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In Memoriam Comment by D ale on March 31, 2016 at 16:34

Richard Schuchman .. I believe it's safe to assume to do NOT wish to "save" the scales. Therefore .. might I suggest .. a wood chisel. A wooden mallet would also be handy .. w/ the wood chisel. ...OR... wood chisel implemented similar to the aforementioned "screwdriver & twist" approach.

Comment by Richard Schuchman on March 31, 2016 at 16:14

What's the best way to remove the scales? Insert screwdriver and twist? Strike a match and stand back?

Comment by James Cole on March 31, 2016 at 16:08

Christmas tree celluloid is painfully beautiful and I can understand your attraction to that knife.  The "painfully beautiful" part is very much like hitting my thumb with a hammer: it stops me dead in my tracks.  Of course with the celluloid I don't have to deal with real pain.  

I removed the scales from all three knives in order to save the frames.  I suggest you do the same, even before sending it for re-handling.

Comment by Richard Schuchman on March 31, 2016 at 5:56

Well put. I love the grind on the blade, too, but it was the handles that drew me in. It's one of those "It'll never happen to me" things. People keep saying, "Oh, I had 30 knives and only one gassed out so far." Well, I only own ONE celluloid knife. Figures it'd be one with an intestinal problem.

Comment by James Cole on March 31, 2016 at 1:48

Richard,

I've lost three knives to outgassing.  Celluloid is "Pretty Poison."

Jim

Comment by Richard Schuchman on March 26, 2016 at 8:08

The more I looked into it, the more I realized that, even without having to mess with the blade and backspring, I was probably out of my depth. I'm a graphic artist by trade, so I'm used to measurements and tight tolerances, but in the end I'd drive myself nuts trying to get it perfect without the proper tools or knowledge.

When I first looked at Garett's site, I saw all the $200 and up price tags and figured "Forget it", but then he had an $80 Kershaw in malachite that looked very nice and figured, "Doesn't hurt to ask". I was hoping for acrylic oyster, but to get REAL abalone AND the blade filed for that price...

I also reached out to Case with the specifics and am waiting for an answer from their warranty and repair dept. Free, or next to free, is always good, too.

Thanks for the well wishes. I'll post the results.

In Memoriam Comment by D ale on March 26, 2016 at 6:16

Richard 

I was unaware it was already beginning to deteriorate.
That's a completely different situation.
.

I've no personal experience with Garret Finney

...however...

He has an online presence (nice website) & if you've received positive feedback from satisfied customers .. I'd highly recommend that approach

... as opposed to ...

attempting it as a first time project yourself.

.

There's no polite way to state .. as a first go round .. you'd f it up.

Re-scaling is not as simple as it might seem !!!

.

Take a look at the discussions in this group .. I've modified a few knives .. I know the time involved is even a "simple" re-scaling project. The quoted $80 IS reasonable.

.

I'm glad to hear you're ready to hand it over to an experienced individual with a proven track record of success @ doing exactly what you wish done. imo .. you'll be much happier with the result !!

.

Best of luck w/ your endeavor.

Dale

Comment by Richard Schuchman on March 26, 2016 at 0:39

Hey guys! Thanks for the advice! There's a lively thorough discussion of this going on here: http://iknifecollector.com/forum/topics/case-celluliod

The knife is already displaying signs of gassing out. The blade and bolsters are pitted and discolored (look at the far right at the bottom bolster and, though it's tough to see, on the blade, that rounded rectangle shape isn't a reflection, it's a smooth area surrounded by a pitted area), and if I were to show on end pics, you see shrinkage and the ends of the celluloid are warping out.Hold your hands out in front of you as if you're asking me, "Why are you doing this?" and you'll get the idea.

Someone posted a link to a discussion of gassing and ways to stop it, of which there are none. Storing it in a sealed environment would just concentrate whatever fumes were released and hasten the end and corrosion of the metal, though it would save my other blades. BUT I think you've dissuaded me from attempting an amateurish attempt at restoration in a cheap material (wood).

Someone ELSE sent me a link to Garrett Finney's custom knife place and for $80 (which I think is reasonable) he said he'd put genuine abalone scales AND filework the blade. So as pretty as the current scales are, I think I'll be going with letting a pro replace them with a much more stable and just as pretty, if not more so, material.

Comment by Bryan OShaughnessy on March 25, 2016 at 22:28

I agree with Dale's comments.  That pretty Case knife (with the very nice handles, by the way) shouldn't be the first knife that you re-scale.  You can buy practice-knives at a flea market to sharpen your skills before working on the Case.  There is a tool that I would also suggest for cutting off the pins: flush-cut "end" nipper.  Looks like this:   You'll still get a misshapen cutoff on the pin, but it will chop it right down to the liner so you can get a good purchase on the pin-stub with a punch. 

   But, honestly, that Case knife is so pretty, it would kill me to disfigure it.  I've seen a video on YouTube showing how to "paint" a knife handle with Super Glue to preserve it.  Don't know how this would affect celluloid; maybe smarter members can advise on this.  Anybody???

In Memoriam Comment by D ale on March 25, 2016 at 22:16

Richard .. that's a very nice knife.

I would first consider storing it in a sealed container by itself.

Also .. consider .. gassing out generally happens because the celluloid was improperly cured. Has there been reported cases of this knife or Case's celluloid of the same vintage exhibiting gassing out issues ??

.

If you are serious about placing new scales on the Case .......

.

My first suggestion !!!

.

Buy a cheapo knife .. frost cutlery or something used & inexpensive.

Use that for practice. i.e. make the majority of your mistakes there.

? Question ?

A Luthier's woodshop does not necessarily contain a drill press .. does his ?

! direct answers !

Yes .. a needle nosed wire cutter could be used to trim the excess of the pin ..BUT.. it will deform the pins outer perimeter such that it's no longer just a matter of punching the old pin out. Additionally , one would need to carefully file or sand the pin flush with the frame.

As a newbies first shot at re-scaling a pinned knife .. unfavorable results would be likely. Hence .. the above suggestion.

... personally ...

I'd store it sealed safely by itself till an issue actually occurred before re-scaling !!!

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