All About Pocket Knives

Great forum! Thanks so much for allowing me to be a part of your group.

I've picked this one up cheap. I've always wanted one of the Silver Script's and plan to get more of each type once I have more $$'s to play with. I feel with some tlc I can clean this one up and not be afraid to carry/use it on a daily basis... something I would not want to do with a new one.

I've been reading on here and the web in general re: cleaning and restoration of knives. I've learned quite a bit but in some ways it's left me even more undecided then when I started re how exactly to go about working on this knife.

As you see there is a bit of what I'm assuming is rust (won't know for sure till it arrives... hopefully Monday if not before) on the blades around the stampings. I'm not sure if what is on the rest of the blades (particularly the broken blade) is rust or just dirt or what. I've seen rust erasers including those from Case... but not sure if those would be best for this or not. I've never used those before. I have bronze and steel wool, wire brushes, etc. I just want to make sure I do no harm and only improve and bring back some of the beauty of this knife.

As far as the broken blade... would it be best to A) leave it as is... B) use it as a screwdriver... C) recut a curve to use as a blade again? I'm assuming Case would not have the same blade with the same date laying around that I could purchase from them. But that broken blade does seem to be the worst thing this knife has going for it.

What is the best way to clean the scales? I'm assuming a toothbrush but soap and water or a cleaner (if so what kind) or what? Again I do not want to harm anything on the knife... only bring it back to life and it's original beauty.

I'm hoping some of you can help point the way to doing this right. I'd honestly love to be able to take it apart, clean each part thoroughly and then put it all back together... but I've never done that before and I don't think I'm quite ready for that, re: removing the pins and then having to redo those. That's really the only part of the process that gives me pause.

I think these script knives... both the silver and brass are some of the most beautiful knives Case produced. I remember seeing them when they first came out... I was drawn to them, but just didn't have the $$'s to put into them at that time. I'm still on very much a shoestring budget but hoping over time to add a few to my collection. I only have five (well six including this one) Case knives atm although I have many other brands and types I've picked up over the years.

I don't know why, but when I saw this... I saw it's former beauty... the abuse it's taken and just felt drawn to it. I really want to do it justice and make it a knife that I can not only carry and use but that I can be proud to take out and show off as well. I've only shown it to one knife collector so far... before I made the purchase... and his comment was that I could do far better than that. Well, that's true... but I made an offer on this and I feel certain I'd never be able to get one of these in better condition for the price I paid. Plus I kept within my budget and to me it's a bird in the hand, as well as a project. If I can bring it back to life then it will be more important to me than one I just bought in mint condition to display.

For now, here are the pics I have... I hope you can point me in the direction I need to go with this one.

Many thanks in advance!

Dan

Welcome to AAPK Dan. You’re right, the knife should clean up nicely. Everything you need to know about cleaning it can be found here. viewtopic.php?f=37&t=54157

The blades are stainless steel so whatever that material on it is, it should come off with a little work. Regarding the broken blade, it’s up to you what to do about it. It could be reshaped or made into a screwdriver as you’ve said, or you could keep a watch for a replacement from a “donor” knife that has a good clip master blade. Only you know what would be the most serviceable result for you.

The knife doesn’t have any collector value (the broken blade ruined that) so it’s redeeming quality us as a user. Therefore I wouldn’t worry about replacing the blade with one stamped with the same stamp - just get one that has the same fit and function. You might be able to get Case to replace it with a new one from current production, which would have a different date. The only way to know that is to contact Case and ask. Or someone here might have one and could replace it for you if you don’t want to do it yourself.

Ken

Hi Ken! Many thanks for the welcome! I deeply appreciate the advice. This is how I've been feeling but it always helps to hear it from others. I've been into knives since the late 80's. I was very fortunate that my best of best friends... my brother from another mother most literally... had a great dad who was known as "The Old Knife Man". He traveled the country in his VW camper van and dealt in knives at shows and flea markets for many years. He shared his knowledge of many knife and non knife related things to both of us over the years. I obtained my first collector pieces from him and I will cherish them forever. Sadly, both he and now my brother... last month, have passed on. I feel lost without them.

From that start I've managed to obtain quite a few knives... some needing repair, some that are just plain Janes and a few that are very nice. Thanks to him I have the cases I have, save one that I got in a trade back then. I'd like to post them once I have some time to do good pictures or scans of them. A couple are the smaller damascus knives and another small one that after looking them up the other night seems it's a rather rare one of only 200 made. That surprised me... but in a way it didn't as John's dad knew what he was doing as he guided me along in the hobby.

The track says it's to be delivered Monday... I'm hoping perhaps it will be on Saturday if it has the wind at it's back... but soon as it gets here I'll get to work on it. If I can get hold, either through Case or as you say perhaps another member here or on the Case forum, of a replacement blade I would love to see her whole again. God has always taken very good care of me in these and all other ways. If it's meant to be He'll find one for me and make it work out. In the meantime I'll do the best I can with her. I'll post pics once she's... presentable again.

Thanks again!

Dan

I would definitely look into sending it back to Case to have them replace the blade. They probably will charge you for this repair as a broken blade is a sign of abuse that is not covered by warranty. I would not take it apart yourself if you have never done it before. It is best to buy some cheapy flea market knives to practice on before you take a Case knife apart.

Oh, and Welcome to AAPK

Many thanks for the welcome and the advice. I'm looking now for one of the threads where someone mentioned a woman at Case who was a great help in getting a knife worked on after the owner had contacted them via email several times with no luck. It sure would be nice to get that blade replaced. Again I'll keep everyone posted as things progress.

Welcome to AAPK!
You have already gotten some good advice: Case authorized repair would be the first choice. If that does not work for you for any reason, I would reprofile the broken blade and carry it every day.
Finding a used main blade is becoming expensive. The price of Parts Knives is rising, so having Case replace the blade with a new one might be cheaper.
But, you really can't go wrong either way.

Many thanks! I'm hoping to have time to call Case tomorrow and see what they have to say. Hopefully I can get hold of someone who's willing to have me send pics and give me a quick answer as to whether they're willing/able to replace the blade and hopefully give me an idea of the cost.

I'll keep everyone posted.

Thanks again to everyone!

God bless,

Dan

Calling Case is a good idea. In my experience they will definitely want pictures and possibly want you to send them the knife for evaluation. I recommend you be very clear regarding your expectations. If you say you only want a replacement blade having the same stamp as your original blade, they’re likely going to tell you they can’t do it. They do not keep an inventory of old parts. If you tell them the knife has no sentimental value they’ll likely offer you a new knife from current production similar to your old knife. In your case probably for a price since it’s not a warranty repair. So, if you want that silver script tell them you don’t want a new knife, you just want the broken blade replaced. BTW if they repair it they’ll clean it up also - when it comes back it will look like new to the extent possible.

Here is a link to the warranty repair form on the Case web site https://caseknives.com/pages/warranty-r ... quest-form. Note at the bottom is a way to attach pictures of the knife you want repaired. I would expect it to take several weeks to get it back, I understand they’re behind due to Covid. They were shut down for months on orders from their governor - not sure whether they are back to full work force yet.

Ken

I decided to go ahead and submit it online... hoping to hear back soon. If not, I'll give them a call.

It actually arrived today... not due till Monday so am very happy with that. Not as bad in person as the pics made it look. I did a basic clean and I think she looks a good bit better. I took pics after I was done and submitted three of those to Case. Keeping my fingers tightly crossed!