What would you do with this poor Buck?

L

Lingwendil

Joined
Mar 6, 2019
Messages
14
This used to belong to my great grandfather, and he sure did beat on it. He kept it on him until the day he passed, and due to it's condition I was always afraid to mess with it, for fear of making things worse with how poor of condition the blade is in. It's been sitting safely for nearly ten years now. He was very aggressive when sharpening, and it's really rather rough. I would like to actually use the knife and eventually hand it on down to my son when the time comes (he'll be three in June, so no hurry, of course) but I'm not sure if the blade can be used as it is without removing a lot of material and serious profiling. I don't plan to carry it daily, but would like to on occasion.

Would I be best off by sending it out to Buck for a blade replacement, with a note not to do anything to the rest of the knife? I'm afraid that the blade wont match the overall condition of the rest, and I would love for this tool to show that it's had a productive and rough life. Is there any way to re-blade it with an older but still usable blade? I love the patina on the brass.

Also, best I can tell is it is a 72-86, am I correct in this? Any help would be appreciated.

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An alternative option would be to do nothing other than good basic cleaning. Hot soapy water and good dosing of WD-40 to get the gunk out. Leave the brass and blade as is.

That there is good honest wear. They're your grandfather's foot prints in knife use.

I have a Winchester 94 in 32 Special handed down from my grandfather. It's from the 19-oughts. As is common with these older guns, the bluing is missing from the receiver where my grandfather carried it in the woods. Now I'm adding to that wear. I showed to a guy at the gun club the other day and he said the same thing I'm suggesting to you. "Don't ever fix this. Those are memories."

Whatever you do, honor your grandfather's wishes. My granddad would want his gun hunted so I still shoot the gun and don't park it in the safe. If your granddad would want the knife, send it to the spa and it will gleam again. But then... he didn't do that. Do which ever will most honor him when you pick it up. Both are legitimate options.
 
pinnah said:
An alternative option would be to do nothing other than good basic cleaning. Hot soapy water and good dosing of WD-40 to get the gunk out. Leave the brass and blade as is.

That there is good honest wear. They're your grandfather's foot prints in knife use.

I have a Winchester 94 in 32 Special handed down from my grandfather. It's from the 19-oughts. As is common with these older guns, the bluing is missing from the receiver where my grandfather carried it in the woods. Now I'm adding to that wear. I showed to a guy at the gun club the other day and he said the same thing I'm suggesting to you. "Don't ever fix this. Those are memories."

Whatever you do, honor your grandfather's wishes. My granddad would want his gun hunted so I still shoot the gun and don't park it in the safe. If your granddad would want the knife, send it to the spa and it will gleam again. But then... he didn't do that. Do which ever will most honor him when you pick it up. Both are legitimate options.
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Very nicely said
 
pinnah said:
Do which ever will most honor him when you pick it up. Both are legitimate options.
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He wanted his things to stay in use, but as it is now the blade is so dull it can't safely be used without a really good sharpening job and/or rework. He mainly ended up with it in such poor shape from lack of money and skill to get a real sharpening setup- he was pretty stubborn in is later years so I think the best route is to see if the current blade can be cleaned up and sharpened to a working knife. All I intend to do to the rest of the knife is give it a good clean and use it. If the folks at buck can get the original blade to a usable state then that would be ideal for me!
 
I'd touch it up and use it ,you have a knife that was used,and your great grandfather would more than likely want you to use it and enjoy making some of your own memories with that knfe,so sharpen it up and use it lol
 
Tough decisions. For what they are worth, here are my thoughts.
The date: I can't tell if there is a dot on each side of the 110 stamp or not. If so, the Buck chart says; One dot on each side of model number - 1974-1980.
The Spa - definitely great and my experience has been that they can always be counted on to do a fantastic job.
That said, since the characteristics of where he held the knife are understandably so important to you, I would proceed cautiously with sending it in, if at all.
If it was me, I'd have to be absolutely sure that detailed instructions indicating what was to be touched and what was not. Or make phone calls. Or contact the moderator of this forum who is always helpful. Sometimes, since we are humans, a person may say apples but the other one hears oranges.
I'd lean toward the clean up suggestion.
The blade: Have you considered sending the pics to one of the many professional sharpeners around the Forum and asking them about repairing the edge only but leaving the rest alone? I think you probably could find someone who could do what you want.
Anyway, all that is to say that I'd suggest you take your time and make sure what the outcome would be before sending your cherished keepsake off.
OG
 
pinnah said:
An alternative option would be to do nothing other than good basic cleaning. Hot soapy water and good dosing of WD-40 to get the gunk out. Leave the brass and blade as is.

