G'day fellas, am new to the forum and being new to any forum, I have a few questions. I am a collector and user ( SOG and others etc ) and had the chance to purchase a a few SOG knives over the years. When I came across a SOG S1 Bowie I had to have it. $550.00 later ( yes, thats right, they arent too cheap when they end up in a shop front down here, Australia that is ) the piece was mine. Now, my question is, how have peoples experiences been with the leather washer handles on these? What is the best method for preverving them. The environment down here ( depending on what part you are in ) can range from very high humidity ( jungle up north ), to rather warm ( eg. Marble Bar can reach temps of 60 degrees Celcius plus midsummer, that is 140 degrees F + ). Being that I paid so much for the knife I would prefer to use it but still keep in maintained. Your replies will be much appreciated. Thanks.
-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
SOG Bowie handle maintenance??
- Thread starter C-J-G
- Start date
G'day 4 R, how are you? I have seen photos of original MAC/V/SOG knives and their handles dont look too bad, although they are damaged and partially rotted away ( numerous tours in a jungle environment will do that!! ), I think the fear with most leather handles is that they will degrade to the point of moisture entering the tang channel in the washers and corroding the tang irreperably, however, the SOG's in the photos ( and a few original Ka-Bars that I have personally handled - WWII era etc ) have handles that have held up really well, and dont appear to have had their structural integrity compromised. Maybe if we dont get a reply we could just go with a basic waterproofing / leather preservant ( certain brands of shoe polish ). What do you reckon?
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2002
- Messages
- 1,350
whew, been gone for a couple of days, we're getting flooded here in SoCal. OK, that's a relative term of course, but for a flatlander like me that stays home if it rains, well.....
I myself don't worry about preserving the leather handles on my SOG Bowie and Recon Bowie. Matter of fact, I've got the Bowie to the point now where the handle is really scuffy and scruffy. All the varnish (or whatever) has been washed away and scuffed away from the numerous washings and is now very very nice "in the hand."
The Recon Bowie isn't far behind.
I'm of the opinion that trying to preserve the leather will make it less-tactile and much more slippery. So doing anything might not be a good idea.
And I can already hear C-J-G rolling his eyes.... "mate, yer a mechanical engineer just like me, you can't really be saying this...."
You do make an excellent point about the WWII Kabars. I have a couple of 'em and there's nothing wrong with those leather handles. One did loosen up a bit, the leather shrunk a tad, but I just smashed some of the disks up the handle and made an opening, then cut and inserted and glued another disk into place. After drying, I sanded the new disk to profile. No Problem.
I reckon if the SOG leather handles last another 25 years they'll outlast me, that's for sure.
But if ya gotta put something on 'em, Neatsfoot Oil has been my product of choice for the past 30 years. I've got a leather motorcycle jacket I bought way back when and Neatsfoot Oil has kept it looking like new all these years. I just pour it on and use my fingers to get the oil into all the nook and crannies..... then more oil... and more oil, I get the leather good and wet-wet-wet. Then I put it on a hanger for a couple of days and let it soak, and maybe add more oil to an area that seems more dry than expected. Two or three days later I'll wipe it down.
Ya know, that actually sounds like a good plan for the SOG leather handles to keep the deep-deep-down leather preserved. OK, I'll put my engineer's hat on and try this. What the heck, can't hurt anything, right ??
Cheers,
Carl
p.s. $550 ?? heck, sell that thing and get your money back... I'll sell ya mine for a whole lot less than that, and I'll go find me another one..... we SOG'ers gotta help each other out.
I myself don't worry about preserving the leather handles on my SOG Bowie and Recon Bowie. Matter of fact, I've got the Bowie to the point now where the handle is really scuffy and scruffy. All the varnish (or whatever) has been washed away and scuffed away from the numerous washings and is now very very nice "in the hand."
The Recon Bowie isn't far behind.
I'm of the opinion that trying to preserve the leather will make it less-tactile and much more slippery. So doing anything might not be a good idea.
And I can already hear C-J-G rolling his eyes.... "mate, yer a mechanical engineer just like me, you can't really be saying this...."
You do make an excellent point about the WWII Kabars. I have a couple of 'em and there's nothing wrong with those leather handles. One did loosen up a bit, the leather shrunk a tad, but I just smashed some of the disks up the handle and made an opening, then cut and inserted and glued another disk into place. After drying, I sanded the new disk to profile. No Problem.
I reckon if the SOG leather handles last another 25 years they'll outlast me, that's for sure.
But if ya gotta put something on 'em, Neatsfoot Oil has been my product of choice for the past 30 years. I've got a leather motorcycle jacket I bought way back when and Neatsfoot Oil has kept it looking like new all these years. I just pour it on and use my fingers to get the oil into all the nook and crannies..... then more oil... and more oil, I get the leather good and wet-wet-wet. Then I put it on a hanger for a couple of days and let it soak, and maybe add more oil to an area that seems more dry than expected. Two or three days later I'll wipe it down.
