Knife Cleaning

[petesknives]

I know that cleaning up an old coin can
drastically reduce its value.

Does that hold true for Knives also?

I'm not referring to a knife that is going to be
used as an EDC, but higher end Knives.

Like an old Case from the 1930s, or something along those lines.

Is it better to just preserve the knife in the
condition it's in or "Clean" it up?

Ken

[Mumbleypeg]

You’ll find that question debated extensively here: viewtopic.php?f=37&t=54157 Look under the section on “Should I clean my knife”.

Ken

[petesknives]

Thanks Mumbleypeg

I guess bottom line is it's your knife, do what you
want. EDC or a safe queen.

Ken

[Mumbleypeg]

Thanks Mumbleypeg

I guess bottom line is it's your knife, do what you
want. EDC or a safe queen.

Ken

That pretty much sums it up.

Ken

[herbva]

Thanks Mumbleypeg

I guess bottom line is it's your knife, do what you
want. EDC or a safe queen.

Ken

Purely a matter of personal opinion, and if you look at the thread that Ken posted, you will see that there certainly are a LOT of opinions. Whether it's a knife that is going into my personal collection or one I'm possibly going to pass on the someone else, I don't believe in keeping or storing knives with dirt, surface rust, crud, paint , gunk or whatever foreign matter on or inside them. So the first thing I do is give them a good cleaning and a drop or two of oil in the critical spots. What is a good cleaning? That is also a matter of personal opinion, also with a LOT of opinions.

[Reverand]

My opinion (which is worth every cent that you are paying for it!) is that cleaning is okay - meaning using water and maybe an old toothbrush, then compressed air and WD40 to dry it, then a drop or two of oil on the joints. A #2 pencil on the rust is good.
But buffing and polishing is bad. This drastically lowers the collector value, as it removes the factory finish and potentially hides any other work that might have been done.
Of course, as has been said, it is your knife and you should do with it whatever makes you happy. I only share my opinion - others more knowledgeable may have different advice.
Most of all, enjoy your knives!!!

[rea1eye]

My opinion (which is worth every cent that you are paying for it!) is that cleaning is okay - meaning using water and maybe an old toothbrush, then compressed air and WD40 to dry it, then a drop or two of oil on the joints. A #2 pencil on the rust is good.
But buffing and polishing is bad. This drastically lowers the collector value, as it removes the factory finish and potentially hides any other work that might have been done.

Most of all, enjoy your knives!!!

Very well spoken Reverend. I once bought a nice old Case XX knife on ebay. When I received it I noticed it was extremely
over buffed, especially the blades. I roughed up the scales ever so slightly and put a patina back on the blades. This made
the knife much more represented of it age and character.

In the future I avoid buying old Case knives that appear to be over buffed.

Bob

[CHNeal]

With the limited scope of my collection I use a few different methods. If I’m honest with myself I must admit the knives I collect hold no real historical significance and not much collector value to most.
If I stumble upon a still like new example that needs a bit of tarnish removal I’ll clean/ polish ( by hand) the bolsters, liners and shield . Give the joints a good flush and oil and toss it in my pocket a day or two then on to the shelf it will go. If I find a gently loved one with a story to tell I’ll just kill any rust, flush and oil , give it a days pocket time and let it alone. When I find one that’s a complete train wreck and used up I toss it into a bucket in my shop with all its fallen comrades and wonder about the stories and lives of men that carried and used them.

Clay

[dlr110]

Here are a few knives I cleaned up and polished this past week.
A couple of them only needed some light hand cleaning and the others
more detailed. Also I cleaned the handles on all of them with an old
favorite of my mom's, Murphy Oil Soap and it work like a charm and left
no film or residue.
.

[jmh58]

Nicely done David.. I DO like that Case!!!
John

[petesknives]

I like them all

Ken

[dlr110]

I have a ton of knives that I've been putting back and I'm just now getting around to cleaning
up some of them so I can display them here at home and on my gallery webpage.
Also please show your knives as you clean them, I very interested.

These are a couple of before and then all the ones I got done today.
The last pic is my humble work area for cleaning my knives and guns.
Not much, but it's home.

[Papa Bones]

I have a ton of knives that I've been putting back and I'm just now getting around to cleaning
up some of them so I can display them here at home and on my gallery webpage.
Also please show your knives as you clean them, I very interested.

These are a couple of before and then all the ones I got done today.
The last pic is my humble work area for cleaning my knives and guns.
Not much, but it's home.

Very Nice. Lovin' those Hammer Brands.

[dlr110]

Here are two knives I worked on today.
The one of the left is a PAL Cutlery CO. and the one on the right
is a Camillus.

[dlr110]

This one had some rust and just a small amount of pitting.
I used oil, sanding disc 2K to 7K, Brasso and Murphy Oil Soap.

[jmh58]

All well done David!!! NICE!!!
John

[OldKnifeCollector]

While everyone is talking about cleaning here. Does anyone have a good technique they use for cleaning the nail pull/groove on a pocket knife blade where you would use your nail to pull the blade out.

