All About Pocket Knives

Another one of the knives that was in a group purchased from E-Bay. I was kinda surprised at how cheaply this knife was made. It had the hollow scale/bolster design that I've come to hate. I originally was going to use some spalted tamarind wood for the handles but the wood seemed softer that what I was looking for so I dug out some black Kirinite and used that instead.
Nothing outstanding in the disassembly;
I cleaned and flattened the liners out as I was no longer going to need the raised tabs and cutouts for the hollow handles. Polished the backspring and reassembled with some black Kirinite scales with red accent stripes.
I ended up with a small crack at one of the pin holes.I used a technique where you put super glue into the crack and then sprinkle it with baking soda. The baking soda causes a chemical reaction and instantly sets the super glue. I was able to sand and polish it within seconds. I saw the technique online in a video.

Here it is all polished and ready for the shelf;
Thanks for looking.
Jeff

What a great transformation. And interesting info on the glue and baking soda.

A noted improvement!

good looking knife, and thanks for tip with the super glue

Nice work Jeff! I have some scale replacements I'd like to try now and again. Could you give me some tips on the basic tools I would need? Or what books would be helpful in describing the tools needed for pocket knife repair/rescaling? Thanks, Jess

Jeffinn wrote:Another one of the knives that was in a group purchased from E-Bay. I was kinda surprised at how cheaply this knife was made. It had the hollow scale/bolster design that I've come to hate.

Jeff, how could you disparage my beloved shell handle design?

I agree they look cheap, and they are inexpensive to manufacturer but Imperial did something right; they used good steel! They also constructed the shell handle so that even if the handles fell off of the knife a person could still keep the inside liners and blade and have a functional knife. The fact that they endured and were manufactured until 2004 is a testimony to their market appeal. The fact that you still find tens of thousands of these at flea markets around the country as a testimony to how well-made they were, in spite of being cheap.

The sheer genius of the shell handle design and the timing of introducing it during the depression was kind of a perfect storm. I believe it kept Imperial solvent through the depression until they received government contracts in World War II.

All that being said, I still enjoy turning them into "real knives" was solid bolsters, and you did an outstanding job on this one! I am usually not a huge fan of Kirinite but the clean, shiny black, high polished look on your knife is beyond my expectations of Kirinite!
Well executed Sir!

Great job I wish i had the talent to be able to refurbish old pocket knives. I should be able to, i used to be very good with my hands and making things, but find this exercise very daunting. But you have done brilliant work.

Man alive! Now I really want to get to work on all my Imperials that need fixing up. I guess I will order pin stock and scales for them, and try it out. I am thinking something in pine cone acrylic, or about that. But first I need to finish working on 14 more Imperials that are in line before them. Finished the first one and it turned out exactly how I wanted. Knife fixin' is sure fun!
Good stuff Jeff

Great job Jeff. Big design improvement and a HUGE cosmetic improvement!

She is a beauty!

Looks really sweet!
I would have taken the long route and made bolsters, but it would not have looked as good as what you have made. Good job!

Looks fantastic. I think Schrade Ireland steel is very good quality. You made a good choice of a knife to fix. It’s worth more now than it was before, even in pristine condition.

familyforge wrote:Nice work Jeff! I have some scale replacements I'd like to try now and again. Could you give me some tips on the basic tools I would need? Or what books would be helpful in describing the tools needed for pocket knife repair/rescaling? Thanks, Jess

Hey Jess!
I’m not sure why this post resurfaced, I did this work awhile ago.
To answer your questions, I don’t have a book recommendation for you. There are a few out there but they're dated and basic. You can learn to customize knifes by working on a few of your own. Basic tools include a belt sander, some files, some hammers and some basic hand tools. The guys here have helped me tremendously as I’ve modified a wide variety
of knives.
You should read through a lot of the post in the knife
Repair and restoration forum to get an idea of what’s involved. And feel free to ask questions as you’re working on knives. There’s a wealth of information here and these folks are all willing to share their knowledge! Let me know if I can help you out!
Jeff

They call that handle material "Black Lava Kirinite" and I find it quite attractive. Good job.

jerryd6818 wrote:They call that handle material "Black Lava Kirinite" and I find it quite attractive. Good job.

Thank you sir.

Jeffinn wrote:

jerryd6818 wrote:They call that handle material "Black Lava Kirinite" and I find it quite attractive. Good job.

Thank you sir.

Please. You don't have to call me sir. I was enlisted.

LOL!
Well then I’ll have to find another title for you! My father was an old school character who taught me that all interactions with people required a handshake (and I still greet everyone with a handshake), and a respectful title (mr. mrs. sir, or mam). Now I know this is all woefully old fashioned in this day and age but I still do it.
You seem like a character that’s deserving of some respect so I feel obliged to refer to you as Sir (even though you’re an enlisted guy)!
If not Sir then what, Mr. J?
Regards,
Jeff