Case XX Knife Restoration - WW2 Veteran's old pocket knife - Plus a bit of personal WW2 History

[Cyprant]

Hey ODT. I recently found my grandfather's old pocket knife. Is there someone who can restore this thing? The blades are pretty rusty and I assume it would need some new production blades or maybe find the same period model and swap the parts over?

I would love if I could carry this thing around and be able to use it the rest of my life and pass it along again 50 years from now...

I am extremely proud of my grandfather as he was a WW2 veteran who never complained about anything a day in his life. Harry Hewitt was his name. He passed a couple years ago at 94 years old.

He joined the army and entered the 597th Parachute Infantry Regimen, which was the US Army's first tactical airborne regimen.
The 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team accumulated over 150 combat days during five campaigns on battlefields in Italy, France, Belgium and Germany. The 517th saw heavy fighting in the Italian Campaign in June 1944, before being transferred to take part in Operation Dragoon in August 1944, in Southern France, which happened to be their first combat jump. Following the liberation of France, the 517th was attached to the 82nd Airborne Division and fought with it in Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge. The
battalion casualty rate was 81.9 percent. The team suffered 1,576 casualties and had 247 men killed in action.

Sorry for the long read, but like I said, I am very proud of this man.

If you find this interesting to you, see the attached document describing how earned his bronze star. It's one hell of a visual to imagine.

 

[3clicks_Off]

Case will be your best bet.
They are slow now due to c19 but email them and someone will contact you

 

[BIKER13]

^^^^^ what he said

 

[John A.]

Cyprant,
Kudos to your grandfather, and I'm glad you have his pocketknife as a keepsake! My father also was a WW2
Infantry veteran, and I have his original Case 2-blade pocket knife that he used during the war.
Actually, the blades on your grandfather's knife are not very bad at all -- many people back then sharpened them with files, grinders or whatever and truly wore them out. Yours are very full and capable of taking a fine edge. They have basically their entire working life remaining!

BTW, your knife doesn't appear to have been used a great deal, as the "jigging" (dimples cut in the bone
handles) has not been worn smooth in pocket carry. Be careful not to drop the knife, as it's possible to crack/break the handles if it lands badly. You will find that with careful sharpening and an occasional
touch-up, they will be/stay very sharp with minimal effort. Personally, I would NOT "restore" or change
your grandfather's knife -- I'd keep it as it is. To install different blades, etc., would turn it into "just
another knife."

You mention rust on the blades. Were it mine, I'd take 4-0 (OOOO) steel or copper wool (either is good) and good
oil, such as Break-Free "Collector" -- the original, thick CLP that the Army adopted back in the early 80's.
Any good oil will work, though. Wet the fine steel wool with oil, and begin to scrub at the rust, cleaning the
blade on a paper towel and refreshing with clean oil periodically. Once you have removed the active rust, I
would then just sharpen it and carry it if you'd like. Be careful with the nickel-silver bolsters at each end of
the handle -- they are much softer than steel and can be damaged/scarred, so I'd be careful with the steel wool around them. If you want to clean/polish them once before starting to carry it, a fine polish such as silver polish,
Flitz, etc., lightly applied with a soft cloth and then cleaned off will basically restore close to a factory finish. This will then age naturally as you carry/use the knife.

The blades on your knife seem to have much of the original factory polish remaining. This suggests to me that
the knife wasn't in use for a very long time unless your grandfather kept it oiled frequently. The natural state
of these knives when in use is that they acquire a smooth, even "patina" of rust which stays stable and does not eat into the surface of the knives. They look dark, velvety and even. The blades will be preserved with just an occasional wipe-down with oil -- and immediately clean/oil if the knife is exposed to something corrosive (salt water, fertilizer from opening fertilizer bags, etc.) to prevent aggressive rust. Properly cared-for, they'll retain that nice, natural appearance basically forever.

DO NOT EVER use ANY electrical/powered equipment on the knife! You can destroy the blades, patina, shape of
the bolsters, etc. very quickly with the wrong equipment. If you sharpen by hand, your blades will last very long
and it will be hard to do much damage to them. After you get a good edge, just a touchup every couple of days
for 30 seconds on something like a Spyderco ceramic Sharpmaker, etc. will keep the blades very sharp.
Do put a drop of oil in the hinges now and then to keep them rust-free and operating smoothly.

Knife buffs will attempt to "force" a patina on knife blades with vinegar, mustard, etc. but it never looks correct or even close to natural. 30 years ago, I lucked out and found a new old stock Case XX Half-Whittler, the exact same model as my Dad's WW2 knife, built in the 1940-65 period, as yours is. I carried the knife daily for about 10 years before retiring it. I used it to cut up apples for lunch, etc. and this did somewhat speed the patina's development, which starts with small spots of rust that you just wipe off and keep from building up. As I recall, it took at least a year of daily use for both blades to fully develop their final patina, and they look great. It has nice, red bone handles similar to yours, and is a handsome knife that is still sharp and will last about forever.

