[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.