WWYD (Old knife restore)

[Borg]

Appreciate some input here as i am undecided, pictured below is a Coutellerie Suisse pocket knife, i gather it was one of the cutlery brands that went on to become Wenger, which means if that is the case...it's old.
I love this thing, it is one of my favourites in my collection, it's also one of the oldest i have and i want to do right by it, i do carry it now and again for fun but i don't do anything heavy with it.



The issue is it has a bent corkscrew which has damaged the liners causing rub on the main blade and it really needs stripped down, cleaned, mended and put back together.



If i restore this i'm wiping away value, history and patina but on the other hand, its broken and bent and could be doing with some TLC, carried with care now and again but happy for it to be retired on the shelf, its also within my abilities to repair but in doing so i will destroy the original pins..so here lies my dilemma, what would you do ?

[Mechanickal]

If I had the skills, I'd go for it...

[RF52]

Though question as it's a historical piece, and I understand you want to be able to use it. But personally I think I would leave it as is

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[cody6268]

It's a double edged sword, it's so rare that it isn't something you're probably are not going to find an upgrade for because of its rarity, and again, you can't replace it if you make a mistake. I have the knives both my great-grandfather on my grandmother's, and my great-grandfather on my grandfather's side, and both are quite rough (especially the one on my grandmother's side), but I won't mess with either. I vote to not mess with it.

[Borg]

Thanks for your thoughts guys, i am completely on the fence with this one.
I think with grandfathers knife if it was broken i would repair it, unless i remember the day he broke it..in which case i would leave it alone, agreed also there are no replacement parts and accidents can happen, mistakes can be made.

[zoidberg]

I vote for sympathetic restore.
It is within your abilities, will improve function and you'll get maximum satisfaction from giving it a second life.

[Sparky415]

Rebuild it useable 



 

[Borg]

Good point zoidberg, it would give it a second life 
Sparky i'm not usually one for patina but that one has a charm all of it's own   

[Sawl Goodman]

What a beautiful knife.

Agree with zoidberg. As it is, it's only worth anything if you sell it, which seems unlikely given your fondness of it. To me, the bent corkscrew and liner are a sign of abuse not patina. Restoring it will add value for you.

[Edit: voted for the sympathetic restore]

[Marcellus]

Voted sympathetic restore after some thought.
Spring looks like the critical fix.
Your knife, your call.
Please post pics if you go for it,  success , or well, not so much.

[Nix]

Agree with "your knife, your call".

If it's mine, I leave it alone. I put it on my desk and enjoy the heck out of it's pure coolness.

I don't smurf it up any further, because I've got some other pocket knives I can use to do.....pocket knife stuff.   

[Borg]

Its looking like a repair only fix is on the cards for this one, thank you everyone for your thoughts, i will leave it a week and decide 
I will of course keep you all updated

[SteveC]

Sympathetic restore 

[Myron]

I vote sympathetic restoration.   Its history doesn’t get erased by fixing what’s broken about it.  It just starts a new chapter.  Someday you’ll hand it down and its new caretaker can tell its story. 

Myron

[jaydar]

Its tricky its a rare knife ... any chance of a shot of the blade and the tang stamp

Generally I am all for fixing broken tools but not sure how many of this model are left ....first one I have seen

[Sparky415]

Its tricky its a rare knife ... any chance of a shot of the blade and the tang stamp

Generally I am all for fixing broken tools but not sure how many of this model are left ....first one I have seen

Jaydar has me feeling guilty now 

Good point zoidberg, it would give it a second life 
Sparky i'm not usually one for patina but that one has a charm all of it's own   

Thanks Borg,    that one is 100 years old (well at least 99 years) I carry and love using it

Good luck whatever you decide to do   

[Syem]

To me the issue is not about losing the original pins, it's about being able to peen it back shut without damaging the scales which are in excellent condition.

I think If you're able to do that then you definitely should try and straighten it back to a usable shape.

