Celluloid gone bad.

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BIGHEAD
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Celluloid gone bad.

Post by BIGHEAD »

I had a customer send me this knife. ( he took the scales off at my suggestion until he decided what he wanted) this knife was in rough shape liners all green and starting to errode the bolsters were black. I put some smooth red bone on at his request and inlaid the shield back let me know what y’all think.
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Ivoryman
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by Ivoryman »

Looks great to me. Can't believe how clean you got the liners. Great job, great save. Another BIGHEAD score.
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by QTCut5 »

BIGHEAD wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 1:26 am this knife was in rough shape liners all green and starting to errode the bolsters were black. I put some smooth red bone on at his request and inlaid the shield back let me know what y’all think.
Nice save, Barry. Mammoth Ivory would have looked killer on that knife, but the smooth red bone is nice too. ::tu::

I am always impressed with a well-inlaid shield on a resto job.... seems like that's one of the harder details to get just right. 8)
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by eveled »

Looks great! Nice save.
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BIGHEAD
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by BIGHEAD »

QTCut5 wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 2:32 am
BIGHEAD wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 1:26 am this knife was in rough shape liners all green and starting to errode the bolsters were black. I put some smooth red bone on at his request and inlaid the shield back let me know what y’all think.
Nice save, Barry. Mammoth Ivory would have looked killer on that knife, but the smooth red bone is nice too. ::tu::

I am always impressed with a well-inlaid shield on a resto job.... seems like that's one of the harder details to get just right. 8)
Q putting a shield back is my least favorite thing to do.
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by BWT »

Very nice, great job all the way around ::tu:: ::tu:: It probably have ended up in the trash, nice save.
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by herbva »

BIGHEAD wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 10:18 am
QTCut5 wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 2:32 am
BIGHEAD wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 1:26 am this knife was in rough shape liners all green and starting to errode the bolsters were black. I put some smooth red bone on at his request and inlaid the shield back let me know what y’all think.
Nice save, Barry. Mammoth Ivory would have looked killer on that knife, but the smooth red bone is nice too. ::tu::

I am always impressed with a well-inlaid shield on a resto job.... seems like that's one of the harder details to get just right. 8)
Q putting a shield back is my least favorite thing to do.
Very nice work Barry! ::tu:: ::tu:: The "gunstock" jacks are one of my favorite patterns. From what I can see in your pictures, it looks like you did a real fine job on the shield inlay. Cutting out the shield inlay is also my least favorite task. I never know how its going to turn out.
"Better to do something imperfectly, than to do nothing flawlessly." ~ Robert H. Schuller

Herb
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by Meridian_Mike »

yes sir! That knife looks great!
Beautiful save Herb!

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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by orvet »

BIGHEAD wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 10:18 am
QTCut5 wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 2:32 am
Nice save, Barry. Mammoth Ivory would have looked killer on that knife, but the smooth red bone is nice too. ::tu::

I am always impressed with a well-inlaid shield on a resto job.... seems like that's one of the harder details to get just right. 8)
Q putting a shield back is my least favorite thing to do.
I agree Q, the red bone does look nice and inlaying the shield is one more difficult parts of a restoration.
Barry I'm right there with you, the shield is my least favorite part of a restoration! Nice work! ::tu::
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by Reverand »

The owner is going to thank the celluloid for outgassing, because that knife is prettier now than it ever was new!
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by BIGHEAD »

Thanks all.
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by glennbad »

I agree, Shield work = ::dang::

Yours looks nice!
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by TPK »

Very well done! A++ ::tu:: :D
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by 1967redrider »

Excellent work! ::tu:: ::tu::
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by cody6268 »

Excellent job!

Is it a dumb idea to buy a really high-quality knife that has suffered outgassing and then getting it rehandled or doing it yourself to save costs vs. a nice bone one? I've noticed several Bulldogs and Fightin' Roosters that have gassy handles people want near-nothing for. f
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by Reverand »

I don't think that it is a bad idea, but it doesn't always work out. I have bought some that were in far worse shape than they first looked. I have had a couple that didn't look too bad until AFTER I pulled the celluloid off, then the liners have just disintegrated and blades and springs were too eaten up to re-use.
I might be wrong, but it seems to me that the more modern German celluloids outgas worse than old US celluloid, and is more caustic when it does.
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by BIGHEAD »

cody6268 wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 10:20 pm Excellent job!

Is it a dumb idea to buy a really high-quality knife that has suffered outgassing and then getting it rehandled or doing it yourself to save costs vs. a nice bone one? I've noticed several Bulldogs and Fightin' Roosters that have gassy handles people want near-nothing for. f
Fighting Roosters are some of the worst and I have a customer tbat wont stop buying them. I have rehandled probably 50 for him in the last year.
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by Mumbleypeg »

As a collector I think a knife that was originally celluloid and now re-handed with bone or other non-original material has significantly lessened value. That’s as related to collectable knives - re-handling a “user” can be done with whatever suits your fancy, but I think sometimes those eventually (sometimes intentionally) get passed off to the unknowing as being original. That is my personal opinion, others may disagree.

I have some knives that were originally celluloid, and going bad when I acquired them. Case graciously replaced the old celluloid with new synthetic material of the same color - yellow Delrin (or whatever it is) for the old yellow celluloid. Those I consider to not have significantly diminished value since they are repaired as original, by the manufacturer. I may be self-delusional however since I've not tried to re-sell any of them, nor would I do so without disclosing the replaced handles.

I've considered buying some old celluloids having problems, and replacing the covers with modern synthetic material (Kirinite or similar which is sometimes available from Culpeppers or Jantz etc) that mimics the original celluloid appearance. Copies of celluloid look-alikes such as Goldstone, swirls, and others are sometimes available. Again to preserve the authenticity as near as possible I would replace the celluloid with as close to original colors as I can find.

