I have this old, handmade pocketknife , given to me by my father. He claimed the blade was ground from a file originally. It’s tough to sharpen, but holds a very keen edge very well.
I’d like to use it more, but as you can see in the pictures, when it’s folded, the tip isn’t covered by the body of the knife. As a result, if carried in a pocket, I’m in constant danger of losing a hunk of flesh when I stick my hand in my pocket.
Should I just grind down the base of the blade at the thick part near the hinge? Or is it more complicated than that?
I can’t find anything stuck. If I push the blade down into the handle part so that it doesn’t protrude, then the metal spine of the handle protrudes near the pivot.
I’ve never made or retrofitted a knife, so I’m loathe to start taking it apart or regrinding it without asking for advice.
Given your description this is a handmade knife. You would have to reset the spring tensioner so that it folds correctly or grind down the base of the blade so it recesses more. It also looks like it was sharpened on a grinder so if you want to lay down a good edge you are going to REALLY have to work on it. a good edge consists of 2 angles cut into it and they both have to be nick-free. I built a knife in HS using an industrial hacksaw blade and It took many many hours to put an edge on it. That was using a sharpening stone with oil and I destroyed the stone doing it. I would expect at least an hour using my ceramic sharpening set and that’s if there was something resembling an edge. What you have is a high carbon steel knife which will stay very sharp but you’ll have to oil it to keep it from rusting.
Is this a family keepsake or are you looking for something to carry around? From my perspective as a knife maker and collector I would just buy another knife to carry around in your pocket and then maybe a sheath to carry Dad’s around on your belt. that way you can put it in so the point faces down and you don’t cut yourself. That would keep you from altering a family heirloom.
i appreciate your ambition, but in all honesty that knife is a crude and somewhat dangerous to carry around POS that should be put in curiosities drawer and left alone. It is not a safe tool, and the work it will take to make it work as one borders on absurd. Put it away and get new, well made knife.
Thanks. The edge isn’t an issue. It sharpens up well, and stays very sharp for ages, just as you noted. I’m not likely to wear a belt pouch. I rarely wear a belt, so that’s a problem right there. I do have several other, better, less dangerous knives. Right now I’m just trying to sort out what to do with this one.
I can:
do nothing - I don’t want to do this
fix it
dump it
If I fix it, I need to know if it can be fixed, and how - hence the thread. There is some minimal sentimental value attached, but I wouldn’t call it an heirloom by any stretch - mostly I just don’t like to waste things. It actually looks a bit better - still homemade, but better - in the real world. (I note that my hands also look younger, stronger, less nailbitten and less like a giant baby’s hands in the real world as well.)
In most folding knives, there is a portion of the blade called the “kick.” It’s on the unsharpened bit at the base of the blade where you see maker’s name stamped on commercial knives. The kick is the little bit that sticks down and keeps the edge from touching the inside of the handle, and getting blunted thereby, when you close the knife. When the point of the blade is exposed on a closed pocket knife it is usually because the knife has been sharpened a lot. The solution is to file the kick down just enough to let the knife close a little further. You want to cover the point but not let the edge contact the inside of the handle.
Look at your knife, tell me if this looks like your solution. If not, repost and we’ll look at some other options.
Yes, that would be the simplest. With the blade open you can put some tape on the edge of the kick and fold it to see where the spring hits it. this is the area that would have to be ground down and you could do that with a dremel cutting disk. Otherwise you’re taking the knife apart which would mean drilling out the brass rivots. Keep in mind that it was assembled by riveting it with brass fittings and grinding them flush with the wood and the brass so you’ll be thinning the knive down when you do this.
A handmade knife handed down who knows how many generations and no sentimental value? An alien concept to me. At least check what comparable items go for on EBay before dumping it. And perhaps before “fixing” it.
Another thought: get some input from the experts on Antiques Roadshow before doing anything.
Originally posted by Attack from the 3rd dimension: "OK: Plan A is grind down the kick. I’ll start this project this weekend. "
I agree with this one. got a dremel tool ? want me to mail you one ? (I discovered that I have two 'cause I couldn’t find the one I bought in the seventies and so bought another one.)
Originally posted by Oslo Ostragoth: "A handmade knife handed down who knows how many generations and no sentimental value? An alien concept to me. "
I’m pretty sure the knife was not made by Attack from the 3rd dimension’s father (who was also my father). I think it was probably given to Attack’s father by one of his buddies from WWII who was experimenting with knife making.
Although Dad did create stuff: table ( I still have this, made from wood/bakelite/zinc) , crane (from telephone poles to lift engine from boat), numerous piers, grill (from a 55 gallon drum, the size to do a half pig); he wasn’t a pocketknife building kind of guy. He was more at home fixing existing stuff.
If you have a spare Dremel, I’d be very grateful if you sent it along, so that I could grind down the kick. I will defer this project until then.
T. Slothrop is quite correct in his assumption that it is not an heirloom in the classic sense - more of a first-generation heirloom. I strongly suspect it was just as he guessed, although we may have missed the phrase “in a bar” in the explanation someplace.
Actually, Attack from the 3rd dimension is probably right: "think it was probably given to Attack’s father by one of his buddies from WWII in a barwho was experimenting with knife making. " would be a more correct assumption.
