Help Cleaning Older Folding Hunting Knife

[EvanDB1856]

Today my grandfather gifted me his old foldable hunting knife. It’s an Imperial “Pro Hunter” with a 5 inch blade and a sort of wood laminate handle. It was still in the sheath which is in pretty good condition.
My grandfather said that he had not used it 30 years. There is some “gunk” caked on the blade that a light rinse would not get off.
In the handle cavity, the metal seems to be brass, as everytime I try to run a cotton swab in between to remove debris, a layer of green/blue patina coats the swab head. I’d really like to clean this out and have the knife back in great condition to not only use in the field, but to show my grandfather before he passes; it would mean a great deal to me.

Thanks

[Mumbleypeg]

Welcome to AAPK. Just about everything you need to know to clean up the knife your grandfather gave you can be found here viewtopic.php?f=37&t=54157. You’ll find a lot of great tips and the materials that will aid in doing the job.

BTW a knife should not be stored in a leather sheath. They’re great for carrying the knife but the chemicals used in tanning leather are not friendly to metals, especially brass and nickel silver. That’s where that green stuff (called verdigris) is coming from.

Ken

[ea42]

Evan, luckily the knife has all wood handles so the leather probably did minimal damage to the outside save for perhaps the pins. You can clean them off with any mild polish such as Brasso or Simichrome if you have it. The verdigris on the inside will be difficult to remove but you can get rid of a good deal of it with a scotch brite pad. If the pad is thin just fold it a time or two until it's a tight fit in the cavity, then work it back and forth, blowing it out occasionally to remove the dust. I wouldn't recommend steel wool in there as the fibers tend to fall off and get wedged between the tang and the liners, or the tang and the spring. THIS can cause a LOT of problems. The blade spotting/pitting can be alleviated with steel wool though, try using the finest you can such as 0000 so you don't scratch up the blade. Be careful that you don't hit the etch hard if you want to save it. Good luck, it sounds like an awesome heirloom for sure, especially when it comes from your grandfather!!

Eric

[treefarmer]

Welcome to AAPK!
Great to read about your grandpa’s knife.
We all love to see before and after pictures.
Treefarmer

[EvanDB1856]

Evan, luckily the knife has all wood handles so the leather probably did minimal damage to the outside save for perhaps the pins. You can clean them off with any mild polish such as Brasso or Simichrome if you have it. The verdigris on the inside will be difficult to remove but you can get rid of a good deal of it with a scotch brite pad. If the pad is thin just fold it a time or two until it's a tight fit in the cavity, then work it back and forth, blowing it out occasionally to remove the dust. I wouldn't recommend steel wool in there as the fibers tend to fall off and get wedged between the tang and the liners, or the tang and the spring. THIS can cause a LOT of problems. The blade spotting/pitting can be alleviated with steel wool though, try using the finest you can such as 0000 so you don't scratch up the blade. Be careful that you don't hit the etch hard if you want to save it. Good luck, it sounds like an awesome heirloom for sure, especially when it comes from your grandfather!!

Eric

Hi Eric, thanks so much for the info, I’ve never really worked with knives before and I appreciate all the help I can get. I have a few questions to ask about the whole process:
After taking a Scotch brite pad to the cavity, should I use water or any other solution to make sure it is cleaned out? Or would that cause damage.
Is there a certain technique to removing the pitting spots with the steel wool? I really do not want to ruin the blade.
Is there a certain polish or oil I can use in the end to make the handle and blade more aesthetically pleasing? They look somewhat dull and the blade has no glint.
And I know this is a very vague and open ended question so you don’t have to pay too much thought to it, but how exactly would I go about sharpening the blade? This is the part that I am most concerned about, as I have no experience at all with sharpening and I really don’t want to destroy the edge at the expense of my inexperience.

[Mumbleypeg]

Evan, luckily the knife has all wood handles so the leather probably did minimal damage to the outside save for perhaps the pins. You can clean them off with any mild polish such as Brasso or Simichrome if you have it. The verdigris on the inside will be difficult to remove but you can get rid of a good deal of it with a scotch brite pad. If the pad is thin just fold it a time or two until it's a tight fit in the cavity, then work it back and forth, blowing it out occasionally to remove the dust. I wouldn't recommend steel wool in there as the fibers tend to fall off and get wedged between the tang and the liners, or the tang and the spring. THIS can cause a LOT of problems. The blade spotting/pitting can be alleviated with steel wool though, try using the finest you can such as 0000 so you don't scratch up the blade. Be careful that you don't hit the etch hard if you want to save it. Good luck, it sounds like an awesome heirloom for sure, especially when it comes from your grandfather!!

