Saving a John Primble 702

L

littlesamurai

Joined
Jan 25, 2013
Messages
118
I recently found this John Primble. It's in pretty bad shape.



Can it be saved? can it be refurbished somehow? If so, can anyone provide some tips of what I should do?

If I can not fix it, I would like to pass it along to someone that can bring it back to life

M.
 
It doesn't look too bad if you ask me, you could go either way with polishing the blades up. Personally, I'd wipe them down with some oil to remove excess red rust and flush out the pivot with water, then wd40 then with a viscous tool oil (not sure if this is correct, but it is what I've found works) I also fold a paper towel up and wedge it in the blade wells, then add oil and try to remove a bit of rust. I have also found that if there is a lot of rust, a Popsicle stick is more or less the right width to clean the blade well.
Do the blades have any play in them? If they have excessive play, then after flushing the joint you could squeeze the blade pin a bit tighter and eventually sand it flush. Though this usually adds a bit more debris to the pivot so I would flush it out a second time.

Please don't take my word as fact, it is just what I do when I get an old knife in bad shape.


EDIT: Esnyx's thread there is drastic, but is very good for a full restoration. If I come across a knife that would benefit it I hope to try his tutorial out. There's usually a lot of plastic handled Sheffield knives here in Australia, and would benifit greatly from new handles.
 
Doesn't look bad to me either. Looks like it can be revived without taking it apart. If you use oil and #0000 steel wool on the blades it will take off all the "live rust". Paper towels, toothpicks and oil will give it new life IMO.
 
navihawk said:
Doesn't look bad to me either. Looks like it can be revived without taking it apart. If you use oil and #0000 steel wool on the blades it will take off all the "live rust". Paper towels, toothpicks and oil will give it new life IMO.
Click to expand...

Good advice. I would try to get the blades to a gray color and no rust by using the steel wool and oil, then use dry 0000 steel wool on the shield and bolsters, which should deliver a pleasant look. It would be a mistake to try to take the blades and bolsters to a high lustre, IMO. ;):)
 
Thanks, someone recommended to use oxalic acid or naval jelly. I want to start with that before taking it a part. There is no much play on the blades.
 
i would recommend trying the above mentioned course of steel wool and some oil before moving on to naval jelly or the like.
 
This is a nice old Keen Kutter which I cleaned up with the 0000 steel wool and oil methods. It retains the antique look, for the most part. :)

2r2yqnm.jpg
 
I agree, not bad condition at all. The blades looks almost full and unless the springs have no tension, its a good knife. Just use Primble method, that is oils and zero steelwool.
WD40 or similar to get rid of heavy rust and any mineral oil for cleaning and oiling. Nice find (looks like Schrade manufacture to me)

Mike
 
I agree with the sentiment not to tear it apart. As long as eveything works the way it should, sometimes less is more.

Nice knife, should sit in the pocket nicely.
 
Yowza, Primble, that Keen Kutter is NICE!

I agree with the above. That 702 has a ton of life left in it!
 
After some elbow grease on the smaller blade only...



still does not look like Primble's Keen Kutter (that is one good looking knife)

how much more rubbing can I expect? an hour? two hours? It's the first time I clean a knife like this, so not sure if I'm doing it right :)
 
I think you've got that pen blade starting to look good! :thumbup::thumbup:
For what it's worth, when I'm trying to clean up a knife like that, I don't try to do it all in one session. Seems like they turn out better for me if I work on it for awhile (maybe an hour or two max), then take a break for awhile (maybe letting parts of the knife soak in an oily rag), and get back to it later (sometimes a day or more later). If I work on 'em for too long at a time, I start getting sloppy.

- GT
 
littlesamurai said:
After some elbow grease on the smaller blade only...



still does not look like Primble's Keen Kutter (that is one good looking knife)

how much more rubbing can I expect? an hour? two hours? It's the first time I clean a knife like this, so not sure if I'm doing it right :)
Click to expand...

The small blade (pen blade) looks just about perfect to me. If you can get both sides of both blades to look like it, that should be an old knife that you would proud to show off. The Keen Kutter did not have as much corrosion, so they all turn out a little different. ;) Looks like a couple more hours, but, remember that slow is the way to go. ;)

I too take breaks and come back later to work on cleaning an old knife. It does work out better that way. :)

Looks like some more dry steel wool on the bolsters would give them more shine. You can use painters tape on the handles, if needed.
 
Primble said:
The small blade (pen blade) looks just about perfect to me. If you can get both sides of both blades to look like it, that should be an old knife that you would proud to show off. The Keen Kutter did not have as much corrosion, so they all turn out a little different. ;) Looks like a couple more hours, but, remember that slow is the way to go. ;)

I too take breaks and come back later to work on cleaning an old knife. It does work out better that way. :)

Looks like some more dry steel wool on the bolsters would give them more shine. You can use painters tape on the handles, if needed.
Click to expand...

+1 :thumbup:
 
Very helpful thread indeed.....I've a couple of knives I need to get cleaned up some for preservation and was just wondering about what to do with them myself. Timely thread....thanks!

Joe
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top