Bone Handles Discolored ?

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WelderBob
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Bone Handles Discolored ?

Post by WelderBob »

Got a surprise when I pulled this out of a roll, been a few years since I'd looked at it. I have seen this on stag handles next to the liners, but this
appears to be coming through the bone. The brass liners and pins look good and the bone is in good shape, I'm at a loss on this one.
Knife is a Case 54 pattern made in the 80's.
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Re: Bone Handles Discolored ?

Post by knife7knut »

Dimitri had a similar problem with an ivory handled quill knife he posted recently. Verdigris was forming on the brass liners and leaching into the handles from the bottom. Not sure how to cure the problem or clean it.Possibly immersing it in a solution of baking soda and water might clean it but I don't know if it would take out the staining in the bone.After soaking you could blow it dry with compressed air. Bleach might work but it might damage the bone.
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Mumbleypeg
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Re: Bone Handles Discolored ?

Post by Mumbleypeg »

WelderBob wrote:Got a surprise when I pulled this out of a roll
By any chance was it a leather roll? The reason I ask is because when I've seen verdigris it's been a combination of brass and leather in proximity to the knife.

Another reason I do not store knives long term in rolls of any kind. Learned the hard way!

Ken
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Re: Bone Handles Discolored ?

Post by XX Case XX »

Mumbleypeg wrote:Another reason I do not store knives long term in rolls of any kind.
Not even those cotton silverware rolls? The kind actually made for silverware but people use them for knives. Like me. :shock:

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WelderBob
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Re: Bone Handles Discolored ?

Post by WelderBob »

The only cleaning I've done was with simichrome, it just made it shine! I am hesitant to try anything more aggressive.
It doesn't appear to be eating away at the bone like I've seen on stag.

It was stored in a Hickory knife roll and none of the other knives seemed to have any issue's.
I was in the process of moving knives to folders when I found this, I should have done it sooner!
Bob

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Re: Bone Handles Discolored ?

Post by Mumbleypeg »

Mike, I have no experience with silverware rolls. I've not tried them. They may be okay. ::shrug::

Due to bad experiences with other types, I've found alternate storage. Other than Sackups, I'm done with rolls. Except for transporting knives from place to place, like to and from a show (which I don't do much of any more). I just don't trust what harmful content knife rolls may contain - chemicals, dyes and so on used in their manufacture may outgas over time. I've had knives damaged by leather and elastic materials in knife rolls.

I do use and endorse Sackups. I've used them for years for knives and firearms without a single problem. But I guess I don't think of them as conventional "rolls". Sorry I can't say the same for others. As I said, learned the hard way and it's a hard lesson when you open that roll and find your knives damaged. ::teary_eyes::

Ken
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Sharpnshinyknives
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Re: Bone Handles Discolored ?

Post by Sharpnshinyknives »

WelderBob wrote:Got a surprise when I pulled this out of a roll, been a few years since I'd looked at it. I have seen this on stag handles next to the liners, but this
appears to be coming through the bone. The brass liners and pins look good and the bone is in good shape, I'm at a loss on this one.
Knife is a Case 54 pattern made in the 80's.
I have another theory about that discoloration. I have mentioned on here before about oil seeping into bone. Natural bone, Mediterranean blue bone and antique bone all from Case have discolored from the lubricating oil I was using. Usually it just makes the bone darker in areas. I haven’t seen what it does over time. I wonder if that could be part of the problem? Was the knife roll green on the inside by any chance? I wonder if color leached out of the roll because of the oil?
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Re: Bone Handles Discolored ?

Post by fitzroe »

This was stored in a knife roll. Parker knife USA made.
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richard
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Re: Bone Handles Discolored ?

Post by richard »

i quite like the green tint.makes the knife unique
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WelderBob
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Re: Bone Handles Discolored ?

Post by WelderBob »

SSk, you may be on to something, the lining is green and I use mineral oil on bone. I let it dry but if the bone holds the oil it could have a reaction
with something in the fabric and would show up on light color bone. I think from now on I'll just use Ren wax on light colored handles.
Maybe I should oil the mark side and see if I can get a match... :lol:
Bob

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Re: Bone Handles Discolored ?

Post by fitzroe »

Richard,
How do you like the other side?
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Re: Bone Handles Discolored ?

