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Permalink Reply by Bill Harvey on August 16, 2011 at 8:43

Thanks for the input Shlomo.  I get an inquiry every month or so about making architectural drawing cabinets.   Teak, mahogany & quartrer sawn oak !!!??!  Do you have any idea how valuable these are apt to be?  I'm guessing they are pretty old too.  (Quarter sawn oak is hard to find and mahogany ain't cheep.  As for teak -f'get aboud'it.)

If I may, let me offer some advice on the knives sliding around in a flat bottom drawer.  If you were to saw up fome 1/8" hardboard & some strips on corrugated cardboard, then glue the cardboard down (on edge), to make little cells, and then drop the pool table felt back over the whole thing, your would be good-to-go.

See if these articles don't offer something useful -or at least interesting.

Home-Made Drawer Dividers

Displaying Knives I

Displaying Knives II

For that matter, you might find some various  usefull stuff on my Collector's How - To page.

BUT If you have silver knives -or knives w/ silver bits, you MUST know about tarnish cloth.  Check out A Visit to the Fabric Store

You got maybe some pictures of your collection?  I have an extensive Scrapbook of various people's collections and would love to put up some pix of your collection.

Thanks

Bill

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Permalink Reply by Shlomo ben Maved on August 16, 2011 at 15:17

I had tried the thin cardboard and even cork sheets under the felt, hoping on securing the blades with push pins but the added thickness wouldn't allow me to shut the drawers on about half my collection.

 

Some of the pieces I've secured with double sided cloth carpet tape and some others with stick on Velcro strips...Neither mar the handles--other then a bit sticky but easily cleaned off with warm water and soap...I gave up on using them.

 

It isn't a big deal--not like opening the drawer and finding them all piled atop each other into a corner scratching and getting scratched...I don't really have to go searching for them as I've got them catalogued by maker located where and a list of what's in each drawer with a bank of drawers so they're easy to find.

 

I had gotten four paper holder shelves from a commercial darkroom that went under and each one has twelve slots and I store the catalogues of the brands, models or styles that I collect in them...They hold about 100 sheets so you can get a couple, three years worth of catalogues in a slot.

 

Yeah, I scored lucky with the furniture but that was back in the 1970s...From them I got enough to furnish the whole downstairs of a house; living and dining rooms, eat in kitchen, the hallway and the den/office...Some were leftover and they went to furnish the basement rec room so for some used sofa and chair we finished the basement and of course for all the bedrooms we had to buy--mostly used but not antiques (then).

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Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on November 21, 2011 at 10:12

Most of mk knifes are stored in two chest of drawers.   I have several Rigging knives which are actually displayed on a board, hanging by their bails.  Most of SAKs also hang from their key rings from brass hooks.   My fixed blades are also displayed, hanging in their sheaths.  A few other knives are just lying about.

The room where the knives are kept is kept around 50% to keep leather from cracking but also to inhibit rust.  Temperature is also kept around 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit.  

As it is never really a good idea to store fixed blades in their sheaths, I' tend to check them weekly.  Wiping them down and oiling as necessary. I check the leather sheaths for dryness at the same time.

 

I also need to check my other knives not kept in the drawers weekly as they are exposed to more dust.  I know they would all last longer if I stored them in other fashions, but I didn't buy the knives just to hide them away.  If they don't hold up as well by displaying them, so be it.

 

I don't won't to turn into Gollum, hugging "my precious." in a cave.  LOL.

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Permalink Reply by Bill Harvey on November 21, 2011 at 10:32

Hi Tobias / Gollum ;-).

Thanks for your reply.  Sounds to me like you are a pretty serious collector -and for that matter, something of a showman.  (Re. your comment "I didn't buy the knives just to hide them away.  If they don't hold up as well by displaying them, so be it."

I do not claim to have any insight to knives, but I do fancy myself something of an expert in what I call "amateur curatorial techniques"  Now with this disclaimer, may I suggest you ponder wax instead os oil to keep knife and sheath happy?   Wax don't attract dust.  I'd suggest car wax as being the easiest to find and perhaps the toughest.  There are various dressings for leather, but there is also some controversy as to whether or not they really preserve leather or just make for pretty and actually hasten degradation.  (Regulating humidity and temperature are a great place to start.)  You keeping an eye out for too much UV light? 

