Skansen Tapio Wirkkila Puukko

R

Rowan McDirk

Joined
Aug 16, 2013
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115
I found this Tapio Wirkkila Puukko.
I found some information on the knife but none about 'Skansen' that's printed on the sheath.
As a collector's piece, should I clean the blade, brass and oil the sheath or leave it in the condition with a patina?

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thanks
 
Hello Rowan,Tapio Wirkkala is my FAVORITE designer,and his Puukko's are sought after and pretty rare!my suggestion,keep it as is and put it somewhere in/on a safe place,take my word for it,this will be a very collectable knife!if you want to sale it i will buy it from you.i own several Puukko's.
 
I am familiar with the Tapio Wirkkila Puukko. I have one of my own.

I am unfamiliar with the "Skansen". Possibly a past owner's name?

I agree with Bob's advice as to treatment.
 
It doesn't look dirty. Make sure it is dry, then give it a good grease/wax with your chosen stuff. Choose something recommended for both wood & steel.
Give the sheath a dose of leather oil, too.
 
Hello Rowan,the knife is made in 1970,and its an officers knife.it came in a nice red display case in three versions.
 
Thanks for all your fast replies.
It has some very light scratches on the blade from the plastic sheath insert and I thought about polishin them out with Flitz metal polish.
I'll clean the blade and handle with Ballistol and give it light coat of it. I'll oil the leather with Ballistol too.

Skansen in a place in Sweden, I find it odd that there's a Swedish name on a Finnish knife sheath. The sheath is an original since it has the bear paw on it. And the Skansen letters looks professionaly done, so perhaps a limited edition?

Retired01, do you mean the knife was used in the military?
I know Wirkkala designed three knives, a small puukko, a large one and a balisong. I didn't find a picture of the knives in a display case, must look very nice.
 
FDF does not issue knives for men.
Each man buy and carries his own knife, the type he likes best...

Though ROTC- (RUK in finnish), and AUK- (thats NCO) courses usually buy similar knifes, Kurssipuukko with a name and time engraved on blades.
 
Skansen is the world's first open-air museum, founded in 1891. Here you can stroll through five centuries of Swedish history, from north to south, with a real sense of the past all around in the historical buildings and dwellings, peopled by characters in period dress.
Click to expand...

I know that logo, it was used in the past, during my childhood.
Skansen is situated on the island named Djurgården in Stockholm.
The knife was probably sold through their giftshop.

The island itself is the Stockholm equivalent of Central Park in NY.
I spent my first years in school nextdoor to Skansen and together with my classmates, we often visited Skansen after school.
(Mostly we went through holes in the fence, without paying the entrance ticket...)


Regards
Mikael
 
Finnwolf, thanks for the information, very interesting. Nice to be in a country which still has knife traditions.

Mikael, I checked the name and found the amazing park. When my children are older I will surely visit Sweden with them and that park will be one of the destinations.
It's nice to have the logo confirmed, So it is a special edition.
If it had something to do with Norway too it would have been an true Scandi knife, grin.
 
I'm sure You and Your children will enjoy the park!
It has lots of museums ( the Vasa is really special), tivoli, restaurants and vast areas for picnic's.
Fishing is free and I have caught many Seatrouts from the island shores.

Regards
Mikael
 
i don't know if its a military issue,but its designated as officers puukko.there are as far as i know 3 versions,no lettering on the blade (yours),fine lettering on the blade and thick lettering on the blade (left side!).don't put the ballistol on the sheath,eather olive oil or better beeswax,and keep the knife out of the sheath when stored!regards.
 
Retired01, What are the differences between the lettering on the blade, different production runs?
The knife does have fine lettering on the left side of the blade but it's too fine to show on the picture.
I'll try to get a picture of the lettering.
 
I have written the Skansen park/museum and Hackman Cutlery if they could give me some more information on the knife, thanks for your help!
 
Nice knife. I don't see any reason not to polish it up/clean it to your liking. Or, leave the patina...up to you.

Were it me I'd mink oil the sheath, which will give it a richer, darker color--to me classier than the pale raw leather look for such a knife. Only thing you'll need to watch for is the 'greenies' where the brass meets the leather inside the sheath....if the sheath wasn't vegetable dyed you could get the chemical reaction to cause it. Another reason besides moisture to store the knife OUT of the sheath.

I would NOT use olive oil on leather (it can sour and become rancid) and if you try it with beeswax you'll have a big mess on your hands and not so great results on that sheath. I'm not familiar with Ballistol but if it smells at all of alcohol DON'T use it, or anything else containing alcohol, on leather. Mink oil (optional) as a first step, then a good leather balm (such as Bick 4) and, if you want, a top coat of boot creme (colored or clear) to further protect it, is the way to go. Follow each step with a good buffing with a horsehair brush and you'll have a fine looking, well preserved sheath.
 
CapitalizedLiving, Usually I can't have a knife without using it. But I prefer ffg carbon steel users, so this one might be lucky and stay pristine.
It's still hard not to go out and cut stuff with it, grin.
 
Rowan McDirk said:
CapitalizedLiving, Usually I can't have a knife without using it. But I prefer ffg carbon steel users, so this one might be lucky and stay pristine.
It's still hard not to go out and cut stuff with it, grin.
Click to expand...

Yeah that is my main problem with the Wirkkala production knives I've seen - they are all stainless. With use they just look like old beat up stainless knives, not at all the same thing as a nicely aged carbon steel blade with patina and a few pock marks. Mmmm, yeah.
 
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