Randall Made knife restoration? Need advice

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Aug 22, 2021
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Where could I get these old Randall Made knives cleaned up and restored? I inherited them from my dad and they were in a box my mom had stashed - I rediscovered them after she passed away from Covid. I remember my dad having them when I was a kid in the 70’s and 2 of them have his name engraved into them. I know he bought them directly from Randall at the time as he went through a knife collecting period back then.

Unfortunately, the original sheaths were in such bad shape that they were a loyal loss. Any suggestions on where I could get period-appropriate sheaths made for them? I want to hang onto them until I see if any of my kids want them down the road. If not, eventually I’ll probably sell them (as I don’t have a real use for any of them except for the skinner) and use the money for something I can get more use out of. I figure getting them restored and having quality sheaths for them will help them retain value.
 

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From the FAQ on Randall's site:
Please send us your Randall Made knife (limit of two at a time) in a box with points/knife completely protected and complete written instructions in the box for the work to be done. Please include all your contact information with the instructions. There is a limit of five (5) total repairs per 12 months, per household. Please send with insurance and tracking and use the mailing/shipping service convenient for you. We’ll then extend a regular mail written quote before starting. Approval of quote and payment must be made prior to work starting. Repairs typically take six to nine weeks. It is not the policy of Randall Made to work on knives that have been altered, including the old kit blades; these knives are not covered under the Certification and Guarantee. Address for shipment via US Postal Service, shipment via UPS or other carriers: 4857 So. Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL 32839. Note effective September 11, 2001, Randall Made is not offering re-handle jobs, nor do we repair sheaths. Spare time and space is devoted to filling military knife orders for our active military customers.
 
Worth it to get them restored by Randall. Period replacement sheaths would be expensive and hard to find. You can get replacements from these guys though, they're Randall's sheath guys now -

Sullivan's Holster Shop
2521 Success Drive # 1
Odessa, FL 33556-3416
(727) 376-3209 .

Alternatively, you could take your chances on Ebay or similar. Some guys will spend pretty decent money on worn Randalls to have custom rehandles by other makers (e.g. - Behring Scagel style handles).
 
Melvin-Purvis Melvin-Purvis and T tunefink are our resident Randall experts. They may or may not have advice. Just making sure they see the thread.

They look to be in a sad condition but the handles look solid. The metal can be polished to some extent. Sullivan will make you beautiful new sheaths, and you will have a box of heirlooms. The ones that aren’t engraved already I’d have the shop engrave with his name. Then if you have an intended recipient I’d have their name engraved under his.

Please accept my condolences for the loss of your parents.
 
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Man this is so cool to see. I couldn't imagine the feelings of joy and nostalgia finding these from my grandpa or relative. I hope you get them redone and post pictures!

As with the others, im deeply sorry for your loss. God bless brother.
 
For price reference- we hand one Randall cleaned and repaired by Randall (corrosion, but no rust such as on yours) this year. That cost about $100, including shipping, and took about a month. We also had a new stag handle installed on another Randall knife, by James Behring, this year. That cost about $400, including shipping, and took about 3 months- but it is gorgeous!

I would not replace the handles on those, though, just a heavy clean in the Randall shop should do the trick.

Best of wishes, for your family.
 
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Melvin-Purvis Melvin-Purvis and T tunefink are our resident Randall experts. They may or may not have advice. Just making sure they see the thread.

They look to be in a sad condition but the handles look solid. The metal can be polished to some extent. Sullivan will make you beautiful new sheaths, and you will have a box of heirlooms. The ones that aren’t engraved already I’d have the shop engrave with his name. Then if you have an intended recipient I’d have their name engraved under his.

Please accept my condolences for the loss of your parents.
Thank you so much! You’re too kind! I missed the fact that there’s a Randal section. Please excuse the error - I’m new and there are SO many sub forums here that I’m still trying to find my way around the labyrinth. Lol.
 
Yes the Randall section is a little hidden and hard to find. It’s a quiet place.

I’m very much looking forward to seeing what you do to your knives and how they come out.
 
For price reference- we hand one Randall cleaned and repaired by Randall (corrosion, but no rust such as on yours) this year. That cost about $100, including shipping, and took about a month. We also had a new stag handle installed on another Randall knife, by James Behring, this year. That cost about $400, including shipping, and took about 3 months- but it is gorgeous!

I would not replace the handles on those, though, just a heavy clean in the Randall shop should do the trick.

Best of wishes, for your family.
Thanks for the reference! I definitely don’t want to change the handles. I want as minimal alteration as possible and marks in the handle are my dad’s character marks. I just want them cleaned up and the surface rust that got on them from improper storage removed. I’m grateful this doesn’t look to be a cost prohibitive project - I’m also looking for a really nice pocket knife (Shurigorov Neon Zero, hopefully) and whatever these repair costs deduct from what I have available, should one pop up in the exchange. Lol.

I really appreciate the condolences from you and everyone else! My dad’s been gone 20 years and it still hurts every day - he was my best friend and my hero and missed out on grandkids. 😥 My mom’s passing last year is a fresher wound though. At 54 you’d think it’d be a bit easier… but it isn’t. Thanks again!
 
Man this is so cool to see. I couldn't imagine the feelings of joy and nostalgia finding these from my grandpa or relative. I hope you get them redone and post pictures!

As with the others, im deeply sorry for your loss. God bless brother.
Thank you for your kind words and condolences! I will definitely post pictures whenever they come home from Randall! 👍
 
I'd maybe keep one, or all of them looking Natural.....
Me personally, I don't like nice old stuff looking "too new"

Maybe just some oil, and stropping

Really Beautiful looking.
It's Cool that they were/are Your Dad's
 
Jeebus, coat the blades with Flitz, let ;em sit for twenty minutes, wipe 'em off then coat 'em in Ren Wax, let it sit for ten then wipe 'em off before realigning the edges with crock sticks. Good as new, sharp - and ready to cut. Maybe an hours' worth of effort. No need to get them 'refinished'.
 
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