seeking knife repair suggestions

N

Nosmada

Joined
Dec 30, 2015
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I'm new to the blade forums and I am not a knife maker, but I certainly enjoy and value the craftsmanship in well made knives, whether new or well worn from use.

I have a lovely old paring knife marked "Geneva Hi-Carbon U.S.A." It was my mother's and probably came from her mother as well. The handle is wood and is attached to the full tang with brass rivets. The wood is loose in the rivets and I've not been successful in my attempts to tighten the rivets. I wish to replace the rivets with new ones.

It's been frustrating trying to find a source of small compression brass rivets. In order get 2 pairs, I either need to buy packages of 25 or 50 pairs and then pay more for shipping that the cost of the rivets. The size I need is 3/16" head by 3/8" length.

Does anyone have a suggestion or a source for how to find just a few rivets so I can continue to enjoy this comfortable old knife? Thanks.
Nosmada
 
Try checking out local hardware stores in their loose bins....around my neck of the woods, Ace has simple compression rivets I believe.
-Mark
 
They are called "cutler rivits". Most all knife supply companies carry them. IIRC, even Woodcraft sells them. EBay has lots, too. The stickys has a list of the major knife supply companies.

Drill out the old ones with an 1/8" bit.
 
I think a majority of places will sell them in pairs of 25 or 50, and unfortunately, you're likely to pay about the same cost for shipping, because the rivets really aren't that expensive to begin with.

Now, I'm not telling you what to do, but if you want something that will last another 50 years, you might look into replacing the wood scales with some Micarta, and subbing the cutler rivets for some corby bolts. Now, you might need to enlarge the holes in the knife tang ever so slightly, but it will be tight, secure, and last a lifetime if done correctly.
 
You didn't fill out your profile, so no one knows anything about you or where you are. If you had/did, you might find that several of us have them sitting around and would mail you some. Posting photos of the knife handle will also help.
 
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