WW2 Era USCG Approved Camillus Rope Knife Restoration

[@richardstone5241]

News Subscriber! Just came across your channel and really appreciate your projects. Binge watching your video's and looking forward to more. Finally retired at 70+ and currently setting up my own shop. Thank you for a great channel!!!

[@MattsGarage1791]

Thank you so much and welcome aboard the garage! lots more projects sitting all around the garage to work on - antique Disston saws, Billings Spencer wrenches, Stanley levels, Millers Falls stuff... going to be a full winter!

[@Dalesworkshop]

That's a great clean up Matt. It looks fantastic. In its lifetime it probably has some stories to Tell. Great video.

[@MattsGarage1791]

thank you Mr Dale! I've been wanting to do this project for a little while now, especially after learning it's history.

[@michaellindsay8934]

Really a nice restoration/preservation. The two different woods used is pretty unique for a knife. Great job Matt

[@MattsGarage1791]

thank you! I couldn't believe it was just tossed in a box of misc stuff on an old garage workbench. not typical for the knife, but I can definitely see two different color wooden scales during wartime production.

[@ivanstiles7030]

Beautiful preservation Matt. Nicely done

[@MattsGarage1791]

Thanks Ivan - I wasn't sure how it would turn out but I'm really happy with it!

[@arunkumarbalakrishnan8423]

I like how this is an actual restoration for a knife that's actually been used and forgotten for many years. You can see the pitting on the knife blade that's evidence of corrosion over a longer period of time. Thanks for keeping it honest, unlike other restoration channels which would try and fake the audience by faking the rust and corrosion for the sake of views.

[@MattsGarage1791]

Thanks so much for the positive feedback! I rarely if ever try and make something look new again. Especially something as personal as this knife that was carried & used by someone for a long time. The wear it shows tells a story and should be preserved. The pitting on the one side of the blade was not deep but I didn't want to sand away too much material and damage the integrity of the blade. Plus - at 80 years old it shouldn't have an unblemished mirror finish - Appreciate you stopping by the channel!

[@357magdad]

Nice job on a great old knife!

[@MattsGarage1791]

thanks magdad! you're quick, seems like you're a step ahead. I snagged an antique billings & Spencer bicycle wrench a few weeks ago to restore!

[@westhighlandsshop]

Fantastic job Matt, really cool knife and you made it look great.

[@MattsGarage1791]

Thank you, my favorite kind of history to preserve! Appreciate you stopping by.

[@Uwannawatch]

That's a fantastic knife Matt.. It turned out beautiful. Love the user well loved look. The different scales was interesting. At first I thought maybe one side was left up and faded or left on a wet surface. Take care Buddy!

[@MattsGarage1791]

Thanks George, it's a favorite of mine and fits in well with my small ww2 collection. I puzzled over the scales too and chalked it up to a wartime production nuance. Thanks for stopping by and hope you're doing well!

[@ashleyanderson2859]

Very nice. It would be easy to identify that knife with the different colored scales. Great job!

[@MattsGarage1791]

hey Ashley thanks! I'm a fan of unique :)

[@Bloodshed.restorations]

Hey Matt, nice knife, particularly like the textured scales. You'd never guess the age looking at it now. Hope you're keeping well 👍🏻

[@MattsGarage1791]

thanks Alex! yes, doing my best. 👍 nice balance between cleaned and proper looking yet still showing some 'history' marks!

[@MattsGarage1791]

how have you been doing?

[@Bloodshed.restorations]

@@MattsGarage1791 I'm ticking over nicely, cheers. Keep taking the pills and keep going, that's the secret😁

[@MattsGarage1791]

I'm too stubborn to do otherwise!

[@antikaplanet2970]

❤❤❤👍

[@MattsGarage1791]

appreciate the visit and thumbs up!

[@perdidocamaronero5400]

Case made a knife like this. I bought one at a hardware store in Beeville Texas it was called a Whalers Knife. I still have it somewhere the spring broke and the blade flops around. It has nickel bolsters and a metal lanyard ring with walnut scales. I have never seen another one made by Case. E Bay has one for sale but no lanyard ring.

[@perdidocamaronero5400]

Nice job bringing it back to life. I have just about every knife I have ever bought or was given to me even if they are broke.

[@MattsGarage1791]

thanks! I can see how pocket knife collecting could be addictive, especially vintage historical ones.

[@MattsGarage1791]

I think this one from Camillus was called a lifeboat knife by some.

[@ptlfabrication569]

I wonder how long someone carried and used this and how long it was put away. Waiting for you to bring it back to its former beauty.

[@MattsGarage1791]

they carried it long enough and used it often enough to wear away most of the tang stamps! it's a treasure for sure.

[@rroyr5698]

Any knife that have mismatched handle grips loses its appeal.

[@MattsGarage1791]

I would personally treasure a one-of-a-kind unique piece of history rather than something that looks like a million others. But everyone has their preferences. Thanks for stopping by.

[@richardturk7162]

I had one dated 1943 that had one dark and one lighter scale. The Army didn't care if the wood matched or not because it was a tool. The one I had was carried by a paratrooper of the 101st Airborne during WWII. I bought it from his collection when I was a kid.

[@MattsGarage1791]

​@richardturk7162 to own a knife with that kind of heritage is priceless! yep, production during the war was not concerned with 'pretty'!