It's just me but I wish more people would try to maintain the integrity of the original as near as possible. I'm the same way with my Model A Ford - I shudder every time I see one that somebody has "chopped" into a bastardized hot rod. ::dang::

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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by Jacknifeben »

I am pretty sure all of these Cattaragus celluloids are close to 100 years old and still perfect.
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by BIGHEAD »

Mumbleypeg wrote: Wed Aug 03, 2022 11:59 am As a collector I think a knife that was originally celluloid and now re-handed with bone or other non-original material has significantly lessened value. That’s as related to collectable knives - re-handling a “user” can be done with whatever suits your fancy, but I think sometimes those eventually (sometimes intentionally) get passed off to the unknowing as being original. That is my personal opinion, others may disagree.

I have some knives that were originally celluloid, and going bad when I acquired them. Case graciously replaced the old celluloid with new synthetic material of the same color - yellow Delrin (or whatever it is) for the old yellow celluloid. Those I consider to not have significantly diminished value since they are repaired as original, by the manufacturer. I may be self-delusional however since I've not tried to re-sell any of them, nor would I do so without disclosing the replaced handles.

I've considered buying some old celluloids having problems, and replacing the covers with modern synthetic material (Kirinite or similar which is sometimes available from Culpeppers or Jantz etc) that mimics the original celluloid appearance. Copies of celluloid look-alikes such as Goldstone, swirls, and others are sometimes available. Again to preserve the authenticity as near as possible I would replace the celluloid with as close to original colors as I can find.

It's just me but I wish more people would try to maintain the integrity of the original as near as possible. I'm the same way with my Model A Ford - I shudder every time I see one that somebody has "chopped" into a bastardized hot rod. ::dang::

Ken
Well thought out Ken I personally stay away from it all together but if someone sends me a knife and wants to lay me to rehandle it in whatever material I will do it. It may devalue the knife but it isn’t my knife to take that into consideration. Any I do has my name engraved on theinside of the liner and send a coa for the work done. So if the buyer really looks at the knife they will know it isn’t original.
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by OLDE CUTLER »

cody6268 wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 10:20 pm Excellent job!

Is it a dumb idea to buy a really high-quality knife that has suffered outgassing and then getting it rehandled or doing it yourself to save costs vs. a nice bone one? I've noticed several Bulldogs and Fightin' Roosters that have gassy handles people want near-nothing for. f
I'd buy them all in a minute. I have quite a few nice old Remingtons that were gassing and I rehandled them for EDC use.
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by QTCut5 »

I like having knives modified for several reasons, none of which is to keep them as close to original as possible. In fact, just the opposite; I like having unique, one-of-a-kind knives in my collection. I have purchased factory knives both new and old with the specific intent of having them modified to my own personal preference. I believe that most (not all) of the knives I have had modified are worth much more now than they were in their original state. For example, all the knives I've had rehandled in Stag, Mammoth & Elephant ivory that started out as run-of-the-mill production knives with either bone or synthetic handles are now much more valuable than they were before being modified. So, just as a counterpoint to Ken's philosophy that modifying a knife in anything but original material (or as close to original as possible) decreases the value, modifying a knife with a more desirable or rare material can actually enhance/increase its collector value. And it has the added benefit of making my collection totally unique and personalized. Ironically, with very few exceptions, my "value added" modified knives are the ones I'll never sell, so any talk of increased or decreased value is moot as far as my collection goes. Clearly, there's more than one way to skin a mule...or, in this case, to collect knives. ::nod::
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by Ivoryman »

Completely agree Q. Nothing wrong with modifying however the owner wants it whether individuals think it ruins the value or not. Most of the mods I see around here save a knife, or improve it, some even take it up a notch to a one-of-a-kind. And some people think chopped hotrods are much cooler than the original was. Even if it was some sacred cow like this Compagna Real Lambsfoot. It might be sacrilege to some to change the scales out but that's just a subjective opinion. And no disrespect intended to Charlie C at all, but what Glennbad did to this knife made it a true one of a kind. It's the only stag I've seen like this one. Yeah Glen did another one, but it doesn't look like this at all because of the fabulous stag Glen pics out. It used to be like half the other Real Lambsfoot knives Charlie had GEC put out, Ebony and fine, but not fabulous. Now it's fabulous. Blows the others in Ebony away IMHO. And I would bet the farm the value went up, not down. But to each his own, your results may vary.
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by Nev52 »

Great job!! I really like the red bone. ::tu::
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Re: Celluloid gone bad.

Post by Madmarco »

Ivoryman wrote: Thu Aug 04, 2022 1:57 am Completely agree Q. Nothing wrong with modifying however the owner wants it whether individuals think it ruins the value or not. Most of the mods I see around here save a knife, or improve it, some even take it up a notch to a one-of-a-kind. And some people think chopped hotrods are much cooler than the original was. Even if it was some sacred cow like this Compagna Real Lambsfoot. It might be sacrilege to some to change the scales out but that's just a subjective opinion. And no disrespect intended to Charlie C at all, but what Glennbad did to this knife made it a true one of a kind. It's the only stag I've seen like this one. Yeah Glen did another one, but it doesn't look like this at all because of the fabulous stag Glen pics out. It used to be like half the other Real Lambsfoot knives Charlie had GEC put out, Ebony and fine, but not fabulous. Now it's fabulous. Blows the others in Ebony away IMHO. And I would bet the farm the value went up, not down. But to each his own, your results may vary.
I don't know how I missed this one, but that is one of the nicest knives I've seen Iman, and I'm a huge fan of Ebony. Beautiful knife my friend! 8)
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