Care and feeding of the knives.

lrv

lrv

Joined
Sep 14, 2003
Messages
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Im sure this is a knife in general question but let me start with my Schrade friends in here.

I have some older blades which are darkening with age and many I've gotten that way with exsisting stains. I've always used some great cleaners to remove the surface grime and gunk and leave the looking good and will take time at the buffer restoring a blade I think can withstand it. I'm looking for the best solution others may use other than buffing and polishing to get the darkness out of those old carbon blades. Anyone come across the magic dipping liquid to make these old blades look new?

And another question is on value. If Im spending all this time cleaning and polishing these old knives am I hurting the resell/collectable value? Some folks really like the patina that seems to cloud the blades.

Now Im not complaining about the time spent cleaning as I feel Im getting to know each of these knives in a personal way, just looking for better idea's.

Thanks
Larry
 
I do the opposite, I try to preserve the patina. I think that is the charm of non-stainless blades, the look they get as they age. I have Old-timers, old Camillus, Opinels, and some Case CV bladed knives, and most of the ones I use are building up a patina. I just think it looks good. I tried to fight it at first, but I spent a lot of time trying to remove stains, and not having lots of luck. It gives them character, in my opinion. I even do it on purpose now, using coffee, vineger, potatoes, and fruit :D
The Opinels, Old timers and Camillus look great, the Case CV a little more splotchy, and colorful, depending on what they have cut.

However, when I do need or want to spiffy them up some, or if I buy a gunky older one, then I try to clean them up before using them. I use Brasso, just rub it into the blade, let it dry, and rub it off. It may take several treatments. For actual rust spots (different from patina, and I don't like rust), I use a fiberglass brush that we use at work to clean edge connectors on old circuit boards, made by Jonard, I think. This is real handy for cleaning the nail nock, which is where mine do tend to get the occasional rust spot.

I imagine 000 or 0000 steel wool may cut through it if you want, or 600 and 1000 grit automotive sandpaper, but would require lots of elbow grease...

Keep in mind, it's my understanding that cleaning like this will hurt the collectors value of an antique or valuable knife, so do a little research before attempting to clean an oldie.
 
I'm kinda with Steve on this one...

When I first started collecting, I would try to polish the whole knife up. Everything...

Now, I just try to minimize the effects of time. I get the basic rust off the blades and inside, then coat those vulnerable areas with Rust Free or similar product.

It's not just about collector value for me. It's about preserving a bit of our craftsman past. Every old knife has a story to tell. I'm just giving them a chance to be heard.
 
The fun part of collecting for me has been getting/finding an old knife that been stored away for years and is loaded with lint, dirt, grease and pizza pieces and even rust and bringing them back to life. While these won't ever again be mint knives its the pleasure in seeing how good the original craftmanship used to make the knives was. Using my hands on something made by one of these craftmen gives me a good feeling.
I also use a fiberglass brush to remove a lot of the gunk. I think Ive tried almost every metal polish and have my favorites. Currents are flitz, symachrome and wrenol and of course brasso. Toothpicks and cotton swabs are also used in large quantities. My wife complained about me swipping her cotten squares and bought me my own.

I'm getting pretty good with the buffer using 3 grades of paste from a 600 to a rouge. I'll use the buffer when the rust or scratches are beyond the ability of the polish and elbow grease. Using the buffer removes a lot of the surface metal and removes a major portion of the dark sport.

Please keep the ideas coming.
Thanks Larry
 
Hiya Larry...

Depends on the knife. If it has collector's value, I follow BR Levine's instructions to the letter. No buffing, no scrubbing, no harsh chemicals. I have found in my selling of knives, that most collectors do not want old, DESIRABLE knives to look brand new when they are not. I have one of the first toothpick knives made in this county, an Enterprise, and I relish the look of the fine old patina, and the few pits on the blade. No one buying this from me in the future is going to doubt it's authenticity. I just bought a nice old HS&B toothpick that someone had spent way too much time cleaning up. I have used a combination of mustard and vinegar to bring back the patina, some success, but I cannot replace the metal that was buffed away. The half-faded tang markings are a dead-give away. For my older, good collectibility knives, I only use mineral oil on them. Removes nothing, but keeps any more corrosion or rust from happening.

But for lower priced knives, no real collectibility? I do clean 'em up. And I keep good care of my user knives. Again, food grade mineral oil is great.

I've off right now to set up my table at a one day knife show. I hope to prove my point there, as I will sell both old and new, collectible and user grade knives.

Phil
 
LT, you probably have the most valuable knife collection here, what do you think?

Phil
 
I have just spent an hour and a half writing a clever witty long response to this thread and some how lost it. So this will be short. I believe it is up to the owner or collector to determine what the purpose of the knife is ( and any purpose is a good one for getting another knife). For display knives I like them as new ( polished) on a work knife I like a patina. As I have said before in the old days often the owner of a new knife would stick it in an apple over nite to insure an equal patina over the wholeblade. My well used skinners have a deserved patina. I see nothing wrong in buffing if like anything else it is done correctly. There are a lot of great products on the market for care and upkeep. I like simi chrome and dura glo, for handles rennaissance polish and for automatics white lightning. However there are many just as good. I also always have WD-40 on hand. My original post went further into this but actually perhapes this is better LT.
 
I also use mineral oil to 'feed' the natural handle materials of my old and new knives. It really does seem to preserve and rejuvenate bone and stag in particular. I got the hint from BR Levine, of course. He paid a chemist to see what exactly was in the famous Japanese Sword oil... turned out to be food grade mineral oil,with a little scent added.

However we do it, it's good to preserve old knives.

I also think it's a good idea to use mineral oil on user knives. I don't wanna gut or skin a deer or any other animal that has something I wouldn't want to consume on the blade.

Phil
 
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