Old to Like Newer

Hope I'm posting this in the right place.

Here is an old knife that I happened to find.



I reconditioned the leather stack handle and polished the metal parts up. Then I sharpened and honed the blade to a razor sharp edge. I rubbed the old sheath with saddle soap and put a new coat of dye on it. I followed that with a coat of leather finish. I also made a new fastening method to hold the knife in the sheath a bit better. I was going to make a new sheath but decided that I would just spiff up the old one instead.



The clasp that holds the knife in the sheath could have been a bit darker but I decided to leave it as it will get darker with age.



Hope you enjoy looking at my shop projects.

Does anyone else do things in their shop? I'd love to see what you are working on. Post some pictures and tell us what you are doing.

That's a nice looking knife and sheath you have there.

This is beautiful; you've done an outstanding job, restoring.

That is neat. So, often things look so worn, dirty, or just plan messed up that returning it to "new" condition seem impositable. Great job. What did you use and do to rework the leather?

Miss Lillia wrote:This is beautiful; you've done an outstanding job, restoring.

Thank you Miss Lillia.

That is neat. So, often things look so worn, dirty, or just plan messed up that returning it to "new" condition seem impositable. Great job. What did you use and do to rework the leather?

Kasilofhone thanks for the nice comment. I used saddle soap to clean the leather with and then a product called "Aussie Leather Conditioner" made by Fiebings company.

I am learning that there is a big difference between cleaners and conditioners for leather --that BOTH are needed. I only knew of daddle soap and neatsfoot oil. When I had horses but I was a kid and did not ask the right questions as to what the products propose was so now I am guessing the that neatfoot was a donditioner. Am I right? and some Parts of the leather we had olive oil in a spray bottle and we were instructed to spray the parts that really needed to stay flexable with the oil --was that a good thing or a wife's tail.

kasilofhome wrote:I am learning that there is a big difference between cleaners and conditioners for leather --that BOTH are needed. I only knew of daddle soap and neatsfoot oil. When I had horses but I was a kid and did not ask the right questions as to what the products propose was so now I am guessing the that neatfoot was a donditioner. Am I right? and some Parts of the leather we had olive oil in a spray bottle and we were instructed to spray the parts that really needed to stay flexable with the oil --was that a good thing or a wife's tail.

saddle soap cleans and does condition leather at the same time but I like to use and extra conditioner, which I believe conditions the leather better. Neatsfoot oil is a good oil but it seems to seep from the leather and get on other things like your hand or clothes. I use a saddle oil made by "Bee Natural". This saddle oil will not leave any residue to be rubbed off on your clothes. They also have good leather finishes. I personally use their saddle oil on the belts that I make followed by either one of their leather finish or "Tan Kote" that is made by Fiebings. I really like the Tan Kote.

Excellent Job Rohn!!

That looks like an older "Buck" knife, if it is you have a quality piece of steel there.

12acrehome wrote:Excellent Job Rohn!!

That looks like an older "Buck" knife, if it is you have a quality piece of steel there.

It says "Western" on the blade so I so I don't think it is a Buck.

I do have another one that has a very light engraving on the blade - a picture of a buck and the word "PATHFINDER". Here is a picture of it and a sheath I made:





(Don't look at the stitching on the sheath too close, I know it is a bit crooked.)

heck Rohn, I can't do any better

I do not remember Buck Knives offering a pathfinder model, but I am not a serious collector

I have no idea if this one is a "Buck" knife or not. I am not a serious collector either.