Finally, and one never knows about matters inter-web'ish, but there might be a pix of one way to display knives onteh wall, or knives w/ hilts anyway.  Takes 2 knobs or drawer pulls or a (captive) cotter-pin, or a short stick or piece of pipe.

Bill

 

Attachments:

• Sword.jpg, 12 KB
• Saftey-3.jpg, 19 KB
• knife-1.jpg, 19 KB

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Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on November 21, 2011 at 11:16

It is interesting you mentioned wax, Bill.  I was just reading the other day about using wax for steel preservation; specifically the use of Ren-Wax and TufGlide. 

 

Seems, some  people use Ren-Wax for blade surfaces and use TufGlide for the joints.  Ren-Wax is said to be less likely to cause blade spotting and is also less likely to pick up fingerprints. I  know the horrors of oil and its ability to attract dust.   I'll need to look more closely into the wax and see if it is better than " Coon P"

 

As for leather, I've been partial to using mink oil and/or neatsfoot oil on my leather sheaths and handles.  I've been using for over 30 years and it seems to do the trick.  I've read so much about it that it just about drove me crazy, I finally gave up reading and decided to stay the course.

 

As for UV lighting.  None.  All incandescent bulbs  and indirect lighting -- That brings to mind the need to flip knives occasionally to expose both sides.  Otherwise the handles will fade or yellow unevenly, if only one side is constantly exposed to light.  (Shield side up one month, shield side down the next). 

 

I also toss those silica pouches in my storage drawers to help with the humidity.   But you need ot be careful.   You don't want to suck all the moisture out of the room.  Too little humidity is bad on wood  and other organics such as stag and  bone.  It can also cause problems with some older composite handles.

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Bill Harvey on November 21, 2011 at 14:26

Oh Goodie, me-thinks I might be able to stir up some more controversy -al'la Miss Ruth who wanted to be my/ our friend.  So here is what I say on the subject.   Clearly Tobais & James knows they' s stuff.  I have nothing to add to either of their curatorial insights.

But -and this is where the controversy comes in- what is the proper role of a collection -any collection.  Is it to be preserved for all time like maybe the US Constitution?  Preserved at all costs? Or is it to be enjoyed? Taken out and handled  -maybe even used just a little?  If not handled, maybe just seen?  Displayed amidst humidity, UV light, and the bad-guys who steal things? 

And for that matter, what is the role of a collection in hel[ping young people understand the world around them  This is a particularity apt question when the collection is knives.  I remember many -MANY- years ago being given my first pocket knife.  (Which I promptly lost, but I still remeber the knife. Black enamel w/ a single blade.)

The ball, gentlemen, izin your court.

Bill

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Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on November 21, 2011 at 16:10

I'm going to claim "unconditional pecksniffery" as my defense.

 

I firmly believe that knives should be bought to be used. That said, when I spend a ton on a knife, I'm loathe to use it for fear of reducing its value.   At least I always take everything out the packaging!  I also try to buy knives in patterns that I do use or will use if the need for that type of knife comes about.  But I have to be honest and say, I've bought a number of knives that will probably never be used for their intended purpose.

As for the proper role of a collection... that is to provide enjoyment for the one doing the collector. With luck, the collector will be able to share that joy with others.    If you are collecting, it only make sense to take care of the collection.   As I said, I know some knives may never get used, but my general philosophy is the knife should at least be able to fulfill its intended purpose, otherwise it is just a prop.

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FeaturedPermalink Reply by Craig Henry on November 21, 2011 at 16:38

Nowadays I just use knife packs. I used to have glass front cabinets that I hung on the wall. I made them myself. The front was hinged so I could get to the knives.

 

For knife blades like straight carbon, I have been using a basic car wax such as Turtle Wax. It has worked for years without a bit of rust and resists fingerprints. Once in a blue moon I give them a new coat. Works for me.

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Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on November 21, 2011 at 18:49

A knife is a tool first and foremost.  But alas, I also have a safe full just to nice to use.  They certainly get taken out and played with.

