Posted on 09/21/2013 2:48:13 PM PDT by jagusafr
“This is what a lot of guys who collect stuff like this do.”
Then they are amateur collectors. WD-40 is a SOLVENT - it is not an oil. WD-40 will RUIN the value of just about anything with a patina.
Just wipe lightly with an oiled cloth.
Let the leather conditioner soak the leather for a couple of hours prior to removal and wiping it. A beeswax compound applied to the leather after soaking will also rejuvenate the leather stacking. This is the process I used for cleaning Army saddles that were 160-180 years old.
Glad I kept mine..
Yes, do not restore. Just wipe off the above metal particles, rub in some gun oil, and display (don’t hide). Once a year rub in some more gun oil if needed, and enjoy the piece!
That looks a lot like the Navy knife my Dad carried in WW2.
Don’t do it, is all you need to know. Keep it oiled and in a dry safe place. Leave the sheath off and keep it in a zip-lock with a dessicant pack.
My father (USMC) was in the Pacific in WW2. He gave me his K Bar and his dog tags. He had scratched Guadalcanal 44 into the leather sheath. Other than cleaning the blade up, I have done nothing to it. Actually in pretty good condition. Of course it was made in America. I don’t know if they are now.
I also have a well used machete stamped “Sheffield Steel” on the blade that we used on our camping trips with him as kids. I don’t believe it is valuable in a monetary sense, but in addition to the personal value, I like the notion of a blade made of British steel, from days when it mattered. A different world to be sure.
Just rub it down with CLP.
Rub a little saddle soap on the leather handle and the sheath.
RESIST THE URGE TO GLASS BEAD! RESIST THE URGE TO PULL THE LEATHER RINGS OFF THE HASP.
DO NOT USE SCOTCHBRIGHT! Take a piece of heavy canvas and rub the thing with CLP. Dirt and grime will fly away, and the original piece will shine.
Saddle soap will keep the leather in the hasp and sheath pliant and in good health.
That was a pretty quiet rear area in '44.
Unless you know what you are doing in which case you can take an old bringback that someone along the way has done an amateur refinishing of and make it look like the day it was picked up off the battlefield.
Don’t do any “restoration” or “preservation” treatment till someone with some knowledge and experience in these knives has examined your knife. The steel won’t be hurt by gun oil and if there is active rust then some additional treatment to stop the rusting may be desirable. The leather portion is much more difficult to protect as the extent of wear and condition, plus the organic nature of leather fibers, must be considered before determining what to do. A lot of amateurs will look at a piece of leather, see that it is “dry”, and lather on soap or petroleum-based oil only to darken and weaken the leather fibers, permanently devaluing the item. A lot of amateurs will treat leather with “neatsfoot oil” (neats don’t have oily feet as far as I know-joke) because they think the leather was treated that way when it was in practical use. Your goal is to preserve condition, not put the knife to use in rain under battle conditions. I have a leather sheath dated 1918 that is dry, clean and in basically the same nice condition it was in when new. I have also seen WW2 leather items that were in new condition but have been oiled, greased, waxed, waterproofed and in general treated to death. They look awful and won’t last.
As a conservator and having read the literature, there is a lot of misinformation out there.
Good luck.
Don’t “restore” it. Don’t sharpen it unless you are a professional knife sharpener. Don’t use it. Put it in your safe with a document detailing its history and look at it from time to time.
I wouldn't do that. A new one was ~$40 a few years ago.
Buy a new one and use it, keep the special one as is and treat it as a treasure.
Don’t even hone it. You will grind through the patina — collectors want to know this is the original edge.
I think the guys who said to put a little WD40 and lightly towel it are right.
Yes, don't restore.
W(water)D(displacing)40 was designed as a water displacing lubricant. As I have rather pointedly indicated the WD stands for water displacing. I know that the original formula did leave a yellow film(discovered this on my firearms back in the day)but the new formula is supposed to be better.
LOL.
Muh muh muh my Patina! (my Sharona melody)
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