how do evaluate a knife for restore job?

[whitesell knives]

Just how do you go about deciding on whether or not a knife is worth restoring? Blade condition, how worn is to far gone? I like saving all the old knives that can be saved and put to use by someone else, but I have some that I wonder if they are worth saving.


Dale Whitesell

[glennbad]

Those are loaded questions. I can only speak from experience.

Before I got into modding knives, I used to look at a knife that had a broken blade and think..."that knife is worth nothing cause it has a broken blade". Now, I imagine what I can do to it, can I turn it into a single blade knife, etc.

Whether a knife is "worth it" to restore, that is up to my customers. If I think a knife is too far gone or the parts are too low-quality to work with, I will tell them so, but let them decide if they want to proceed.

If the knife is old, or the blades are in good shape, there is almost always value in doing something with it, almost like recycling it. I swear, the steel used in those 60-70 year old knives just seems better than the steel nowadays.

[orvet]

Those are loaded questions. I can only speak from experience.

If the knife is old, or the blades are in good shape, there is almost always value in doing something with it, almost like recycling it. I swear, the steel used in those 60-70 year old knives just seems better than the steel nowadays.

I agree with Glenn!

[whitesell knives]

Thanks for the input. I was thinking more of a knife to restore and then resell. I too, would let the customer decide what they want to get in an old knife. Sentimental value is something you can't put a price on. I guess what I have trouble with, is knowing when a knife just isn't worth the cost that you have in it when done, to resell. If it is a knife for myself, if I like the knife and there is any life in it at all, I want to do whatever it takes to save it.

Thanks again for the input, and I didn't mean to ask loaded questions. Just want to learn when to say, that knife is not worth my time, to have something that would resell, at a price to break even or make a few bucks.

Dale Whitesell

[Miller Bro's]

I have some that I wonder if they are worth saving.

Let`s see `em

[whitesell knives]

Here are a couple.
This one needs bolster, new handles, and the master blade has been sharpened down, but still has life

This one needs master blade, handles. Both are Boker USA

Dale Whitesell

[glennbad]

That boker might be worth it (IMO, anyway).

Not too much work, and the blades are fairly serviceable.

[orvet]

If I am going to rebuild a knife for resale I look for the following things:
1) Are the blades mostly there, or do I have or can I get, the needed blades? How much will they cost me?
2) Is the brand & pattern popular enough with buyers that it will sell?
3) What is a reasonable price for which to sell the knife & can I get that out of it? (people don’t see the hours you put into the knife & for some reason seem to have a hang-up about paying custom knife prices for a knife that started as a factory knife)
4) Can I get enough for the knife to pay for:
a) What I paid for the knife?
b) What I paid for the handle material?
c) What I paid for any blades I added?
d) The other materials I used like bolsters & pins? (BTW, nickel silver is pretty expensive to buy in bars or sheets)
e) How many dollars of consumables will I use on this job? (sandpaper, sanding belts, polishing paper, etc)
f) Will the selling price give me a few dollars for my time so I have a little positive incentive for me, (aside from the enjoyment of fixing it)?


This may seem like a lot of stuff to consider, but when you realize that the last 4 knives you sold cost you $30 more to make than what you sold them for; I think it is worth the time and effort to think about these things.

Remember people will pay a lot more for a new, or nearly new knife than they will pay for a restored user.

[whitesell knives]

Thanks Dale, that is how I look at pricing my work for making a new knife as well. I do enjoy rebuilding an old knife, it has served someone well, for maybe decades, it needs to be saved. But I can see that I have bought some to repair or restore, that will never payoff. So I may have to keep those for myself, hehe. But some may bring enough to make a few dollars, and that is ok too.

Thanks everyone for your input.
Dale Whitesell

[orvet]

It is not like I make a living on my knife work, or break even on every job. Many I do for the love of knives.
Having managed businesses, among those a cutlery store, I guess I sort of run my hobby like a business, maybe out of habit.
But overall I try to make enough on repairs and customizing that I can carry on my hobby without having to put the household budget at risk.


One thing for sure: repairing and customizing knives is FAR MORE addicting than just collecting knives!

[whitesell knives]

One thing for sure: repairing and customizing knives is FAR MORE addicting than just collecting knives!

I agree with that, making knives is the same way. It is an obsession.