That there is good honest wear. They're your grandfather's foot prints in knife use.
Both are legitimate options.
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This would be my choice...leave it as it is, sharpen it and use it.
 
Lingwendil said:
He wanted his things to stay in use, but as it is now the blade is so dull it can't safely be used without a really good sharpening job and/or rework. He mainly ended up with it in such poor shape from lack of money and skill to get a real sharpening setup- he was pretty stubborn in is later years so I think the best route is to see if the current blade can be cleaned up and sharpened to a working knife. All I intend to do to the rest of the knife is give it a good clean and use it. If the folks at buck can get the original blade to a usable state then that would be ideal for me!
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I'll bet dollars to donuts it's an older blade with 440C and a semi-hollow grind that gets very thick behind the edge. I believe Buck used this interesting grind to make the edge stronger. IMO, this blade style responds well to either a compound edge bevel or a convexed edge bevel.

I would recommend a Lanksky style rod based sharpening system with diamond stones. But a back bevel on the knife with the lowest setting and a final cutting working bevel on it with the next step steeper. (This is assuming you are still learning hand sharpening skills.) IMO, this is a very fast and effective way to put a great working edge on a knife like this.

Buck eventually dropped this edge grind. My understanding is that people found it hard to sharpen. Which is to say, your grandfather wasn't alone in finding those knives hard to sharpen.

FWIW, Bending a rod on a Lansky system will produce a great, consistent convex edge bevel. But, I would start with a compound bevel.
 
That blade can't be replaced without polishing the front bolster. So unless you want it looking entirely new, don't send it to Buck.

That being said; there doesn't seem to be marks that you can say he left on it other than the blade. I would send it in, have them make it new again for a new lifetime of use for you and your progeny.

You wouldn't drive a car with dry rotted tires and 40 year old oil because those parts were sentimental, would ya?
 
Here’s my experience on family heirlooms. When I first started hunting as a 12 year old kid I used my grandpa old 410 shotgun, he had already passed when I was 6 months old. It was old and beat up a bit but still was a good shooter. Years later after my grandma passed it was decided by all the relatives to gather all the guns, knives and other relics and draw for them. That 410 shotgun was drawn by a cousin. It set in a closet unused until he got low on money and sold it to a pawnshop for less than $50. Who knows where or what happened to it. But I still have the memories of using it. I did get the old German made 22 lr I started with. It is probably the most accurate rifle I have. I got it all refinished and in top shape and still use it as does my grandkids. Knives and guns are tools made to use and kept in good shape for generations later might can use the tools there gg grandfather used. You can’t replace memories like that when you live them.
 
I have been following this thread and trying to think about what I would do going a bit back and forth as to having it resharpened and polished up or just getting it sharpened and leave the rest of the knife alone.
1st off the 4 pin knives are 2 dot knives. I would for sure not replace the blade and as MT_Pokt said, the blade cannot be replace without re-polishing the front bolster.

Personally I would have the blade sharpened and leave the rest of the knife alone except a bit of cleaning and blade lubrication and be proud of it.
This was your Great Grandfathers knife and I would want it to have all the character in it as he left it. That is just my thoughts.

However getting it restored to look like the day he bought it isn't a bad idea either. In the end you are the one who has to be happy with the knife. Either way you are lucky to own it and I am sure will be proud to show it off and tell a few stories about it.

Whichever way you go please after getting it done come back and post a few more pictures of your knife and thoughts on it.
 
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What Gedlicks said!!!

You could send it to Buck and have them just clean up the blade and leave the rest alone. That way the knife is safe to use if you choose to and you haven't really done anything to the character.
 
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When I found out Buck could replace a blade for $10. I changed my way of thinking. I think of a 110 as a utility knife. Keep the knife replace the blade. I sent in two sentimental 110’s had both blades replaced they came back looking new but with the character marks still there. I have no regrets.
 
eveled said:
When I found out Buck could replace a blade for $10. I changed my way of thinking. I think of a 110 as a utility knife. Keep the knife replace the blade. I sent in two sentimental 110’s had both blades replaced they came back looking new but with the character marks still there. I have no regrets.
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So they were able to put a modern blade in a frame from the 2 dot time period? I tried to have the reverse done and they couldn't do it and just sent me a brand new 110, which was fine with me...
 
I would have a hard time replacing the blade, it is still usable with some cleaning and shows your Granddads use. I would go the spa route personally, but no matter what you do make sure you post pictures of the end result!
 
I don’t know how many dots it had. It was from the mid 70’s. If they couldn’t replace the blade I’d just have it cleaned.

Being able to carry and use a sentimental knife is much better than having it Broken in your drawer.
 
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