as he had it, and that is the way it will stay. It earned is current condition by keeping up with a man that was known to be quite hard on his cutlery. And it is the only folding knife I have that was his, the only possession I have that belonged to him. It is cleaned, sharpened, and oiled. Nothing else.

On the other hand, my own father collected knives of all types and of all values. He couldn't resist a bargain, so I received a shoe box full of knives of good to dubious quality when he passed. His very favorite knife gets the same treatment that his father's knife got when it was given to me. Cleaned, sharpened and oiled, and that's it.

But some of his "bargain" finds in the box might be up for some experimentation should that be needed. The only reason I don't do anything to them is that for the most part they are either brand new or aren't worth fooling with.

I guess if I had a whole box full of keepsake knives I would be tempted to pick one out and refurb it if I was intending to carry it. The knife you posted looks to be in primo shape and should last another lifetime. I would be pleased to think of the connection I would feel when using a knife that my grandfather had used. I feel that same connection to my own father when I carry one of the old CASE knives he had. I think I would probably clean up and restore or improve the knives I thought I would carry, then after cleaning, store the other knives for other family to have later on.

As always, just my 0.02.

Robert

BTW, the "loopy thing" is called a bail, and they can be quite handy on a utility knife like that.

 

[Campbellclanman]

In all honesty - they are your knives, but what you have to consider is who you are asking that question to...in here it's Traditional, and the biggest answer you will get most probably is try and leave the age on the knife, as in the Patina...unless it's active rust - then you have to step in and do something.
To me nothing looks worse than a blade that is super shiny and is older than myself...its kind of sickening and I usually don't give the knife too much respect because someone has ruined it - usually a seller.
Nothing looks more gracious as a old knife that shows its age, and if you are lucky enough to have your Grandpa's knives - then show them the respect they deserve-and that is preserve....preserve everything, the patina-this tells the tale of the use and admiration your Grandpa showed his knife-why would you polish that away??
Mineral oil is your best friend, if the joints are gunked up-we can help you...as this is an easy fix, just oil those joints and wipe with a cloth with a few drops of Mineral oil on those blades, and then of course carry with pride, because you have something I never will, I envy you. Good on you.

 

[Jack Black]

Great posts Robert and Duncan :thumbup:

 

[mike Berkovitch]

What Duncan said

As for the round loop, either buy similar knife with one and use it or just leave it as it is. I wouldn't try to fill that hole.
Mike

 

[Sowbelly270]

You ask a very good question, my friend. This is the same question that I have been asking myself for three years. I have my Grandpa's Case knife that he carried for 25+ years and the pen blade was worn down to a toothpick. I have toyed many times about sending it in and having a new pen blade put in it. I finally decided yesterday to send it to Case to have this done. The reason for this is that I have so many memories of him using that knife that it gives me great comfort to carry it and use it. The patina will still be on the other two blades and the stag will still be worn smooth but with this repair the knife will be fully functional again. I have wondered a hundred times since I took it to the post office if I did the right thing, but in this case I think I did. I think the other answers you have gotten are spot on about trying to preserve as much as you can but sometimes repairs have to be made if your going to carry it. I don't carry my grandpa's knife all the time for fear of losing it but it is a great comfort when I do. I hope this helps but please keep in mind that this is just my opinion.


Have a great day,
Jeff

 

[roninelh]

Thoughtful posts from everyone! You guys are awesome. This colonial had a significant amount of real rust (liners and blade), so I decided to "shine it up". I have three of my grandpas knives, a camillus electricians knife, a small bone handled remington and this colonial forest master, of the three, only the remington has not been damaged by rust. I should have taken a couple "before" pictures. I agree that it feels right to use them in the same condition that gramps would have used them, but I felt like doing a proper resto on the two was appropriate because of the damage. Either way, I feel very lucky to have them.

 

[glennbad]

The question you ask is a very personal one, meaning, like others have said, the answer will be very specific to each person. Some people will say..."eh, a knife is a knife, I'm just going to throw it in my pocket and use it", which is fine if that is what they want. Perhaps they would want to carry and use something that their loved one used all the time, and that's a way to keep their memory close. On the other hand, some will say..." this knife belonged to (person x) and there is no way I would use or carry it for fear of breaking it or losing it".

I tend to fall in the second camp. I knew my mother's father fairly well, got to visit him on several occasions. However, my father's father I only met once in my life. I have a few of his knives, and to me they are like a treasure. I wouldn't dare use them for fear of something happening to them. They are the only real links I have to him.

Now getting back to your particular dilemma. The knives you listed, you haven't shown pics of the others. The Remington may have some collector value, so regardless of your personal feelings about using them, that one I might not "do anything" to. The others are fairly common, but they are priceless to you. It is responsible and the right thing to do to stop the spread of rust on the knives in an effort to protect them from further harm.

Beyond that, it is personal choice what you choose to do. Regardless, enjoy them for the memories they invoke.

Thanks for sharing your story with us.

 

[Doug Add]

Wise and helpful replies, and interesting that I am coming in after Glenn, since he did a marvelous job of restoring my Grandad's Schrade.

Take a look here.

In my case, I had initially laid it aside for a comfortable retirement (even though I had used, even abused it when I was a boy). However, the celluloid handles had begun negatively reacting with the steel. Glenn's excellent work has returned it to an object of beauty and also a more useful pocket tool. It is indeed a sentimental tie to a man I loved (and who loved me even more), but he would be disappointed if I had a good pocket knife and did not use it.