Ausbrooks
KNIFE MAKER
Here is brief tutorial on restoring a Western knife handle and an antler handle back to usable condition, as well as blade rust removal. I am no expert on this (has-been drip under pressure) but have done a few of these and learned a few do's and don't's so thought would share my latest restoration and a few tips. If have tips of own on this please post as restorations are a vast topic.
Here are what my bro-in-law challenged me with to restore. The Anton Wingen knife on bottom had laid out on Montana prairie for about 40 years until it was found. One side had a lot more rust than the other and there was lichen growing on the powdery white antler. I was able to soak the tang of the Wingen in oil and got it to unscrew, to my surprise.
Here is Wingen knife at glue up. The blade was draw-sanded from 320 until bare metal showed through rust then to 600. When deep rust pits are present, hand sanding is best way to retain character of knife and leave as much steel as possible. This is fastest way to bring back a badly rusted blade when scotch bright and wire brushes don't do job. On the old antler scales, I mixed antler powder captured in a tray under belt sander in neutral 30-min epoxy to fill the gap on top and bottom of handle where antler scales come together due to warpage in antler- about a .040 gap.
Here is Western knife at glue up. To make the "H" shaped leather spacers more quickly, I made this brass stencil tool. I use as heavy leather as I have on hand to make spacers, and have not seen Western spacers available from a retail source. This is first Western pommel that I was unable to remove without destroying it. Sometimes the 2 pommel pins will drive out with a punch, and others must be drilled out (they are .100" aluminum). Then you can drill out holes to .125" and go back with SS pins. In this case the pommel cracked, so made a new one out of a block of aluminum. The trick is to stop trying to drive out the pins and resort to drilling them out before you exert to much force and crack the cast aluminum.
Here are finished restorations. I used red buffalo spacers on the Anton Wingen, and fiber spacers with the leather on the Western. Original Western spacers are thicker than the blk-rd-wht spacers material I had on hand and decided to use, but to get exact match next time can order spacers of like thickness. Used PP on antler to restore brown color to antler.
He wanted original-looking Western style sheaths with oak leaves, so this is what came up with. I cheated and bought oak leaf stamps from Tandy but original Western oak leaves are relief-stamped and I didn't want to take that much time- was trade off. I studied as many old original Western sheath as could find (eb@y is good source of pictures like this) to make one-piece sheaths.
Here are what my bro-in-law challenged me with to restore. The Anton Wingen knife on bottom had laid out on Montana prairie for about 40 years until it was found. One side had a lot more rust than the other and there was lichen growing on the powdery white antler. I was able to soak the tang of the Wingen in oil and got it to unscrew, to my surprise.
Here is Wingen knife at glue up. The blade was draw-sanded from 320 until bare metal showed through rust then to 600. When deep rust pits are present, hand sanding is best way to retain character of knife and leave as much steel as possible. This is fastest way to bring back a badly rusted blade when scotch bright and wire brushes don't do job. On the old antler scales, I mixed antler powder captured in a tray under belt sander in neutral 30-min epoxy to fill the gap on top and bottom of handle where antler scales come together due to warpage in antler- about a .040 gap.
Here is Western knife at glue up. To make the "H" shaped leather spacers more quickly, I made this brass stencil tool. I use as heavy leather as I have on hand to make spacers, and have not seen Western spacers available from a retail source. This is first Western pommel that I was unable to remove without destroying it. Sometimes the 2 pommel pins will drive out with a punch, and others must be drilled out (they are .100" aluminum). Then you can drill out holes to .125" and go back with SS pins. In this case the pommel cracked, so made a new one out of a block of aluminum. The trick is to stop trying to drive out the pins and resort to drilling them out before you exert to much force and crack the cast aluminum.
Here are finished restorations. I used red buffalo spacers on the Anton Wingen, and fiber spacers with the leather on the Western. Original Western spacers are thicker than the blk-rd-wht spacers material I had on hand and decided to use, but to get exact match next time can order spacers of like thickness. Used PP on antler to restore brown color to antler.
He wanted original-looking Western style sheaths with oak leaves, so this is what came up with. I cheated and bought oak leaf stamps from Tandy but original Western oak leaves are relief-stamped and I didn't want to take that much time- was trade off. I studied as many old original Western sheath as could find (eb@y is good source of pictures like this) to make one-piece sheaths.
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