HOW TO: Knife Collection Maintenance

I have some Loveless knives, with Micarta handles. I have two problems with them - First, a little bit of movement in the handles, so if you drag a fingernail over a rivet it will catch ever so slightly. The ones that are still smooth still show a dark bit of semi-circle that indicates something is going on!

Second, I presume due to changes in humidity, Bob's signature on the leather sheaves is "migrating". I see pictures on line of Loveless knives for sale and the ink signature on the sheaves seems to be as sharp as the day they were made. Mine are blurry - still can identify it, but who knows what it is going to be like another 30 years from now. Reminds me a bit of old guys I knew who had unidentifyable tattoos.
 
Does anyone know if LED's are the best lights to keep inside a glass display cabinet? I need to avoid heat coming from the lights so it doesn't dry up the ivory. Thanks..
 
I have problem with ivory on the handle. Nice piece of ivory, but it shrinks. I am wondering if it is a common thing.
 
Natural materials, such as ivory, are known to "work".
They shrink or expand depending on the climate; So if it get's dry - it shrinks.
I've read, that you can make good by storing it with a a jar of water.
Of course you have the keep the temperature stable and protect the steel agains corrosion.
Hope this helps.
red mag
 
Hello everyone!

Any update on your mehtods of dealing with natural handle materials in areas with changing humidity? What worked and what didn't?

I myself "lost" the first stag handled knife in years this winter (despite the "soak-in-camelia-oil-and-place-a-bowl-of-water-in-the-safe" rountine I typically employ as well). Not the most valuable knife in the shed, but I can also see a couple of wooden handles shrink faster than ever:

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I would appreciate any refinded mehtod of coping with changing humidity levels! Will try the rehydration routine on the wood handles asap, btw!

Best regards,
Alex
 
That's cool. All carbon steel knives I've used were very old and already had a very good patina to them. The thing is that they were always so sharp. I'm not at all concerned about steel discoloration, I am expecting it. More or less wondering how not to ruin the blade.
Believe me, I'm very anal about the care of my stainless blades. Washing and drying after use is the norm. I don't want to baby the knife is what I'm getting at. If I have to come in early one day, send the prep guy home and cut 25lbs of onions so be it. I don't want a polished knife. I want my knife to have a character of it's own.
 
I'm way out over my skis on this topic, but I've read it with interest, and I do collect leather bound books, sporting arms, and I own a pair of elephant tusks (pre-CITES). I have always read other than Ren Wax, not to use anything on ivory. Now, reading about the maintenance of ivory scales here, I'm wondering if that's correct, or if ivory that is being handled a lot is in a different category?
 
Can't help you out, sorry. There is one maker who uses exam gloves, you can see it when they show pictures of knives for sale on the subforum. They are pretty commonly available.

But on another subject, this thread used to be a "sticky". Since it's still a good reference...possibly it should still be up top. How to maintain an expensive collection is very relevant to this subforum.
 
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