All About Pocket Knives

I saw herbva's restoration of his CASE 024 folder. I was duly impressed.

There seems to be 2 varieties of celluloid and construction types of the knife body that the celluloid is attached to.
The one like Herb's, I surmise, was a higher cost knife as it appears the original celluloid may have been solid.

The other type is a one piece stamped sheet handle including bolsters that clips to the knife frame and is wrapped in a veneer of celluloid.

I have seen repairs to this second type where the stamping was painted but can't say I am keen on on it.

As an alternative repair,is it possible to solder solid bolsters to the liners and pin solid bone or wood handles to the liners.
At the moment I have a 3 blade German made "Farmers Stock Knife" -stamped on blade- and stamped Made in Germany on the tang face. Pics to follow when my phone charges itself up.

The celluloid is a faux jigged bone pattern which I believe would look better clad with the real Mc Coy jigged bone.

Has anyone attempted this before.
Advice,opinions and comments on this repair would be greatly appreciated.

thanks
Ozwelder

Sure thing. These are called "shell handled" knives. You can search and find several examples of people altering and rehandling them.
Here are a couple of examples I found quickly:

On the first one, someone rehandled the knife with wood and had no bolsters. That would be a fun project as a beginner.
https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kn ... le#p678294

On this second one they made new liners, but plenty of knife mechanics have flattened the original steel liners and pinned or soldered bolsters onto them.
https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kn ... le#p621482

I recommend buying a handful of cheap Imperials or Richards shell handled knives and try them. Then when you have learned the process, try on a knife that you really like.
It is good fun!

You can search "shell conversion" and come up with several. Here is one I did recently...
https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kn ... conversion

If the knife is worth it, the shell wrap can be replicated by:
Texturing the underlying metal, and using tinted casting epoxy to coat the wrapped portions.
I use this method with electroplating nickel, copper, gold, brass, and silver.
You have to file/sand the hardened epoxy to shape-being careful not to cut through it-then it is polished.
Using a jeweler's saw, you can cut the ends of your new "wrap" so that it looks/fells just like celluloid.

Shell handle conversions are kind of a fun project, although they can be a of of work. Sometimes I used the original steel liners, and sometimes make new brass ones. Bolsters can be nickle silver or brass. A few I have done.
2 Imperial Kamp Kings, in Patriot Kirinite and stag, an Imperial Barlow in elk stag, Hammer brand cattle knife in ironwood, and an Imperial stockman in aromatic cedar.