Post by LongBlade »

Bob - Given you said the brass liners inside the well (or as Dimitri recently noted as the historical correct term - the hollow) of the frame are fine it does seem strange unless the side of bone up against the liner somehow had some moisture and oxidation in there and accordingly verdigris formed in-between staining the bone... I wonder if anybody else with that Case knife has ever seen an issue.. ::hmm:: ...
Mumbleypeg wrote:Mike, I have no experience with silverware rolls. I've not tried them. They may be okay. ::shrug::

Due to bad experiences with other types, I've found alternate storage. Other than Sackups, I'm done with rolls. Except for transporting knives from place to place, like to and from a show (which I don't do much of any more). I just don't trust what harmful content knife rolls may contain - chemicals, dyes and so on used in their manufacture may outgas over time. I've had knives damaged by leather and elastic materials in knife rolls.

I do use and endorse Sackups. I've used them for years for knives and firearms without a single problem. But I guess I don't think of them as conventional "rolls". Sorry I can't say the same for others. As I said, learned the hard way and it's a hard lesson when you open that roll and find your knives damaged. ::teary_eyes::

Ken
I’m with Ken 100% - only use sack-ups rolls and would only use the hickory rolls for a day trip if necessary if I had alot of knives to tote... However I do have some storage boxes for other knives that are lined with anti-tarnish silverware cloth - these are knives not easily stored in the sacks-ups pockets - very small pen knives which get lost in the pockets or big hunters, fixed blades or Hawkbills which are too big... I also throw in dessicant gel packs and a few anti-tarnish strips in those boxes ( maybe overkill but I rather over than underkill :lol: ).. I do know a number of knowledgeable knife collector friends from NCCA that use the same anti-tarnish silverware rolls as noted above and never heard any issues at all.. in fact I may pick up a few of those silverware rolls myself as they can be handy for toting a few knives at shows etc or to use in storage boxes to condense knives and save on space in order to fit more knives in one box ::nod:: .. I do have a 6 pocket sack-ups roll for toting a few and they work great - maybe abit more bulky to put in a shoulder bag for shows but the sack-ups rolls have good cushioning for safe keeping avoiding any unforeseen accidents :) ...
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Re: Bone Handles Discolored ?

Post by terryl308 »

Lee,Don't have any help for you as far as cleaning but what I use are the fore mentioned sac ups and for my custom homemade knives, I also use well cleaned cotton socks, helps keeping the leather sheath from scuffing up. Some bone is like a sponge in that it absorbs all kinds of unwanted stuff, like oil and verdigris from brass , leather if chrome tanned is terrible on things too. I use only veg tanned leather. I don't use much white bone, only dyed and jigged bone for handle material, not as much of a chance of discoloring. Good luck, Terry ::tu::
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richard
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Re: Bone Handles Discolored ?

Post by richard »

"Richard,
How do you like the other side?"

very nice :D
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Re: Bone Handles Discolored ?

Post by terryl308 »

WelderBob, sorry my post was for LongBlade, but what I said was for your post,I get a little confused in my old age, Terry ::handshake::
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Re: Bone Handles Discolored ?

Post by Sharpnshinyknives »

WelderBob wrote:SSk, you may be on to something, the lining is green and I use mineral oil on bone. I let it dry but if the bone holds the oil it could have a reaction
with something in the fabric and would show up on light color bone. I think from now on I'll just use Ren wax on light colored handles.
Maybe I should oil the mark side and see if I can get a match... :lol:
That’s what it looked like to me. Just had a hunch that there was some green dye touching that bone. Case seems especially susceptible to problems w/ light colored bone absorbing what’s around it. I will have to remember this when storing knives in a case after oiling it. I try to keep all my knives in display cases so I can see and enjoy them. Some of those cases have red felt, or green or black. I will be checking tomorrow all the light Case bone knives and double check that this same problem hasn’t happened to me too.
It doesn’t look like it was a problem w/ the brass liners, it looks more like dye.
This has been an interesting discussion. I like the silverware bags, I think that would work well.
SSk
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Re: Bone Handles Discolored ?

Post by LongBlade »

It all makes sense now - oil plus green fabric .... there was another thread that was about storing knives - I will say one needs to be careful with felt SSK - I know for a fact that some felt is acid-fast dye that won't bleed but some no doubt will bleed the dye color... one of the reasons I decided against felt as many did not know if the dye was acid-fast and accordingly I went with anti-tarnish cloth or sack-ups...
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