Recommendations for dirk restoration?

**Piobair** · 22nd October 20, 08:33 AM

Can anyone suggest a knife maker or even jeweler capable of doing some very light restoration on a mid-century dirk? Looks like previous owner tried to glue the stone setting back on the pommel and the glue ran into the wood work on the grip. Blade also has some oxidization - I want to preserve the patina but would like to make sure everything is stable to avoid any further deterioration. Preference would be to use someone in the lower 48.

**Destin_scot** · 23rd October 20, 03:28 PM

Do you have a picture of the Dirk?

Are the precious metals involved? What pommel stone was used, is it "semi" precious, glass, other? What kind of budget are you working with?

These are questions that have to be addressed before anyone can make or give you any suggestions for restoration.

**Geoff Withnell** · 31st October 20, 06:58 AM

Originally Posted by Piobair

Can anyone suggest a knife maker or even jeweler capable of doing some very light restoration on a mid-century dirk? Looks like previous owner tried to glue the stone setting back on the pommel and the glue ran into the wood work on the grip. Blade also has some oxidization - I want to preserve the patina but would like to make sure everything is stable to avoid any further deterioration. Preference would be to use someone in the lower 48.

I would contact Mad Mike at sharppointythings.com. He did an excellent job for me on an old dirk.

**Piobair** · 3rd November 20, 01:27 PM

Here are a couple of pictures. I believe this is a J. Nowill and Sons dirk based on crossed keys/Sheffield mark on the blade. Weirdly the knife and fork are pictured on their webpage, but they don't appear to be making this model anymore. I'm very familiar with their sgian dubhs, but I didn't know they ever made dress dirks. This is about on par with the Art Pewter models from years ago.

According to this link it's a relatively recent design, but I've never seen one in the wild. As the photos show, the blade is in rough shape and it appears that someone tried to glue the pommel back on at some point and some glue ran out and hardened on the grip. I'm thinking about selling it - not sure if it's worth fixing or just passing on for like $400 - $500 and letting a buyer figure out how/if to handle a restoration.

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**RGRatSea** · 7th December 20, 11:17 PM

As regards the glue slop, it appears to be an exuberance of Super Glue. Really a bad idea to use that stuff as removal/clean-up in this location can be difficult, though not impossible if one is steady of hand and well focused in the process. The whitish outline around the glob of glue is a familiar sign of spilled super-glue.

Knowing what the glue is is the first step in correcting the problem. Research and a very cautious consideration of the options would be the first step. I can offer no further commentary with out knowing the skill and disposition of the person willing to attempt a correction.

The rust on the blade can be dealt with using “0000” steel wool and light oil, easy pressure until you can feel the best amount of force. The oil needs to soak into the rusty bits, one loose, the steel wool will slowly remove it. This process is used successfully on high quality firearms to kill and remove rust without damaging the bluing.