Restoring my Grandfathers classic knives

firefighterguy

firefighterguy

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Sep 30, 2014
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My father passed down a couple knives to me that were previously my grandfathers. He passed away almost 15 years ago and I have no idea how old these knives are. Sadly, they are in really rough shape. They are tarnished, rusted, hard to open, etc.

I can tell they were heavily used and oh boy the stories these blades would tell if they could speak. He was a farmer so I can only imagine what they’ve seen.

Any tips/advice on how to restore these? I’d like to try and do it myself but I would even pay someone if there are people that do this sort of thing. I think it would be incredible to carry these on special occasions. I would love to show my father and grandmother these knives once they are cleaned up.

Biggest issue is the rust. But also the actions on both or very stiff and hard to open.

These are the only traditional knives I own so my knowledge is limited.

Any advice is welcome!

Mods sorry if this isn’t the right spot for this thread. Please move it if I put it in the wrong spot.

https://flic.kr/p/21SzLjc

https://flic.kr/p/21SzLj2

https://flic.kr/p/21MBjBS
 
First off, please don't do anything right off with them. They are not that bad a shape. What they have is priceless patina on them from your grandfathers life.

Just wipe down with an oily cloth and see what comes off. Then just oil the joints well and work the blades back and forth. Maybe touch up the edges. they leave them alone. Whatever you do, DON"T use any abrasives on them, or rust remover stuff.

I think they look great right now. Your grandpa took a lot of years to get them like that.
 
jackknife said:
First off, please don't do anything right off with them. They are not that bad a shape. What they have is priceless patina on them from your grandfathers life.

Just wipe down with an oily cloth and see what comes off. Then just oil the joints well and work the blades back and forth. Maybe touch up the edges. they leave them alone. Whatever you do, DON"T use any abrasives on them, or rust remover stuff.

I think they look great right now. Your grandpa took a lot of years to get them like that.
Click to expand...
What he said! Mineral oil works well. Sharpen 'em up,put 'em in your pocket and think of your grandfather when you use them.--KV
 
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jackknife said:
First off, please don't do anything right off with them. They are not that bad a shape. What they have is priceless patina on them from your grandfathers life.

Just wipe down with an oily cloth and see what comes off. Then just oil the joints well and work the blades back and forth. Maybe touch up the edges. they leave them alone. Whatever you do, DON"T use any abrasives on them, or rust remover stuff.

I think they look great right now. Your grandpa took a lot of years to get them like that.
Click to expand...

I agree.
Those are in fantastic condition. :)
 
9 out of 10 people who think they are "restoring" a historical item are actually destroying it. (Obviously I made that statistic up)

It takes great skill and knowledge to be able to restore an antique well enough that it will raise the value of the item. Not that you are trying to sell these but just be aware.
 
The MOST I would do is drop them in a pan of mineral oil overnight, just to let it soak into the joints and loosen the rust to free up the action. Remember, these are old-fashion slip joint knives, the blades are not going to swing free like some tacticool folder with the lock released. Even in perfect condition, they are going to be a lot harder to open and close. From the pictures, I'd say they were well cared for and had a lot of life left in them.
 
It's hard to say, but like everyone else has said, they will be more difficult to open. A stiff pull and a joint that needs to be cleaned is different from corroded pivot/tang area that needs to be taken apart and buffed to allow the knife to be opened reasonably. The tarnish, or patina, on the blades is fine, just makes them more rust resistant, but not everyone likes patina. That can come off pretty easily with Flitz polish. Soaking the knives in oil overnight isn't a bad idea; also, I really like 3-In-1 for cleaning the junk out of the pivots and backsprings. It removes a lot of rust dirt. Doesn't stick around to lube for a while though, so I usually wipe it all out after cleaning and then come behind it with mineral oil for lube.

As for guys who restore and tinker and take apart, @glennbad @jprime84 and @Jfowl31 are the guys you want to contact.
 
Just some mineral oil and some fine steel wool used with care to remove any light rust you may find, flush out the insides with some mineral oil and compressed air until it's dry, then oil the pivots and sharpen the blades.
I didn't see any rust on the blades in your pictures, so I would personally just flush them out and oil them
Btw these knives are not in rough shape, as an example this knife knife is in lesser shape and isn't even considered to be rough
 
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As others have said, all you need to use is oil.

The Hammer Brand 2-blade jack is from around 1945 to 1955. It was made by Imperial. They were economical knives with a "shell" type construction. There's a thin layer of celluloid over the metal handles. It was likely a free gift from the advertiser.

The Camillus stockman is from the late 70s or early 80s. I still use a similar knife.
 
I clean mine in a Simple green solution and scrub them with a recycled tooth brush , dry and give it an overnight mineral oil bath! work the blades and wipe down and use some q-tips to clean then with some rags! Sharpen them up and you will be set!
 
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While I think jackknife's initial advice to take it slow, and not remove too much of the "priceless patina" too soon, is the correct advice, they are ultimately your knives, and you should do what will make you happiest, and carry them more - if that is your goal. If buffing the blades clean and smooth is what you want, you should, even if it will make the traditionalist cringe.

That said, the stories the knife has to tell are in that patina, so you may decide they look perfect after all!

Here's my (probably unhelpful) anecdote. My dad had the blades replaced on my grandfather's knife later in his life. The blades were as worn down as the bone is. He used the knife for everything.
As it is now, with the newer blades, I probably carry and use it more than I would if it was as original.
That said, I REALLY WISH I HAD GRANDPA'S HEAVILY USED and ABUSED BLADES.
IMG_7342.JPG
 
Thanks for all the replies! I’m glad I posted before doing anything to them. I definitely want to keep the patina on the blades! I’ll use a little mineral spirits and scrub on em and see how they turn out.

I’ll report back after that with the condition after cleaning!
 
firefighterguy said:
Thanks for all the replies! I’m glad I posted before doing anything to them. I definitely want to keep the patina on the blades! I’ll use a little mineral spirits and scrub on em and see how they turn out.

I’ll report back after that with the condition after cleaning!
Click to expand...

Definately don't use mineral spirits.
Mineral oil is sold at the pharmacy for digestion purposes.
This is what you want to use.
 
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