1940s Inoxyd- Moser Signau SAK scale repair.

[Soss]

Hi, just wondering the best way to stabilize or repair this rare old knife.
One scale, with the shield emblem, has fractured into many pieces which remain on the liner but only just.
Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

1940s Inoxyd Moser Signau SAK. by sossiprianzl, on Flickr

Moser Signau Inoxyd SAK. by sossiprianzl, on Flickr

Moser Signau Inoxyd SAK. by sossiprianzl, on Flickr

[SirVicaLot]

I really don‘t have experience with that, but the first thought i had was to use epoxy. By building it up using thin layers you might be able to stabilize the scales. Downside is if it trips inside, you might bond them to the knife permanently 

[Sparky415]

To stablize it
I would try getting thin super glue  (Cyanoacrylate) in to the cracks, capilary action should draw it in
Wipe off any overspill immediately
This is the best I can think of as the glue will probably not stick to the plastic very well but it's worth a try 

[kamakiri]

I'd use CA glue too. Thin to fill the fine cracks and thicker gel for larger cracks up to the surface finish. Or use tinted/color epoxy in place of the CA gel.

[craggus2000]

This might be a little gung-ho, but I'd take the entire knife apart to repair that. Start by gently removing the broken parts of the scale that are loose then drill the rivets to remove the rest.

Clean all the knife parts.

Use thin CA to repair the scale may be backed on to some masking tape to keep together, then refinish the scale and polish appropriately and sand off remaining masking paper.

Reassemble with new pivots.

Obviously sounds easier than it looks but that's what I'd do. 

[kamakiri]

Pretty sure it would be a mistake to take Humpty-Dumpty apart.  I'd only contemplate doing that if I had a replacement scale in hand if it all goes Smurfed Up. It's an ugly compound break and already missing several chunks of scale and inlay. I could see the value if it was less damaged or fewer cracks or no missing parts or very highly sentimental item.

Main reason is: How in the world to you peen the rivets on a CA repaired scale? It would just shatter again. Especially around the back pivot.

[craggus2000]

That's a good point. I'd still try, but I'd bind it tightly with thick thread and then wool, and then peen. The thread and wool will help give cushioning and impact protection from the hammer blows.

If you could find a thin enough epoxy you could use that instead of CA, but I'd still bind it tightly to help with structure and cushioning.