All About Pocket Knives

If I have a knife that is less than mint, corrosion, dings, tarnish, old dirt grease or oil, pocket lint etc, and I'd like it to be more pleasing to the eye then why not clean it, it's not mint, never gonna be mint again and I'd like it to look better. Even if I were to sell it and disclose the fact that it had been cleaned then why not? Any input, thanks Tater

Clean it !!!! I have cleaned some older knives,that I was going to carry and some that I was going to trade / sell ( always told someone if I had cleaned ) -- always buy what "you like" or collect and you'll always be happy with ""your knives" ___ have a great day, Monk**

big monk wrote:Clean it !!!! I have cleaned some older knives,that I was going to carry and some that I was going to trade / sell ( always told someone if I had cleaned ) -- always buy what "you like" or collect and you'll always be happy with ""your knives" ___ have a great day, Monk**

Yup.

Your question is asked frequently. Here's a thread from the FAQ section here on AAPK that is a collection of responses. viewtopic.php?f=37&t=54157

Maybe more than you ever wanted to know on the subject!

Ken

Thanks guys good input thus far, anyone else, strong opinions one way or the other, I will check out the aapk thread and see if I can overwhelm myself! Thanks Tater

Depends on what it is. If it's a $20, 10 year old knife, clean it. If it's a 100 year old, $500 knife and you don't clean it right, or over clean it you will have a 100 year old, $50 knife. I clean most all the knives I buy but do it minimally and with a #2 pencil and maybe a little metal polish and almost never with sandpaper and a buffer unless it's a $5 beat up worn out mess that I want to make usable. ___Dave

Dave, can you tell me about using a #2 pencil, I wouldn't use a buffer, I see them advertised on eBay and elsewhwere as near mint but I can always tell. I know if you painstakingly use emery cloth up to 1500-2000 grit you can probably get a near mirror shine on an old blade. thanks Tater

Tater,
Some of us actually use knives in our daily lives and they get dirty with all the stuff you mentioned in your OP. Clean it up like you would any tool and be ready for the next lap. I'm almost embarrassed to tell it but most of my EDC's have been run through the washing machine and the dryer several times.
What Dave stated above about high dollar collectibles is right on target. Once in a while folks will run across an honest to goodness collector's piece that is being used as an EDC or maybe at a flea market, that's when a feller needs to be very careful not to turn, as Dave said, a $500 prize into a $50 knife.
By the way, to AAPK from the Florida Panhandle!
Treefarmer

Tater wrote:Dave, can you tell me about using a #2 pencil, I wouldn't use a buffer, I see them advertised on eBay and elsewhwere as near mint but I can always tell. I know if you painstakingly use emery cloth up to 1500-2000 grit you can probably get a near mirror shine on an old blade. thanks Tater

A number two pencil lead takes off a lot of dried on oil, tarnish that hasn't turned to rust yet, some rust and misc. junk that is stuck on the blade without messing up the metal. It's like a very mild abrasive. I usually do that first and then shine the blades and most handle material with Wenol or any good metal polish. I really like to get out the dirt that is on the part of the blade that rubs on the spring with the pencil so the knife doesn't grind away it's snap and keep that clean before I oil the knife. Oil and grit in the joint will eat up a knife's snap pretty quickly. To me, it's like getting the salt and road grime off a car to keep it nice. I try not to clean a knife beyond that. ___Dave

Treefarmer, I never thought about it, but I can't count how many times I've had one go through the washer and now thar I think about it they do always look better for a little while. Thanks Tater

Here is a knife that got lost in the washer for about 4 months. Mint prior to its cleaning.

Put an edge on that puppy and you will be good to go!!! John

Keith,
What happened there? Was the knife caught in the same spot inside the machine and the erosion be from bleach, soap and water over the same spot caused it to erode like that?
Boy, I thought I had trouble after runnin' an Opinel through one wash and having to dry the wooden handles. My old Cases and Queens that get washed make about the same noise in the dryer as my bib overalls flopin' around. What a thing to discuss on a knife forum!
Treefarmer

treefarmer wrote:Keith,
What happened there? Was the knife caught in the same spot inside the machine and the erosion be from bleach, soap and water over the same spot caused it to erode like that?
Treefarmer

I gave that knife to my dad 2 Christmas ago. About 2 weeks later he couldn't find it. Then 4 months later my mom found it. I assume it was in there the whole time. I wanted it back to be able to show you guys. Pretty wild I think.

unless it's something truly vintage and worth BIG $$, clean it & enjoy it.

espn77 wrote:

treefarmer wrote:Keith,
What happened there? Was the knife caught in the same spot inside the machine and the erosion be from bleach, soap and water over the same spot caused it to erode like that?
Treefarmer

I gave that knife to my dad 2 Christmas ago. About 2 weeks later he couldn't find it. Then 4 months later my mom found it. I assume it was in there the whole time. I wanted it back to be able to show you guys. Pretty wild I think.

I'm surprised you didn't have to use pliers to open the blades for that pic ! I'd grind the pitting marks out of the edge, lansky it up & put a serious edge on it - with all that pitting on the blades, would make for a great story when people ask what happened to it...

Thanks for all the input guys, I cleaned it! An old green bone well used Robeson Sure Edge Pocketeze split back whittler and it looks great. Used the #2 pencil some 2000 grit emery cloth and a little polishing paste "Metal Glo" with an old cotton T shirt. Cleaned up beautifully and if I could figure out how to post pictures from my phone I'd like to show it to you. Anyway, thanks again Tater

espn77, I don't think my new found cleaning method is going to help that old whittler, sad story. I don't even think I've ever dug one up that looked worse than that. Looks like there is a hole completely through one of the blades, I'm sorry, RIP. Tater

[quote="Tater" and if I could figure out how to post pictures from my phone I'd like to show it to you. Anyway, thanks again Tater[/quote]
click here ---> viewtopic.php?f=98&t=50258