Restoring Vintage CS Osborne Round Knife

[Mablung]

How difficult would it likely be to restore the edge of a vintage C.S. Osborne round knife?  I found one on eBay that is quite old, so likely with the better steel of the old ones, and has a pretty dinged-up edge.  It's a good price, and while I'm pretty handy with a set of waterstones, I'm concerned the steel might be hard enough that I would have difficulty restoring it well and end up wasting my money.  I would be doing all the edge work by hand, as I don't have a grinder.

[DieselTech]

I dont think you will have a problem. It more elbow grease than anything in my eyes. Lol my arms are already tired. 

I maybe totally wrong thou.

[MarshalWill]

You can do it. Start on the rough side of an oil/water stone and work it down past the nicks.. When it's roughed in, change to the finer side of the stone and continue as you would any other knife, finishing up with whatever grits you normally use.

[TomE]

@bruce johnson will hopefully see this and share his expertise. 

[Mablung]

9 minutes ago, TomE said:

@bruce johnson will hopefully see this and share his expertise. 

Thanks for tagging him.  Meant to and forgot.

 

30 minutes ago, MarshalWill said:

You can do it. Start on the rough side of an oil/water stone and work it down past the nicks.. When it's roughed in, change to the finer side of the stone and continue as you would any other knife, finishing up with whatever grits you normally use.

I've got some pretty coarse grits I use to restore edges.  I redid the broken points on a couple knives made of O1 tool steel, some pretty tough stuff.  I guess in theory the high-carbon steel in the old C.S. Osborne knives can't be too much harder.

[MarshalWill]

2 hours ago, Mablung said:

I've got some pretty coarse grits I use to restore edges.  I redid the broken points on a couple knives made of O1 tool steel, some pretty tough stuff.  I guess in theory the high-carbon steel in the old C.S. Osborne knives can't be too much harder.

It might take a little more time to work it down but the steel should be nice and evenly hardened. Post a photo when you can. I like those old Osborn tools.

Edited February 9, 2024 by MarshalWill

[Mablung]

This is the knife. Bit grainy because I had to crop it down to reduce the file size, but there it is. It’s beat up but seems redeemable. 

[NatesLeatherGds]

You have some work ahead of you! Careful you don't take too much off when you are getting the "nicks" out. But once done, will be worth it. It's got good bones. Good luck.

[TonyV]

That looks like rust damage combined with physical abuse to me.  Your most important tool will be patience.  I used to have an old Barlow knife with similar damage.  I got it sharpened to the point that I could use it, somewhat, but I could never get out all the edge damage.  It would be tempting to use a grinder to get to a new edge profile, but that could easily overheat the steel unless you know how to keep it cool.  Some file work might be in store before you break out the stones.

I wish you luck!  It could prove to be a worthwhile project.  At the very least, an interesting wall hanger.

[Mablung]

29 minutes ago, TonyV said:

That looks like rust damage combined with physical abuse to me.  Your most important tool will be patience.  I used to have an old Barlow knife with similar damage.  I got it sharpened to the point that I could use it, somewhat, but I could never get out all the edge damage.  It would be tempting to use a grinder to get to a new edge profile, but that could easily overheat the steel unless you know how to keep it cool.  Some file work might be in store before you break out the stones.

I wish you luck!  It could prove to be a worthwhile project.  At the very least, an interesting wall hanger.

It’s the rust damage and evident abuse that gives me some pause. Those nicks look fairly deep. If I can get the edge smooth again, great; I can deal with rust pitting, as long as it doesn’t cause me too many issues with things like skiving. I’m just wanting to make sure I’m not signing up for more frustration than is truly necessary. 

[bruce johnson]

Personally I would run from the knife. If I got it in a set of tools, I would drop it in the garbage again without a second thought. The deep pitting in that knife is at least halfway through and the rugged edge tells me everything I need to know that it will never restore to be usable and a wasted effort. Sorry to bust your bubble but that's how I see it. There are too many knives in way better condition that would be more worthwhile than this one.

[MarshalWill]

Thanks for the photo. Yeah, the pitting is rough. There are some pits that really look deep. I'd take Bruce's advice on this. He's seen a lot of them in his time.

[Mablung]

7 hours ago, bruce johnson said:

Personally I would run from the knife. If I got it in a set of tools, I would drop it in the garbage again without a second thought. The deep pitting in that knife is at least halfway through and the rugged edge tells me everything I need to know that it will never restore to be usable and a wasted effort. Sorry to bust your bubble but that's how I see it. There are too many knives in way better condition that would be more worthwhile than this one.

That bubble sounds like it needed to be burst. Thanks for the advice, and I’ll run from that one. I was having a tough time judging how deep the pitting is. That’s much too deep for that knife to be much good. 

[Mablung]

I made on offer on another one that is in much better condition, with only very minor rust damage and a very clean edge. Figure I can fix any issues with an edge like that more easily. 

[billybopp]

Keep the handle, maybe!  

- Bill

[Mablung]

2 minutes ago, billybopp said:

Keep the handle, maybe!  

- Bill

Ha, the handle at least is in good shape, that is true.

Got the offer accepted on the other one, so we'll see how that one does, once it arrives.  Looking forward to dialing in the edge.

[MarshalWill]

Congrats on the purchase of the other one. Is it an older Osborne?

[Mablung]

22 minutes ago, MarshalWill said:

Congrats on the purchase of the other one. Is it an older Osborne?

It is. Pic attached. Stamped “Newark,”

so while I’m not sure of its age exactly, I’m fairly confident it’s an older one, based on my research on here. It’s on the larger end, but I don’t think I’ll necessarily mind that. 

[MarshalWill]

That's a much better looking one. It should do you well.

[Mablung]

Got the new-to-me Osborne. It’s large, but I think I’ll be able to maneuver it well (I have large-ish, “extra-medium” hands). Blade rings like a bell and has a decent bevel at places. Unsurprisingly, I need to reset the secondary bevel near the points, but otherwise it just needs some honing and plenty of polishing. It’ll take me a while to get it up to snuff, but I’m quite optimistic. I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s capable of. 

Edited February 15, 2024 by Mablung

[MarshalWill]

Well, then. A good item to put your efforts on. Congrats.

[Mablung]

A resounding success.  Two and a half hours on my stones, then stropping on jeweler's rouge, and it's got a mirror-polished edge and cuts 7 oz. shoulder like butter.  Skive is smooth as glass.  This was $59 well spent.

[MarshalWill]

Outstanding! Nothing is better than a vintage leather knife with a good edge on it.

[Mablung]

29 minutes ago, MarshalWill said:

Outstanding! Nothing is better than a vintage leather knife with a good edge on it.

I’m coming to agree. I was elated last night, when I finished it and tested the edge. I think there’s a spot near one of the points that I need to smooth out, due to some skipping on one cut. I’ll look at it with my loupe to see. In any event, it’s got a wonderful edge on it now. 

[NatesLeatherGds]

On 2/15/2024 at 1:18 AM, Mablung said:

A resounding success.  Two and a half hours on my stones, then stropping on jeweler's rouge, and it's got a mirror-polished edge and cuts 7 oz. shoulder like butter.  Skive is smooth as glass.  This was $59 well spent.

That's great. Pictures of it all done if you can!