All About Pocket Knives

Just thought I would share this experienced ol' gal that I found for a couple of bucks over the weekend. Measures 3 1/4". I assume that the scales could be celluloid.
Thanks for looking.
Chris J.

Hi Chris. Nice, old Cattaragus knife. I believe that the scales are indeed celluloid, which is in the process of "outgassing". One of the telltale signs is the brownish deposit that you can see on the bolsters, next to the scales. I recommend that the scales be removed and replaced immediately. When you pry the scales off, you are likely to see damage to the liners, which is caused by the toxic gas produced by the deteriorating celluloid. Hopefully, the damage won't be too severe. Also, I wouldn't store this knife in the proximity of any other "healthy" knives.

Herb is correct, it is outgassing, and it will only get worse. It is a shame, as that is one beautiful old survivor, but rehandling it could give it another 80 years of life!
If you want to tackle the rehandle yourself, I have seen guys remove the handles and the smaller handle pins, cut & peen that center pin (without removing it), then just glued handles to the liners.
Not my preferred method, but an easy beginner project that you can do with minimal tools.
It would look beautiful with hardwood handles, or you can buy acrylic cheap that looks fairly close to that type celluloid.

I really like the handles. Maybe the replacement handles color could
be near that color. That color looks good on a older knife.

Bob

Herb, Reverend, Bob:

Thanks for sharing your observations and insights about this knife. I will remove the handles. Hopefully, any damage underneath will be minimal. I suppose the easiest way to remove them is to pry them off with a flat edge?

PringleTree wrote: ↑Tue Nov 26, 2024 6:12 pm Herb, Reverend, Bob:

Thanks for sharing your observations and insights about this knife. I will remove the handles. Hopefully, any damage underneath will be minimal. I suppose the easiest way to remove them is to pry them off with a flat edge?

Chris, you might be able to pry the scales off with a thin, flat edged object (like a screwdriver) as the scales probably have become very brittle due to the outgassing. But I always like to grind the pin heads off first to avoid further damaging a knife. This includes the shield pins if there are any. You probably won't know how fragile the liners have become until you start to pry the scales off. I've actually had the liners crumble into pieces many times when working on a badly damaged knife and I've had to make new liners. So go slow and carefully.

Thanks, Herb, for the suggestions. Well, here's what was underneath. One side came off in one piece, the other side was more stubborn and would only come loose in fragments. A few pics with natural light and with flash to illuminate the surface condition. I guess a good cleaning is the next order-of-business.

Chris J.

Lucky you, the damage doesn't look too bad! I would scrub it with baking soda, as it should neutralize any remaining acid from the outgassing.
Then start picking out handles!

Reverand wrote: ↑Wed Nov 27, 2024 4:51 am Lucky you, the damage doesn't look too bad! I would scrub it with baking soda, as it should neutralize any remaining acid from the outgassing.
Then start picking out handles!

I was keeping my fingers crossed as I started removing the scales. Going to scrub it down with baking soda tonight. I don't think I will attempt to rehandle it myself, but will have it done professionally if I can find someone willing.
Chris J.

Well, here she is after some cleaning. I scrubbed thoroughly using baking soda/water solution w/toothbrush, then I soaked it overnight in a bowl of baking soda/water solution. After a good rinsing, I dried it with a hair dryer on low heat. Then I sprayed thoroughly with WD-40 and let it sit for a day. Then I went after it with penetrating oil, 0000 steel wool, and soft pipe cleaners. Some of it was pretty stubborn. As the second pic shows, there is still some tiny discoloration around the pins on one side. I may tackle those again.

Thanks for looking.

Chris J.

You did well!

Reverand wrote: ↑Sat Nov 30, 2024 2:24 am You did well!

Thanks, Reverand. And thanks for your encouragement.

Chris J.