MAJOR RESTORE?

[OLD GAR]

Is this old wreck of a Cattleman's knife worth putting hours of work in it. It is a glaring case of what out gassing will do to the frame as well as the handles. it is a Westaco (?) made in USA sometime in the 50's. I carried it as a kid and lost it in some moves our family made. After my Papa passed in 2004, I found this in an old metal coffee can with the lid jammed and rusted shut. Several other old junkers were also in the can. The smell of the out gassing almost knocked me down when I finally got the lid off the can. I barely recognized this old friend. It has been my junk box for 6 or 7 years and since being a looker on AAPK, it has entered my mind to restore this clunker . . Thoughts? ?

[tjmurphy]

Not an expert, but I would say that that knife is pretty well shot. Maybe Dale or someone else has a suggestion for a patch job to the frame, but it looks pretty bad

[IMBand]

Blades look servicable and the bolsters don't look too thin.
It looks like a project that could have a very nice outcome.


IM

[OLD GAR]

FYI - - It is raining here and I get cabin fever easily - - that is why the foray to the shop to look for something to get me out of the house.

I am probably "above average" in the field of metal working but knife repair is still really new to me hence the questions. And it does have some, not a lot, but some sentimental value. The blades and back springs seem to be pretty much intact as are the bolsters*. The frames and liner are just thin brass and with transfer punches and careful milling (by hand) reproduction could be accomplished. These old blades are in pretty good shape - - lots better than the frame.

There are some "knife building kits" from some vendors online and maybe those parts could be modified for this repair.

* Are the bolsters soldered on or just held by the pins?

[orvet]

I have repaired knives in worse shape than that.
You have a couple options as I see them:
1- Fine a knife with the same frame that has a good frame and bad blades & put these blades in the good frame.
2- Get some sheet brass & rebuild the liners and some 3/32” sheet nickel silver for the new bolsters.

A donor frame is likely the easiest, IMO.

[OLD GAR]

Thanks Dale . . New brass liners wouldn't be too hard to mfg - -That was sort of the way I was leaning but are the bolsters too hard to remove from the old frame?

Do you have a clue about the maker? It looks like "WESTACO" but the first two letters are hard to make out.

[orvet]

The bolsters may come off without too much problem,
Depends on how they were attached.
If they were soldered, then it would be pretty easy to do.
It they have a stud of the bolster through a hole in the liner, it may be easier to make new ones.

I attach a rough-shaped piece of nickel silver and drill it out and assemble the knife, then I fine shape it with a file & sandpaper. That is just the way I do it. There may be an easier way.

[Elvis]

With the liner cleaned behind the bolster (the side that faces the blade) you might be able to tell what holds it. If you can heat it and pry the two pieces apart with a utility blade, all the better. I'd recommend tracing the outline onto the new brass before trying to remove the bolster though. IF you can get it off clean, it would be a lot easier than making a new one then eye-ballin it to match the old one. Nice blades and spring. Well worth the effort.

[OLD GAR]

Thanks fellows for the good advice. I will start slowly and get some materials together before the major manufacturing begins. If the pin holes in the blades are good and the back springs good enough I"ll have a better start. I hope the bolsters are soldered on and won't take too much heat to loosen them. I have a little Victor torch that has such a fine tip I have actually used it to to burn small lettering on wooden blocks. Elvis, I will certainly clean the brass and look for evidence of those bolster pins.

I'm thinking about different handle materials. I imagine, for me, some exotic wood might be easier to shape and install than drilling for and peening pins in bone or stag. Attempts with those materials might come later in some other restorations I have on the back burner. One seller on ebay has some Arizona Bookmatch Ironwood that isn't too expensive, With the right kind of fitting and epoxy would they hold with out pins?

[orvet]

You will still have the rocker pin going through the handles & that will do a lot to keep them on.

Pins are not hard to install when you have the knife apart.
The epoxy I use will hold them on ok & Gorilla will too. Just be sure you prep then well & wipe the surfaces with alcohol to clean them. Alcohol leaves no residue so it is better than lacquer thinner. I use 99% isopropyl alcohol; about $2-$3 at a pharmacy.

[jkpq45]

Sorry for resurrecting this one, but I'm very interested in how the repair turned out, if an update is available.

Thanks!
jkpq45

[jerryd6818]

I wouldn't mind finding out the outcome myself but since OLD GAR Last visited: Fri Apr 20, 2012 5:37 pm, it may be a while before we get an answer. I sent an email, let's see if he answers.

[knife-nut]

I seem to remember seeing Westaco on some sheath knives made by Western Cutlery.

[Miller Bro's]

Westaco 1911-1951 per Goins

Western States Cutlery Co.

[just bob]

This might help


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Western-States- ... 3cc92d37f2

[OLD GAR]

Yeah fellow knife enthusiasts, I have been away for a while. Lots of water under the bridge, and long trips away from the home twenty and the workshop.

First to reply to the email. It was a little bit of surprise but welcome. It jogged my memory and I realized it had been some time since I even thought much about knife repair.

So the answer to the question of the major repair on the out-gassed Westaco only got as far as complete disassembly and inspection of the frame and bolsters. The blades came out pretty well but that is where I stopped. I will go back to my posts and see how far and how much detail I put into the description of the condition of that old wreck. I did order some brass sheet and just didn't get around to the handle material. Some ebay seller has advertised ironwood and I did consider that for the scales. The projects like those just got put way back on the shelf. Maybe this winter I will get back to the shop to start uncovering lots of those projects but right now I am just covered up with lots of time consuming stuff.

I will check in occasionally to see how the gang is doing...Good luck to all.