[cudgee]

While everyone is talking about cleaning here. Does anyone have a good technique they use for cleaning the nail pull/groove on a pocket knife blade where you would use your nail to pull the blade out.

Rubbing alcohol, small piece of thin wire, piece of cloth. Place a drop of the alcohol[ commonly called isopropyl , can use methylated spirits] in the nail groove, scrape out all the gunk with the wire, may take a few tries. Then finish with the cloth dipped in the alcohol wrapped around the wire and rubbed through the nail nick, hope this helps.

[dlr110]

I hadn’t thought of alcohol cudgee. If it is still black I don’t give it any special attention. If it is reddish, most likely rust. So then I do basically the same thing cudgee told you except I use distilled vinegar. I rub some in with a Q-tip, wrap a cotton patch around something like a small wire or paper clip and gentle remove the rust or any dirt. Do not slip and scratch your blade.

[cudgee]

I hadn’t thought of alcohol cudgee. If it is still black I don’t give it any special attention. If it is reddish, most likely rust. So then I do basically the same thing cudgee told you except I use distilled vinegar. I rub some in with a Q-tip, wrap a cotton patch around something like a small wire or paper clip and gentle remove the rust or any dirt. Do not slip and scratch your blade.

I have found that the alcohol works a lot better than vinegar. I also used to use vinegar, but have found the alcohol works a lot better. This method can be used on any metal that you want to clean up.

[dlr110]

I hadn’t thought of alcohol cudgee. If it is still black I don’t give it any special attention. If it is reddish, most likely rust. So then I do basically the same thing cudgee told you except I use distilled vinegar. I rub some in with a Q-tip, wrap a cotton patch around something like a small wire or paper clip and gentle remove the rust or any dirt. Do not slip and scratch your blade.

I have found that the alcohol works a lot better than vinegar. I also used to use vinegar, but have found the alcohol works a lot better. This method can be used on any metal that you want to clean up.

Thanks I'll give it a try.

[OldKnifeCollector]

I will try that tonight on a Burkinshaw knife I found at a flea market. Thanks for the info!

While everyone is talking about cleaning here. Does anyone have a good technique they use for cleaning the nail pull/groove on a pocket knife blade where you would use your nail to pull the blade out.

Rubbing alcohol, small piece of thin wire, piece of cloth. Place a drop of the alcohol[ commonly called isopropyl , can use methylated spirits] in the nail groove, scrape out all the gunk with the wire, may take a few tries. Then finish with the cloth dipped in the alcohol wrapped around the wire and rubbed through the nail nick, hope this helps.

[cudgee]

I will try that tonight on a Burkinshaw knife I found at a flea market. Thanks for the info!

While everyone is talking about cleaning here. Does anyone have a good technique they use for cleaning the nail pull/groove on a pocket knife blade where you would use your nail to pull the blade out.

Rubbing alcohol, small piece of thin wire, piece of cloth. Place a drop of the alcohol[ commonly called isopropyl , can use methylated spirits] in the nail groove, scrape out all the gunk with the wire, may take a few tries. Then finish with the cloth dipped in the alcohol wrapped around the wire and rubbed through the nail nick, hope this helps.

Let us know how you go.

[Papa Bones]

Also I cleaned the handles on all of them with an old
favorite of my mom's, Murphy Oil Soap and it work like a charm and left
no film or residue.
.
20200526_130526.jpg20200602_083458.jpg

Murphy's works wonders. Also, for wood handles, if you get some that have dents or impressions, sometimes you can take a moist cloth, wrap over them, then take a steam iron and hold it about 1/2 to 1 inch from the wood surface and steam it. Sometimes it will pull the dent out as well as pull out some of the oils that may have soaked in the wood from use over the years. This is an old trick that a lot of old Curio & Relic Firearm collectors use on some of the older walnut and beach stocks.

This is also a good method to use when you've cleaned walnut and want to re-impregnate it with boiled linseed oil. Take a clean cloth, rub in some boiled linseed oil on the wood, then take a cloth with boiled linseed oil, place on the wood, then heat it with a old hair dryer. Let it cool and repeat. Then finish rubbing down with a lint free cloth.

[cudgee]

Also I cleaned the handles on all of them with an old
favorite of my mom's, Murphy Oil Soap and it work like a charm and left
no film or residue.
.
20200526_130526.jpg20200602_083458.jpg

Murphy's works wonders. Also, for wood handles, if you get some that have dents or impressions, sometimes you can take a moist cloth, wrap over them, then take a steam iron and hold it about 1/2 to 1 inch from the wood surface and steam it. Sometimes it will pull the dent out as well as pull out some of the oils that may have soaked in the wood from use over the years. This is an old trick that a lot of old Curio & Relic Firearm collectors use on some of the older walnut and beach stocks.

This is also a good method to use when you've cleaned walnut and want to re-impregnate it with boiled linseed oil. Take a clean cloth, rub in some boiled linseed oil on the wood, then take a cloth with boiled linseed oil, place on the wood, then heat it with a old hair dryer. Let it cool and repeat. Then finish rubbing down with a lint free cloth.

Thank you, excellent tips, i have been looking for a way to get original color back into an oak scaled knives that has darkened over time. Thanks again.