Ya know, that actually sounds like a good plan for the SOG leather handles to keep the deep-deep-down leather preserved. OK, I'll put my engineer's hat on and try this. What the heck, can't hurt anything, right ??
Cheers,
Carl
p.s. $550 ?? heck, sell that thing and get your money back... I'll sell ya mine for a whole lot less than that, and I'll go find me another one..... we SOG'ers gotta help each other out.
G'day New Pig Hunter, thanks for the reply. Will try the Neatsfoot oil techy. Thanks also for the offer to buy one of your S1's, but as it is at the moment, I am stuck with it. Nothing down here is refundable and the blade community ( while steadily growing ) is not that big, so the chances of me selling it is rather slim. Cant help the high prices down here though, there are soooo many overheads for shops to outlay for. Customs duties and taxes are high, mark ups are through the roof and only recently ( within the last month ) has a mail order blade company opened up ( and their prices are very low by comparison ). I know where I'll be shopping now. Thanks again New Pig Hunter, your input is invaluable. Hope I can return the favour.
Bye for now.
Bye for now.
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2002
- Messages
- 1,350
to update this "handle maintenance" thread......
I've been keeping the leather handle soaking in Neatsfoot oil for several days and it has soaked up all it's gonna soak up.
Now to let it sit for a few days.
Cheers,
Carl
I've been keeping the leather handle soaking in Neatsfoot oil for several days and it has soaked up all it's gonna soak up.
Now to let it sit for a few days.
Cheers,
Carl
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2002
- Messages
- 1,350
it's been about 3 weeks since I stopped soaking the leather handle. The leather has remained darkly stained from the Neatsfoot oil and the greasiness/slipperiness is gone. The handle is once again very tactile and secure when gripped.
Now to wait 10 years and see how the leather holds up......
Cheers,
Carl
Now to wait 10 years and see how the leather holds up......
Cheers,
Carl
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2002
- Messages
- 1,350
UPDATE......
well, instead of waiting 10 years, I realized it's been 10 months since I said anything about this.
SO.... the Neatsfoot oil hasn't hurt anything, the handle is still in good shape, not at all slippery or greasy.....
That's about it......
Cheers,
Carl
well, instead of waiting 10 years, I realized it's been 10 months since I said anything about this.
SO.... the Neatsfoot oil hasn't hurt anything, the handle is still in good shape, not at all slippery or greasy.....
That's about it......
Cheers,
Carl
I am a SOG S1 bowie fan but I'd love to buy one that has brass furnishings with a plum blade.. Anyhow I own a Model 5 Randall that's done up like and S1 and it is my user.. Been in a few elk and deer..
Anyhow here in Calgary there is an excellent boot repair shop that specializes in Alpine boots and they use a mixture of Neat's Foot Oil and Viscol (50/50) for all of their leather waterproofing.. They've been using is for years and recommend it to all of their customers. Anyhow I've been rubbing this onto my leather handles and it works great and doesn't leave any greasy residue.. Keep in mind I'm not soaking it..
Also my Randall leather handles did shrink a lot in the first year regardless of the frequent conditioning.. Ultimately I tightened the screw on the handle and for the past 3 or 4 years no more shrinking, I think the handle just acclimatised to our dry Alberta climate..
I love leather handles with a brass butt, hilt and high carbon stainfull, soulfull steel....
Cheers.
Anyhow here in Calgary there is an excellent boot repair shop that specializes in Alpine boots and they use a mixture of Neat's Foot Oil and Viscol (50/50) for all of their leather waterproofing.. They've been using is for years and recommend it to all of their customers. Anyhow I've been rubbing this onto my leather handles and it works great and doesn't leave any greasy residue.. Keep in mind I'm not soaking it..
Also my Randall leather handles did shrink a lot in the first year regardless of the frequent conditioning.. Ultimately I tightened the screw on the handle and for the past 3 or 4 years no more shrinking, I think the handle just acclimatised to our dry Alberta climate..
I love leather handles with a brass butt, hilt and high carbon stainfull, soulfull steel....
Cheers.
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2002
- Messages
- 1,350
I'll continue this thread and add some data points about "stacked leather handles" and rust. First the story.....
Being very fortunate indeed, just two weeks ago I ran across two old old old stacked leather handle knives from WWII: a Camillus Mark 1, and a Kabar Mark 2. Both were very very very rusty.
The Mark 1 had several washers which were cracked and split, but still in-place on the handle. As I gently pried on 'em to test em for strength, a couple of 'em literally crumbled apart. Since I can't leave well enough alone, I probed a bit more.... and more crumbled. I finally got to the point where 9 of the washers came apart before finding washers still intact and not split or cracked. Of Particular Interest was the material condition of the washers: dry-dry-dry. They made fresh toast seem soggy.