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Permalink Reply by Billy Oneale on November 21, 2011 at 19:09

I keep mine put up away from little hands most of the time. With that being said,I believe knives should be shown and looked at along with choosing some to use from time to time. What's the point in showing them if they can't be handled. My grand kids love being able to touch them

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Permalink Reply by Shlomo ben Maved on November 21, 2011 at 23:35

Bill, I forgot to mention that there is a soft, rubbery drawer liner available from woodworking shops that prevent tools from slipping--like the tool box liners that Craftsman has but they make them in small sizes and to line a 40" x 54" to 64" wide drawer gets to be expensive...I've been trying to find a manufacturer here in Canada where I may buy rolls of the stuff but, alas, no luck.

 

There are a couple of products out there that work well, one called ZERUST® No Rust Non-Slip Drawer Liner that works amazingly well and another that I've tried supplied by inaDRAWER also worked well.

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Permalink Reply by Shlomo ben Maved on November 22, 2011 at 0:14

In our old home, as a safety precaution, when the daughters were toddlers and to protect them from the edges of the sharp and pointy swords that we had, I had built a small display box from a sheet of 4'x8' x ¼" (maybe 3/16”) clear Plexiglas...I then mounted two 1"x2"x8' clear oak boards to the wall five feet and one foot above the floor and hot glued the plexi (that I had them bend for me at the store) onto that...The top and bottom along the 8' length were bent 4" with ½" x 2½" to 3½” (approximate as they varied by the sword's dimensions) slots (slits if you will) were stagger cut into the top—spaced a little wider then the quillons (guards) of the swords--the full length of the plexi...This allowed me to display the blades with the quillons holdings the sword in place...I could have had the ends of the plexi bent as well (making it into a large tub) for an extra expense so to protect the girls from the blades at the start and end, I fitted a piece of the same clear oak to the ends which were glued to the battens and also to the plexi so no screw or nail heads were visible...It worked great as I didn’t have but a few swords that had or were longer then 39½” blades at the time and for the few back, claymore and/or Landsknecht two handed swords I had, they were mounted horizontally on the wall above the plexi box as were the few Japanese sword stands and their blades.

 

An oft-overlooked display prop is a wine cork!  Just place it on the table and slice a little way into it with the blade (s) that will be wedged there…You don’t have to drink the whole bottle as you can get virgin ones from the winemaker’s supply store…They are also useful as wall hangers for blade support…For the horizontal blades I had hammered nails at a slight angle into the studs were I wanted the blades to be positioned and them put a dab of hot glue on the end of the cork that was then pushed onto the exposed nail gluing it to the wallboard so it would then stay in place…The swords then just rested on a very strong, soft, padded (and damn cheap) support.

 

The corks when removed left small soft bumps from the bottom of the cork onto the wall which was easily loosened up and removed with a hot air drier and spatula or scraper…Also, make sure that they are very dry from the wine before using them as the residual (acidic) vinegar can and will stain the blades.

 

The only way that you can use every one of your knives is by having damn few of them and then you're not really a collector but an user...Once you've exceeded the one or two blades per task some have to be left behind, whether for combat, hunting, fishing, camping etc. as the weight factor alone is prohibitive and then you've just joined our ranks and became a collector...Where they are left is immaterial--a kitchen drawer, an oak Gerstner toolchest or an 800# safe.

 

On the shelf next to a Loveless Hunter is a very old cardboard box that contains about 20 slip joint pocket knives--Toenail, Beetle, Trappers etc. that I've had been given by a great uncle back in the mid 1950's that he had gotten when about the same age in the late 1890s to after the Dirty Thirties that he wouldn't have paid more then a nickle to a quarter for and in today's marketplace they may be worth $5.00 each but they share the same space as a now, very expensive knife...So value and sentiment, not beauty, is in the eye of the beholder!

 

At the lodge every year, I would bring in most of the knives that I bought or received as presents that winter to try out on fish, fowl and game and those that I didn't feel comfortable using were traded off (except for a maker's series) so I can say that nearly every one of my blades has done--for a short period at least, its intended duty--except combat knives (not many sentries around to be removed)...One of the Loveless blades was my EDC knife back in the early 1980s--bought direct from his table but then again, he was still alive and producing knives not like today where that knife has increased >2,000 % in price and I'd be a fool to take it out into the bush.

 

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