Rescued Knives: Traditional, of course

Tdhurl1103

Tdhurl1103

Joined
Dec 6, 2012
Messages
5,521
So, ever since I got back into carrying and using traditional knives, I really enjoy finding; old, cheap, broken, rusted junker knives and bringing them back to something to be carried and used. I'm no real expert at it, and truthfully, I can't do anything that requires replacing anything on the knives. Basically, I'm knocking the rust off of them and giving them a good cleaning. I have repaired the tip on a few, but nothing real dramatic. I have rescued a few rusted up cheapys. Two of the three below (The Kamp King and Colonial Ranger) required a few hours apiece to get back to working order. Both had broken tips on the main blades which I fixed either using my Worksharp KO Edition or a Dremel tool. The Kamp King, I had to total reshape the tip on and it. I went extremely slow, making sure not to heat up the blade steel, and I did it in such a way to still keep as much of the blade as possible. It was a fun project. The Camillus TL-29 had no real issues other than a bit of rust and some blade play, which I fixed thanks to some helpful folks here on the porch. Sadly though, I really don't have many before and after photos. I really don't think about taking pics until after I've done the work.



I have a few more, which I will post up later.

I'd like to see your rescued knives. Cheapies, oldies and rust(ies) that you made good again.

Edit: For some reason I can no longer see my pics in photobucket using my computer. Therefore, I have to add my photos via tapatalk and the photobucket app. Pics forthcoming.
 
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If this is a redundant thread I will close it. 24 hours with no replies, not only disheartening, but is .......embarrassing.
 
I am surprised nobody has chimed in. You would think that this is a common practice regarding our hobby.
 
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Both of these would qualify. The tips were broken off. I wish I had "before" pics too. The Robeson was almost to the point you couldn't make out USA on it. And the bail was hanging off. But it had character and I just couldn't pass on it. The Old Timer is with me nearly everyday.
 
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Please don't be embarrassed! I, also, like to rescue old knives. (in fact, I've got a handful of them on my table waiting to be worked on) I've just been too lazy this weekend to find some pics to post. :o

Here's a recent one, a Boker USA Whittler with broken blade tips. I use the KO WorkSharp if there's a lot of metal to remove, then finish by hand.





I've got to remember to take more 'before' pictures, too. :)
 
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r8shell said:
Please don't be embarrassed! I, also, like to rescue old knives. (in fact, I've got a handful of them on my table waiting to be worked on) I've just been too lazy this weekend to find some pics to post. :o

Here's a recent one, a Boker USA Whittler with a few broken blade tips. I use the KO WorkSharp if there's a lot of metal to remove, then finish by hand.



Click to expand...

Great job resurrecting that Boker! She looks great now!
 
Don't give up on your thread so fast.
It's a holiday weekend :)

I love rescuing tired old knives.
Here are some before and afters










:D
 
well i love to see old knives saved...i have a few in the works myself..i got a western shark from WW2 and a Cattaraugus 225 and Pal 36...all i have yet to touch...you all make me want to start them here very soon...excellent work from all the pics too...God Bless John
i will post some pics once i get them done
 
Ebbtide, dude.... That buck is freakin sweet. I've rescued a few myself. I've got an old sodbuster that is going to get some new pants this week. I made up some blue burlap mycarta that I'm going to replace the cracked delrin with. I'll definitely add to this thread. I think it may become more epic than you think
 
Hey, TD...don't give up on this thread too quick! See some great work so far! I have an old Camillus like the one you posted, which is more of a restore than a repair. I will try to get some befores and afters...if they are worth it!
Enjoyed all the pics so far folks!!

Mitch
 
Thanks all for your post so far. To all, those are some great rescues. I only hope I will be at your level someday!!!

The reason I started this thread (perhaps I should have waited a few days to do so) was to get some ideas on things I could do in the future to improve. Granted, I'm just a tinkerer, and not very mechanically/technically inclined. I mess up more than I fix up, I suppose, haha. I just thought that in order to help me with my passion for knives, I could use a thread (and a few others) like this as a benchmark/stepping stone to when I am ready to actually start taking them apart and putting them back together.

Anyway, I didn't want to give up on the thread. I just thought that with no responses the thread might be redundant, uninteresting, or off target. And didn't want to just leave it hanging with no resolution.

so back on topic here

Here is a Case pen knife with Appaloosa horse bone handles that I inherited, forgot about, and left in a box in a shed for 20 years. It was rusted up pretty good, so I cleaned it up a bit and have carried and used it occasionally. This one I do have before and after pics. One thing you all might notice is that I messed up on the main blade. I forgot the main was a different steel (perhaps unpolished 1095), while the pen blade was a polished stainless steel of some type. I used some sandpaper on both blades (yeah, I know,,,,eeeek) and I went too far on the main and rubbed off the "good" patina. Leson learned there for sure. The knife languished in a drawer for a bit after I cleaned it up, but then a fellow forumite sent me a awesome Emory board that I used to polish up the bolsters on. It worked awesome and at one point I could see my reflection in the bolsters. However, in this particular pic the bolster look a little dull because my fingerprints are on them. Haha.

(pics to be added using my phone, my PB page is still not loading correctly on my computer)

Before:



Pile side



After:

 
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