To restore or not?

fast14riot · Aug 6, 2011

I picked up this little Kinfolks 333 for less than a coffee at Starbucks today. Cool little knife, I have been on their site and really enjoyed the history they have on there, makes me want to get more of them. Now my question is, should/can I restore this thing to a nice usable condition? The sheath is very stiff, and as you can see the strap broke due to being dry. Is there a way to make it soft again? The handle is stacked leather, and it is shoe sole leather according to the company info. I may make a new sheath for it if I decide to use it. From what I can tell the blade has been sharpened a bit and messed up the tip, so a regrind is needed.

What do you guys think? To restore or not to restore?

-Xander

MODS: I don't intend to have this be a how-to or anything, I will start a new thread in Maintenance if I do.

comoha · Aug 6, 2011

Restore! Who wants to see a rust-bucket '57 Chevy rolling down the street versus a nicely painted and polished version? Give new life to it so future generations can appreciate it...

jackknife · Aug 6, 2011

No!

Heck no!

Just clean it up, rub it down with an oily rag, and that's it. Don't destroy decades of built up character. I wouldn't do anything but sharpen it.

Carl.

cnas122 · Aug 6, 2011

I'd fix the sheath, give it a good clean with some warm suds, put an edge on it and use it. Give it a good scrub with saddle soap and then treat it with some leather conditioner. I will point out that on many occasions I haven't had luck bringing seriously dried leather back to life....sometimes it's just beyond repair. If anything, put a new strap on it, work the saddle soap in, put in the sun to warm it up a bit, and then have at it with the conditioner. May work, may not. But don't try and get the blade/handle back to new condition...just clean it up and use it.

sappyg · Aug 6, 2011

I would sharpen it and use it.

Bob W · Aug 6, 2011

jackknife said:
No!

Heck no!

Just clean it up, rub it down with an oily rag, and that's it. Don't destroy decades of built up character. I wouldn't do anything but sharpen it.

Carl.

Exactly.

Over thirty years ago I found a similar knife laying on the ground in the Wyoming hill country. The leather was dried, shrunk, and loose; and the blade was about the same as yours. I soaked the handle in neetsfoot oil, put a sort-of edge on the blade, and put it away in storage. Now it looks like this:

If you want a knife that looks new, buy a new knife. Case makes some nice knives of a similar design.

TheSharpStuff · Aug 6, 2011

I agree with jackknife you dont wont to just wash away all the charictor of an antique. That would be like sewing shut the mouth of a great saler or explorer so he cant tell his tales.

fast14riot · Aug 7, 2011

Thanks for all the advice guys. I should have been more clear when I said restore I did not mean make new, I mean restore it to usable condition. I have been doing some further research, and although I am unable to date this one, they are not particularly valuable. Similar condition ones are going for $15-$20 with better sheaths. It is a neat little knife, will make an excellent B&T. I have started sprucing it up a little bit already, and I will post pics when I like it. I am making a new sheath and will try to revive the original. I do plan on carrying this one. Gave it a good hair poppin edge already.

-Xander

Campbellclanman · Aug 7, 2011

I think that if it was mine...0000 grade steel wool-now don't freak out..it doesn't create a shine at all..its so fine it basically knocks the top of any live rust scale if that...use that with mineral oil...condition the leather, and put an edge-which you have already done...the steel wool ( if its 0000 grade ) wont take the old colour away at all.
The knife as you said doesn't command big dollars even in mint condition..so a nice bath in leather and mineral treatment-and edge...she's away for another 50 years!

fast14riot · Aug 7, 2011

Ok guys, here is where I will be stopping with the knife, other than another coat or two of mink oil to rehydrate the handle. I reprofiled the tip because it was blunt and ugly, put a nice sharp point on it then reground the bevel. It is shaving sharp. The sheath is going to be the difficult part. I am going to make a new sheath for when I carry this, but the original will be kept and preserved as best as possible.

I guess I may have to duck some stones that are being thrown at me now from the purists, but I can accept that. If this had been a better example to begin with, I would have not touched it. I like to use all my knives every now and then, and if that calls for a bit of scrubbing and cleaning, so be it.

-Xander

fast14riot · Aug 7, 2011

Campbellclanman said:
I think that if it was mine...0000 grade steel wool-now don't freak out..it doesn't create a shine at all..its so fine it basically knocks the top of any live rust scale if that...use that with mineral oil...condition the leather, and put an edge-which you have already done...the steel wool ( if its 0000 grade ) wont take the old colour away at all.
The knife as you said doesn't command big dollars even in mint condition..so a nice bath in leather and mineral treatment-and edge...she's away for another 50 years!

What I typically do is use a solid copper coin to scrape the red rust and crud off the blade and follow up with a light metal polish like Flitz or Never Dull to remove the residual copper.

-Xander