Hi All,
I got this knife as a gift from my stepfather, which he got in Vietnam. Looking at this forum, it looks like a Version 3 with the single sided tang stamp.
My question is: what would be a good resource to find the best way to clean off the rust, and preserve the knife from deteriorating any further? The other side of the blade has similar damage, and the guard is also a little loose and I don't see any way to tighten it myself.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks!
Help restoring a Bowie
Re: Help restoring a Bowie
Use a flattened rifle cartridge as a scraper to knock the loose rust off. Then oil it. JB weld should tighten up the guard. Mineral oil for the wood.
- zzyzzogeton
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Re: Help restoring a Bowie
I would use 0000 steel wool and mineral oil or 3-in-1 oil to kill the red rust. Then I would use a carpenter's pencil to remove the killed rust. You could then leave it as is or depending on what you want to end up with, start "cleaning" it with 400 grit sand paper followed by 600 grit then 800 grit, etc depending on how cleaned up you want it.
The gap between the handle and guard is from the wood drying out over time. Multiple light coatings of danish oil, tung oil, or BLO can be used over time to replenish the moisture in the wood. Some people would be tempted to just soak it in the oil, but that leads to a wood sponge that soaks up oil and then oozes oil forever. Mulitple light coating of oil will take a long time to work.
eveled's recommendation of JB Weld would work on taking the wiggle out of the guard if you didn't want to spend the time with the oil methods. In addition to JB Weld, any firm setting epoxy or putty-like material that dries hard could be used to firm up the guard. Wood putty could be dyed to match the wood of the handle.
Worst case, you could remove and replace the handles with new scales to hold the guard tight.
The gap between the handle and guard is from the wood drying out over time. Multiple light coatings of danish oil, tung oil, or BLO can be used over time to replenish the moisture in the wood. Some people would be tempted to just soak it in the oil, but that leads to a wood sponge that soaks up oil and then oozes oil forever. Mulitple light coating of oil will take a long time to work.
eveled's recommendation of JB Weld would work on taking the wiggle out of the guard if you didn't want to spend the time with the oil methods. In addition to JB Weld, any firm setting epoxy or putty-like material that dries hard could be used to firm up the guard. Wood putty could be dyed to match the wood of the handle.
Worst case, you could remove and replace the handles with new scales to hold the guard tight.
Re: Help restoring a Bowie
Thank you for the replies! I will try the steel wool and mineral oil method.