Featured Sharing my Knife Collection

One thing I love collecting is antique pocketknives. My collection is not vast, but I do have a thing for antique Mother-of-Pearl and ivory pocketknives. Here's my current collection, as it stands...



Every knife here, bar-one, is an antique. I'm actually expecting another MoP one from the 'States sometime in the next week or so, so that'll be one more introduced into the fold.

I bought the smallest knife (middle-right with the star-carvings in the MoP) just this morning, and spent the day removing all the rust, cleaning out the pivots and springs, and sharpening the blades. Good as new!

 

That is certainly a lovely collection. Shows the artistry of the designer of each. I carry a pocketknife all the time, because I camp, but I also find it useful in everyday situations. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly difficult to carry one because it sets off metal detectors, and I get refused entry into certain buildings. A dying art form. I am glad you are saving some. I see them occasionally in thrift stores.

 

I like the way you have them displayed. My husband has a small knife collection; not all of his are antiques -- but unique. We are a family of pocket knife carriers as well.

 

Thank you for sharing. If you have time, could you explain how one cleans up an old knife, like rust on the blade?

 

I carry a pocketknife almost everywhere, as well. I just find them too useful not to always have one on me.

When I was in university I found that I always needed a knife for something or other, and so I started carrying one. The habit has stayed with me ever since.

 

When I buy a pocketknife, I clean off all the surface-grime using oil and tissue-paper, cotton wool, and 0000-grade steel wool (for polishing and cleaning antiques).

Once that's done, I use steel wool or very fine sandpaper + more oil (or a metal polish, like Brasso) to polish away as much of the rust as I can reasonably reach, if any rust there be (and in most cases there will be at least some rust).

Then after that, the next step is to lubricate and flush the springs and pivots.

Depending on the knife, this could take a couple of hours, or it could take over a week.

I fill the knife with oil, and then constantly work the blades open and shut, over and over and over again. This is to remove grime, relieve stiffness and jamming, and restore the 'snap' to the spring on the blades, so that they open and shut cleanly. Depending on the knife, this is either relatively easy, and you can get it done in a day, or in the case of one knife, it could take nearly two weeks.

As you can see in these photos, the amount of crud inside the average antique pocketknife is quite extensive...



All these black-brown streaks aren't oil. They're the grime and dust and rust and crud trapped inside the springs and pivots, which the oil washes out.

You fill the knife with oil and work the blades. Several dozen times. This works the oil through the knife. The oil clings to the dirt and loosens it. The action of opening and closing the knife shifts the oil and grime out the bottom of the springs, and then rubbing the knife against the tissue-paper draws out the gunk-laden oil, through capillary action.

You just keep doing it, over and over and over again, until the oil comes out clean. The more of this stuff you remove, the smoother the knife will be.

The knife has been properly cleaned of all grime when it will snap open and shut without the need for oil.

If you have to lubricate your knife to get it to work, then it doesn't work.

 

Fantastic information! This thread is a "keeper." Thank you for the detailed instructions and explanation of "why" which is just as important.

 

nice collection...

 

If you want more information, I wrote this, the other day. It's from my blog. I would've posted it earlier, but I was having internet issues...

http://www.throughouthistory.com/?p=4660

 

my husband and i owned a gun and antique store after we retired. semi retired from that now. There is a cleaning pad called
big Frontier 45.https://www.amazon.com/Big-45-Frontier-Metal-Cleaner/dp/B07RM692X8. It looks like a kitchen scouring pad but it is NOT. We use it to clean gun barrels. It does not hurt factory blueing on the barrels; it is that gentle. I use it to clean up pocket knives and carbon steel kitchen knives. It is truly an amazing as all of our customers can attest to. I took a pocket knife i got for free because it was rusted shut. Cleaned it right up using the pad and a little gun oil. it did not remove the discoloration from the rust but the blade was smooth as new. I take a little piece and run it into the grooves . in less than 30 min that knife was up for sale. can't use it on the nickel or brass bolsters it will scratch those. If you can't get the pad try just scraping with a nickel( also used to clean gun barrels)







i