If you risk damaging the scales, I think you should leave it alone.

The question of Theseus' ship comes to mind. In collector terms, the untouched original will always be more valuable. In knife-lover terms, a usable knife is better than a broken piece. If minimal changes are required to bring it back into action, i think they should be done as long as you keep the original "figurehead of the ship".

Also, to be more specific, "Coutellerie Suisse", seldom accompanied by "Courtetelle" (location) and/or "P Boéchat" (for Paul), was the original name of what became Wenger. I don't believe there are other brands that became Wenger.

[Dutch_Tooler]

I've voted for a sympathetic restore. If you feel your skills might not be up to all of the tasks, there is always the option to enlist some help. I'm reasonably sure some of the forum members here are able and willing. (Not me though, my willingness is offset by my having far too little experience ).

[Borg]

Its tricky its a rare knife ... any chance of a shot of the blade and the tang stamp

Generally I am all for fixing broken tools but not sure how many of this model are left ....first one I have seen

Unfortunately there is no stamp on main blade, only pen blade and that has had some abuse in its life, it may be possible to tidy it up with a file but i will lose the "C" if i do, it's already difficult to see

Blades and Spartan for scale



Stamp

I've voted for a sympathetic restore. If you feel your skills might not be up to all of the tasks, there is always the option to enlist some help. I'm reasonably sure some of the forum members here are able and willing. (Not me though, my willingness is offset by my having far too little experience ).

A few days ago i was perfectly happy to give it a go, now i'm not so sure..as this is a sort of Wenger and Vic now own Wenger, i'm wondering if they have a 100 year warranty 
My plan B was to take out the centre pin only with a small grinder (there is a small gap for keyhole surgery) mend corkscrew and replace, clamp the whole lot in a vice to straighten then knock out whats left of the old pin with a new one, in theory that would keep the tension on the springs removing the need to dismantle the whole thing, maybe an option

To me the issue is not about losing the original pins, it's about being able to peen it back shut without damaging the scales which are in excellent condition.

I think If you're able to do that then you definitely should try and straighten it back to a usable shape.

If you risk damaging the scales, I think you should leave it alone.

The question of Theseus' ship comes to mind. In collector terms, the untouched original will always be more valuable. In knife-lover terms, a usable knife is better than a broken piece. If minimal changes are required to bring it back into action, i think they should be done as long as you keep the original "figurehead of the ship".

Also, to be more specific, "Coutellerie Suisse", seldom accompanied by "Courtetelle" (location) and/or "P Boéchat" (for Paul), was the original name of what became Wenger. I don't believe there are other brands that became Wenger.

Thanks for the info Syem, i had it in my head Wenger started by acquiring other brands to make one, that's good to know  regarding the peening that would be a relatively straightforward job, the pin heads are flat so can be dealt with by careful sanding, its the domed ones i would struggle with, my main worry is straightening the corkscrew without breaking it, but with a bit of heat should be doable 

Thanks Borg,    that one is 100 years old (well at least 99 years) I carry and love using it

Good luck whatever you decide to do   

Thanks Sparky, there is something very pleasing about carrying an old knife 

Thank you everyone for your thoughts, they have given me a lot to think about 

[cbl51]

Please; LEAVE IT ALONE.

It's history, and it's got a story to tell. Every ding and dent is important on how it served it's original owner or three and it had. a long well used life. Retire it to the desk top to marvel at an old old soldier that served well and now is in a well deserved retirement. Oil it, sharpen it, use it lightly with love from now on, but go carry a modern SAK if you need something in a pocket knife. Go carry a Vic recruit or tinker and use it like you stole it.

But I'd leave the old guy in peace.

The odds are against you successfully repining it back together without harming it, and you'll Wipe out a very nice artifact trying to rework it. And at this time, it is an artifact from the past.

[Borg]

Thanks for your thoughts cbl51, taken on board