Stacked leather handle question.

[kachingchingpow]

While digging around in a back closet of my hunting trailer, I found my first hunting knife. It's a inexpensive knife, made by Edge Brand. Still it would make a great hand-me down to my son. It's a small sheath knife, with an embossed elk on the sheath. I've cleaned it up nice without destroying the tone or character. The handle has shrank some, so there's some play in it. Not terribly loose, but enough to irritate me. Was wondering if anyone has ever reconditioned a handle to tighten it back up. I was thinking of heating up some boot oil and putting the handle in it for a minute or so, in hopes of swelling the leather disks up. I'd hate to screw it up though.

A side story... A friends wife thought she was doing him a favor and put his 40 year old Case hunting knife in the dish washer last summer. He's been wearing that knife hunting since he was 8 or 10. There wasn't a piece of leather left on it. Case put a beautiful new handle on it, and polished it up for him. Pretty much all the charater except for the sheath is gone.

Speaking of first knives. I slipped a hardware store lock-back folder in my sons stocking (I filed the blade dull with a dremel tool, I couldn't bring myself to do that with a nice knife like a Case). I've never seen his eyes light up like it did when he pulled it out.

[x SF med]

kccp-
Have you tried using a good leather conditioner on the handle of the knife? It might take a few treatments, but it should put some of the moisture back in the leather and tighten it up. Just a thought.

As to 'dulling' the knife for your son, I got my first knife at about 8 or 9, a Case folder (an inexpensive one) that was only marginally sharp, no matter how well sharpened it was, and I got my first dull knife cut - never happened again with any of my knives.

[sf11b_p]

Knife collector sites recommend cleaning with Saddle soap, Kiwi is fine, then a leather wax like Rennaisance wax or SnowSeal to condition and seal, not oil. Oil softens leather, not good for the leather washers used for the handle. There are people who recondition knives who use epoxy to seal those stacked leather handles now.

[Sacamuelas]

Speaking of first knives. I slipped a hardware store lock-back folder in my sons stocking (I filed the blade dull with a dremel tool, I couldn't bring myself to do that with a nice knife like a Case). I've never seen his eyes light up like it did when he pulled it out. My son's first knife....I whittled him a crude wooden knife with a rattlesnake head on the end of the handle. I told him it was a Harsey prototype I was working on for my friend Bill.

[Snaquebite]

Lexol leather treatment....don't use anythng with alcohol in it...The Lexol should bring it back but make several treatments..

http://www.lexol.com/

this stuff also works wonders...Walmart sells it.

http://www.leathercpr.com/

[kachingchingpow]

kccp-
Have you tried using a good leather conditioner on the handle of the knife? It might take a few treatments, but it should put some of the moisture back in the leather and tighten it up. Just a thought.

As to 'dulling' the knife for your son, I got my first knife at about 8 or 9, a Case folder (an inexpensive one) that was only marginally sharp, no matter how well sharpened it was, and I got my first dull knife cut - never happened again with any of my knives.

I've been playing around with some conditioners, but nothing can really penetrate down to the core... hence my thought that an oil might work. I was thinking I'd oil it then perhaps epoxy it, as I've read that epoxy is pretty typical.

My problem with epoxy at this point would be that it would serve to keep the washers together, but after hardening they would all just twist / move in unison as one big piece. Not really the desired effect.

Thanks for the insight x_sf_med. I actually dulled the knife to the point of blunt steel. He'd have a hard time cutting a mayonaisse sandwich with it. I did it in order to allow him to carry the knife and to handle it in a safe manner, and show me that he can do so.

I've been carrying a Case medium stockman in my pocket for many years. The weekend before x-mas it was raining to beat the band at my deer camp. I left the woods to go get a few things at a little feed & seed store in the nearest town (if you want to call a rail road crossing, a Jet gas station and a grain hopper a town) When I bought his knife, I looked over their glass case of "Case" knives, and talked it over with the owner for a while. It was cold and rainy and he offered up some hot coffee, so I fumbled through the entire Case collection he had. I really liked the mini-toothpick with a blue antler handle. I couldn't bring myself to filing it down though... it was 54 dollars. I think when he's got the hang of the little 5 dollar hardware store knife that I got him, we'll take a trip to that same little store together and get a nice Case. Sometimes going to these little out of the way places... father and son, is half the fun.

[Snaquebite]

e-mail the owner of this site...he does great work and might give you some free advice..

http://www.sunrisecustomknives.com/repairs/repairs.html