Winkler Caswell finish acid etch?

[dan-g]

Hi all,

I just got a winkler belt knife off the forum. It was hand sharpened and the edge is now about 3/8 and one side has part of the Caswell rubbed out. It looks like a hand sharpen job then maybe a machine buff to a mirror? Long story short is I’m worried about rust on the newly exposed blade.

Here is my idea, I was going to reshape the edge using my standard guide and stones. Then acid etch the bare 80crv2 in a white vinegar bath. This will be a user so I’m not terribly worried about the look but I am about the rust and edge.

So BF here is my questions:

1. Will white vinegar eat away the remaining Caswell?
2. Will the white vinegar drastically affect the sculpted maple handle? Worse than a bit of stain mixed with mink oil won’t fix.
3. Recommendation on best way to fix the edge? It has that classic hand sharpened really rounded deep edge about 3/8 of an edge now.

Thanks again BF community! I could not find a winkler forum so please correct me if one exists.

 

[Danke42]

I would say if it's a user I would wait and see before doing anything to it other then a bit of oil. I've had a Winkler Belt Knife for a few years not and I don't use it daily and I keep it in the sheath. For the first year I was worried about rust on the carbon steel but I've never seen even a dot on it.

If you do start having issues with rust because of the local environment then you can develop a plan B.

 

[Skidoosh]

In my experience the caswell is not very durable, it will wear away over time. If you have concerns you can send it back and have Winkler re-coat the blade. I would suggest use it and enjoy it, I agree with Danke42, rust hasn't been an issue on my blade.