Eric

Hi Eric, thanks so much for the info, I’ve never really worked with knives before and I appreciate all the help I can get. I have a few questions to ask about the whole process:
After taking a Scotch brite pad to the cavity, should I use water or any other solution to make sure it is cleaned out? Or would that cause damage.
Is there a certain technique to removing the pitting spots with the steel wool? I really do not want to ruin the blade.
Is there a certain polish or oil I can use in the end to make the handle and blade more aesthetically pleasing? They look somewhat dull and the blade has no glint.
And I know this is a very vague and open ended question so you don’t have to pay too much thought to it, but how exactly would I go about sharpening the blade? This is the part that I am most concerned about, as I have no experience at all with sharpening and I really don’t want to destroy the edge at the expense of my inexperience.

Again I encourage you to read the posts contained in the link provided in my previous response. I believe all your questions about cleaning a knife are answered there, including that a bath in lukewarm water with mild dish soap and thorough drying will not hurt your knife. Instructions, especially the drying part, are in the referenced posts. The pros and cons about cleaning to the point of removing pits (or not) and having a “glint” can be found in the posts within “how much should I clean my knife”.

There is an entire forum here about how to sharpen a knife. viewforum.php?f=113. Freehand sharpening is an acquired skill akin to an “art”. I would recommend a novice not attempt it on an heirloom knife. Either find someone skilled at knife sharpening to do it, get some “junker” knives to practice on until you’ve learned how to do it yourself, or get a more sophisticated “guided” sharpening system to use.

Again, welcome to AAPK.

Ken

[ea42]

Evan, luckily the knife has all wood handles so the leather probably did minimal damage to the outside save for perhaps the pins. You can clean them off with any mild polish such as Brasso or Simichrome if you have it. The verdigris on the inside will be difficult to remove but you can get rid of a good deal of it with a scotch brite pad. If the pad is thin just fold it a time or two until it's a tight fit in the cavity, then work it back and forth, blowing it out occasionally to remove the dust. I wouldn't recommend steel wool in there as the fibers tend to fall off and get wedged between the tang and the liners, or the tang and the spring. THIS can cause a LOT of problems. The blade spotting/pitting can be alleviated with steel wool though, try using the finest you can such as 0000 so you don't scratch up the blade. Be careful that you don't hit the etch hard if you want to save it. Good luck, it sounds like an awesome heirloom for sure, especially when it comes from your grandfather!!

Eric

Hi Eric, thanks so much for the info, I’ve never really worked with knives before and I appreciate all the help I can get. I have a few questions to ask about the whole process:
After taking a Scotch brite pad to the cavity, should I use water or any other solution to make sure it is cleaned out? Or would that cause damage.
Is there a certain technique to removing the pitting spots with the steel wool? I really do not want to ruin the blade.
Is there a certain polish or oil I can use in the end to make the handle and blade more aesthetically pleasing? They look somewhat dull and the blade has no glint.
And I know this is a very vague and open ended question so you don’t have to pay too much thought to it, but how exactly would I go about sharpening the blade? This is the part that I am most concerned about, as I have no experience at all with sharpening and I really don’t want to destroy the edge at the expense of my inexperience.

Evan you can wash it out with water, it shouldn't affect the knife as it's got a stainless blade and the wood is stabilized so there's no problem there. Just make sure you dry the inside out well, compressed air would be a bonus. Then give the tang a shot of oil since even though the blade is stainless it will rust if in contact with water for long periods such the area between the tang and liners where water could sit for some time. Any polish will do on the handles, even furniture polish. As far as the blade you'll never get it shiny as it's got a factory satin finish. Just hit the spots with the steel wool and call it a day, if you want to keep it consistent rub from the blade spine to the edge to keep the scratches going in the same direction as the satin finish, but be careful around that edge! Keep in mind that this a was a somewhat low end knife so it wasn't impeccably finished to start with.

Sharpening can be a real issue for someone who's never done it before, it does take some practice. Is it really dull? If you'd like I can sharpen it up for you if you're willing to cover the postage. I could put a new satin finish on it too, although I'll say right up front that if the pits are too deep they won't completely come out. Just shoot me a PM for my address.

Eric

[cudgee]

Firstly welcome to AAPK, hope you enjoy your time here as much as i have. You have already been given some excellent advise about your project, this place is a gold mine of good information from some very experienced knife makers/collectors. Show us some photos of your work, and remember, just take your time. Taking your time is probably one of the most important things when it comes to anything to do with knives, whether it be sharpening/cleaning or any sort of remodelling or other work, just take your time.