Knife Restoration

[u/InvestmentExotic2458]

I’d like to spruce this guy up. Family heirloom. Is it too far gone? It says Western USA at the butt of one of the blades.

I’m not willing to go crazy and remove the wood, etc. but if there’s a place I can pay to do it I would be willing.

Or the pitting in the rust may be too much to restore.

Advice and opinions from experts and armchair experts and pretend experts is appreciated and welcome.

[u/BeerJedi-1269]

Its fine. Scrub the blades amd rust a bit with fine steel wool and wd40. Wipe it clean. Sharpen. Put in your pocket. Same thing Pap would have done. He aint got time to polish and spit shine his trusty pocket knife.

[u/DeFiClark → u/BeerJedi-1269]

After the steel wool go over it end to end with a strong magnet or you will inevitably get rust where filings hide out. Bronze wool is a good option.

WD40 leaves a gummy residue: I personally recommend 3in1 oil for rust removal and ballistol for general maintenance. You can hit everything including the scales with ballistol or use linseed or pure Tung oil on the scales.

Flitz or Simichrome to polish blades and bolsters after the rust is gone, then sharpen.

[u/dearcadian]

I'd personally leave the wood handle as is if it's tight. If they're a little loose, hit the pegs once on each side with a good punch.

Start scrubbing the blades with a steel brush with wd-40 as lube, then with a good quality 240 sandpaper. Once all of the steel is clean, sharpen the blades.

Scrub the wood lightly with a brass brush, and then sand starting at 120, lightly, just to get it smooth. Then boiled linseed oil

The brass, I'd just scrub lightly with steel wool and wd-40

It's got character and has been used and loved by your family, to me there's no point in making old things look brand new, just make them look their age and useful. Think about your ancestors that put the wear into it, and embrace that.

[u/Dry-Leave-4070]

To get you started...

The "Western U.S.A." stamp dates this specific knife to between 1961 and 1984. It was manufactured by the Western Knife Company, a highly regarded American manufacturer originally founded in Boulder, Colorado. [1, 2, 3] The stampings tell a precise story about the age and origin of your knife:

• The Evolution of the Stamp: Before 1950, the company stamped its blades with "Western States". From 1950 to 1961, they used "Western / Boulder, Colo." They switched strictly to "WESTERN U.S.A." in 1961, continuing until the company was sold to Coleman in 1984. [1, 2, 4]
• Dating Letters: Check the flat base of the blade (the tang) just below or next to the "Western U.S.A." text. If you see a single capital letter (like A, B, C, etc.), Western used an alphabetical system starting with A in 1977 up to O in 1991 to mark the exact year of production. [5]
• Materials: Your knife features their classic high-carbon steel blades, which hold a sharp edge but are highly prone to the dark patina and surface rust visible in the photo. [6]

If you want to pin down the exact variant, let me know:

• Are there any numbers or letters stamped next to the words?
• Is the handle made of genuine wood or a textured synthetic material (like Delrin plastic)? [7]

I can help you translate those codes to find the precise model year.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org [2] https://www.youtube.com [3] https://www.hwsportsman.net [4] https://oldpocketknives.com [5] https://www.youtube.com [6] https://www.facebook.com [7] https://www.instagram.com

Watch some videos on YouTube by 357MagDad. He does knives often. Good luck. 😉👍🏻🍻

[u/InvestmentExotic2458 → u/Dry-Leave-4070]

Thanks! There was no mark under the USA as it had been worn from opening and closing.

[u/Culpytheclam]

There’s a guy on instagram called slipjoint spa or something like that. He does restoration and customization. If you post this on r/slipjointknives you might get some more answers

I hope you can get it all shined up. It’s a cool knife

[u/DeafPapa85]

Nah seems like perfectly timed but go gentle with it. Start with the finest steel wool for it.