I'll offer one thought for your consideration. Once lost, the knife is gone forever. About 45 years ago, I read
a piece of advice in an outdoor magazine that was worth its weight in gold. The advice was simple: NEVER set
the knife down when working with it. ALWAYS close and return it to your pocket even if your project is not
finished, as knives that get set down, very frequently get lost. Ingraining the habit to automatically close the knife and return it to your pocket will save you many lost knives. Also, if there is a "group project," and someone asks
to borrow your knife, the simple answer is NO. "I'm sorry, it's a family heirloom and I don't lend it out." Several times, I've seen knives lent out on work parties just disappear, as they go from person to person, but nobody
seems to make sure it goes back to the rightful owner. Also, you have no idea if anyone will do something stupid,
such as attempting to pry with the blade, turn screws with it, etc. etc. and damage it.

If you are not already used to carrying a pocket knife daily, I highly recommend you get a knife you don't mind losing, and carry it for a year or so. Get comfortable with it, and be confident you won't lose it, before carrying your grandfather's knife. A couple of things that help one lose knives are: Slant-cut side pockets, such as on old-style ("Walmart") khaki pants and others. I lost a fantastic 1965-69 era red-bone handle Case Stockman in a movie theater as a young man. I relaxed down into my seat and put my knees up on the empty seat in front of me. The knife slid out, and was lost. By the time I got to the front of the theater on the way out, I realized it was gone. I hurried back and searched for it, but it was gone. **Deep pockets with narrower openings** are good for not losing knives. Blue jeans and modern "tactical" pants are good examples of this type pocket.

BEWARE CHEAP, THIN POCKET MATERIAL!! Back in the good ole days, Levis lasted forever, and I don't recall ever
having had a hole in the pocket of a pair. Today, even Levi's have cheapened the quality of their pants, and one
cost cutting method frequently used by them and others is thin, easily-worn-through pockets. Knives will slip through these holes, land on a carpeted or grassy surface, you won't hear them land, and they'll be gone. BE AWARE of developing holes in your pockets and mend them before they get bad.

My father passed away several years ago at the age of 91. A few years before he passed, he gave me a Case Pocket-Worn Barlow which has special meaning to me, coming from him. Even though I haven't lost a knife in
many years, I live in fear of losing this one, as it's irreplaceable -- however, I do want to carry it as a keepsake.
(He retired his WW2 knife in the 50's, and I retired its' twin after about 10 years use.) I got a belt pouch for the
Barlow, in the thought that it would help prevent my losing the knife due to pocket-related problems. Unfortunately, I'm not in the habit of using a belt pouch, and actually lost the knife briefly within about 2 weeks of starting to carry it in the pouch. Yikes!!

So, after much thought, I'm thinking a custom, compact pocket organizer that will hold the knife, a Streamlight Microstream AAA flashlight, and a small Fisher Space Pen is the solution. The reason is that it won't slip through a hole in the pocket, and will be missed immediately if it slides out of the pocket somehow. Also, if I'm using the
knife, the organizer will be set down on my desk/etc as a visible reminder that the knife is out. Until the Barlow
is returned to the organizer, it doesn't go back into the pocket. I will make a test-version and carry it with another
good pocketknife until I've worked out the bugs in it. Then, I'll have a high-quality version custom made of thin, durable leather that won't be too bulky in the pocket.

Sorry to go on so long, but I would really hate for you to lose your grandfather's knife, and I hope this will help.
One thing you MIGHT consider is having the main blade laser engraved with his name, rank, unit and Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster. (You might have to put some on each side of the main blade.) That would indelibly tie the knife to him and go a long way to helping preserve his memory, even after you're gone. Even if something happened and it wound up in the hands of a stranger, they would realize it was a very special knife. If you are not familiar with the normal abbreviations for military units, etc., I'm a veteran and would be happy to help with that. (Just a thought.)

Thank you for sharing your grandfather's story and pics of his knife with us! We were really blessed to have the fine people of the WW2 generation when we did, and it's really sad that most are gone.

I hope this helps, and good luck!
John

 

[John A.]

Here's a very quick pic of the modern version of my Dad's half-whittler that I've been carrying for maybe 6 months. It's an astonishingly nice design, with blades that sharpen very easily, and it's very slim, due to only 1 back spring. It disappears in the pocket until you are ready to use it, and it is very useful!

Sorry for the poor quality! The original owner buffed the knife back to a high polish before selling it, so it's in the process of turning to patina now. I'd say it's at most about 40-50% complete -- it's got a ways to go yet, but you
can get some idea of what I'm talking about.
John

 

[THREEJAYS]

I agree I’d leave it like it is and carry, it will last mauy more years to come