How to restore/repair Grandpa's Old Timer

[adagar]

Hi folks,
New to this forum, but I'm looking for your expertise! I recently came into the possession of my late grandpa's pocket knife, and I'm curious about repairing and restoring it. The big problem with it is the lockback doesn't function. It seems stuck in place and doesn't lock the blade in position. Additionally, the blade is a bit wobbly.

From what I can tell, it's an early run (4-pin) Old Timer 7-OT.

I have no idea where to even begin in this process! If I could get the blade solid and locking into place that'd be good enough for me, but if you reckon it's not worth the effort I'll likely just frame it.

[Meridian_Mike]

Hello and WELCOME to the forum...

YES!!!.... your knife is well worth restoring! You can do a LOT by using some PB blaster or other "rust loosening" liquid to start cleaning up the rust.

I would douse it down with PB and let it sit a while. Then, later, you can start trying to loosen up everything.

You might be surprised. The spring might just be bound up by rust.

Start out with just the PB and cloth and see how far that gets you.

Other guys will be along soon to lend their advice.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[adagar]

Thank you, I'll grab a can of PB Blaster this weekend, give it a good soak, and update!

[Jeffinn]

I agree with Mike.
That’s a great old knife and it can probably be brought back to life with some judicious cleanup.
Jeff

[just bob]

Just a question here. The last 2 cans of Blaster I have bought have stopped spraying when they were more than half full. This irks me because of the expense involved. I see on YouTube where you can recharge these spray cans but have never tried it. Anyone else experiencing this problem?

[Meridian_Mike]

Yep.... Same here. I had one can peter out with a small amount left and another with maybe 3 or 4 ounces left.

I punched a hole in that last can that treated me like that and just poured out the PB where I needed it.
No pressure in the can so no harm done.

I have a semi-full can I am using now. Seems OK so far. I still like that stuff better than anything else.

I wonder what their problem is?
The folks in china?????

[adagar]

The folks in China? PB Blaster is made in Valley View, Ohio so you can keep that kind of talk out of this thread thank you very much.

[Meridian_Mike]

never mind..... you got me at a bad moment

[adagar]

Please don't misunderstand, and maybe as a beggar of help I cannot be a chooser of advice, I do very much appreciate your knife repair advice, I'd just like to see folks refrain from cheap shots and stereotyping.

[edge213]

[eveled]

I also poke a hole in the top of the dead can and pour it out.

I would use break clean and compressed air on the knife in question. Wear safety glasses.

When stuff stopped getting flushed out I’d use penetrating oil on it. But not PB BLASTER. it smells terrible on a knife. Use mineral oil on the wood.

It’s pinned together so you should be able to drive the pins out and disassemble it if needed.

Too bad it’s not a Buck they would be happy to fix it up for you.

[Mumbleypeg]

Lots of good tips for cleaning your knife can be found here viewtopic.php?f=37&t=54157. Go slow and easy if you have to use anything abrasive - metal removed can’t be put back.

Ken

[orvet]

If cleaning your knife doesn't restore the lock function, then you probably need a new spring.

There were two different types of spring that shred used on their lock backs. The original one piece spring get fit into a notch cut into the spacer that holds the two halves of the knife apart at the rear.
The newer style Springs were two flat Springs that fit together making the spacer and the springs.

I am not home right now so I can't get to the pictures on my computer and show you what the different springs look like, but if you look at the spacer between the two rear bolsters and you can see a line down the middle of the spacer, then you have the newer style Springs.

[Jeffinn]

If cleaning your knife doesn't restore the lock function, then you probably need a new spring.

There were two different types of spring that shred used on their lock backs. The original one piece spring get fit into a notch cut into the spacer that holds the two halves of the knife apart at the rear.
The newer style Springs were two flat Springs that fit together making the spacer and the springs.

I am not home right now so I can't get to the pictures on my computer and show you what the different springs look like, but if you look at the spacer between the two rear bolsters and you can see a line down the middle of the spacer, then you have the newer style Springs.

I think these are the pictures you’re looking for:

41541A4F-1F3A-4A0B-9513-30481BDD38AE.jpeg (43.94 KiB) Viewed 3438 times

B1FEB222-C37B-4B89-B305-070A55476016.jpeg (61.48 KiB) Viewed 3438 times

[orvet]

Precisely the pictures I was looking for, thank you Jeff!
I have those pictures on my computer at home but not enough room to carry all of the knife information on my phone.

Appreciate you finding the pictures.

[adagar]

I was wondering about removing the pins; opening this up seems best way to degunk, but I can you just put the pins back in when you're done? Or do you need new ones?

[Jeffinn]

If you remove the pins you would need new ones to reassemble the knife. The pins are peened in place (the heads are mushroomed over and ground flush with the bolster).
Jeff

[adagar]

OK; as much as I like the idea of popping it open I think I'll refrain from that path for the time being. These are some great resources on cleaning overall though, thanks all!

[1967redrider]

If you can't find PB Blaster, this Kroil stuff works well. We had an old drill press that sat in a barn for 20 years and rusted tight. Within a week this stuff loosened it up.