Ray Rogers Handcrafted Knives

An Example of How an Old Knife Can be Reconditioned

The owner of this particular knife wanted the broken handle replaced with something that would be close to the original in shape and color. He also wanted the rust cleaned up but wanted to maintain the patina as much as possible. It was important to him that I maintain the original maker's mark as well. Finally, the nicked edge would be repaired and the knife resharpened.

Here is the knife as I received it

Significant rust but shallow pitting

The handle is badly cracked

This is a really big knife with some history. From a quick internet search I learned that Lamson & Goodnow is the oldest cutlery manufacturer in the United States. They have had military contracts to produce cutlery for the Navy since the late 1800s. From what I read, it would appear that this 14" knife was made between 1900 and 1940. The maker's mark reads "U,S, Navy Standard Lamson & Goodnow Mfg Co"

The first thing I did was remove the rust chemically. I could have ground it off and removed the pitting at the same time and the blade would have looked brand new but that wasn't the goal.

Chemically removing the rust brought out the maker's mark

Removing the rust also removed a lot of the patina so I wanted to replace it as much as possible. I did this by applying some vinegar and lemon juice.

Using vinegar to restore some patination

A little pressure with my fingers cracked to old handle apart. The tang is a simple round rod. Old fashioned wood glue seems to be what was used to secure the handle to the tang.