Of particular interest also was the amount of rust on the tang: lots and lots of thick rust. So I got out the electric drill, put a wire brush into the chuck, scrubbed down the blade and visible tang, then wiped everything down.
To fix this mess, I mixed up a large amount of JB Weld and proceeded to JB Weld the washers back into position, then JB Weld'ed around the perimeter of the broken washers to hold everything in position.
Bottom Line for the Mark 1: the handle is now functional, and there no doubt remains lots of thick rust under the washers I did not remove.
On to the Mark 2. It had 1-1/2" of missing leather washers on the handle, from the guard back. All the remaining washers were in good shape. But lots and lots of thick rust on the exposed tang. It received the same wire brushing, and I JB Weld'ed-in a few slices of wood to make the handle repair (yes, I agree: one of these days I'll remove the wood and do it right with leather washers.... but not today).
OK, what did I learn and what opinions have I formed ??
1. There's gonna be lots of rust on the tang.... thick thick rust.
1A. Can we do anything about it, or prevent it ?? probably not, ya just gotta expect it and live with it.
2. Will the rust degrade the function of the knife ??
2A. Not in my (humble) opinion. Though the rust was thick, the tang thickness was not appreciably degraded to a point of danger or uselessness.
3. Will the dried-out washers be a problem ??
3A. Not in my (humble) opinion. As long as the washers remain tightly in-place the handle integrity will be OK.
3B. If you pound directly on the washers, or otherwise abrade them, then yes, this will probably crack/destroy the washers.
3C. If all you do is grasp the handle in the "normal" fashion of grasping a knife handle, there won't be a problem.
As for an opinion about Leather Washer Handle Maintenance: I would say, YES !! Do something to maintain the suppleness of the leather washers. Don't let 'em go stale and hard and dry.
A. I'll keep mine soaked in Neatsfoot Oil.
B. I'll give a try to finding some Viscol (thank you Whitehorn !!) and mix it up with Neatsfoot Oil for waterproofing and see what that does.
Cheers,
Carl
Being very fortunate indeed, just two weeks ago I ran across two old old old stacked leather handle knives from WWII: a Camillus Mark 1, and a Kabar Mark 2. Both were very very very rusty.
The Mark 1 had several washers which were cracked and split, but still in-place on the handle. As I gently pried on 'em to test em for strength, a couple of 'em literally crumbled apart. Since I can't leave well enough alone, I probed a bit more.... and more crumbled. I finally got to the point where 9 of the washers came apart before finding washers still intact and not split or cracked. Of Particular Interest was the material condition of the washers: dry-dry-dry. They made fresh toast seem soggy.
Of particular interest also was the amount of rust on the tang: lots and lots of thick rust. So I got out the electric drill, put a wire brush into the chuck, scrubbed down the blade and visible tang, then wiped everything down.
To fix this mess, I mixed up a large amount of JB Weld and proceeded to JB Weld the washers back into position, then JB Weld'ed around the perimeter of the broken washers to hold everything in position.
Bottom Line for the Mark 1: the handle is now functional, and there no doubt remains lots of thick rust under the washers I did not remove.
On to the Mark 2. It had 1-1/2" of missing leather washers on the handle, from the guard back. All the remaining washers were in good shape. But lots and lots of thick rust on the exposed tang. It received the same wire brushing, and I JB Weld'ed-in a few slices of wood to make the handle repair (yes, I agree: one of these days I'll remove the wood and do it right with leather washers.... but not today).
OK, what did I learn and what opinions have I formed ??
1. There's gonna be lots of rust on the tang.... thick thick rust.
1A. Can we do anything about it, or prevent it ?? probably not, ya just gotta expect it and live with it.
2. Will the rust degrade the function of the knife ??
2A. Not in my (humble) opinion. Though the rust was thick, the tang thickness was not appreciably degraded to a point of danger or uselessness.
3. Will the dried-out washers be a problem ??
3A. Not in my (humble) opinion. As long as the washers remain tightly in-place the handle integrity will be OK.
3B. If you pound directly on the washers, or otherwise abrade them, then yes, this will probably crack/destroy the washers.
3C. If all you do is grasp the handle in the "normal" fashion of grasping a knife handle, there won't be a problem.
As for an opinion about Leather Washer Handle Maintenance: I would say, YES !! Do something to maintain the suppleness of the leather washers. Don't let 'em go stale and hard and dry.
A. I'll keep mine soaked in Neatsfoot Oil.
B. I'll give a try to finding some Viscol (thank you Whitehorn !!) and mix it up with Neatsfoot Oil for waterproofing and see what that does.
Cheers,
Carl