Restaurate outworn Victorinox logo

[qwerty85]

Hi everybody,

I've purchased an old Victoria knife with a large and a small blade, a scissor (with a one-sided spring and a screw, no rivet), a caplifter w/o 90 degree stop, a can opener marked with PAT, a five-turn corkscrew and a reamer w/o hole.

I've already cleaned and restored it.

Recently, I've polished the scales. However, the Victorinox logo inlay (which was nickle back then, I guess) is not there any more. What you can see in the picture attached is the outworn indentation in the plastic scale.

Do you know any simple way to make the logo more visible again? It does not have to look like brand new, but having it more visible would improve the overall look of the knife.

I've already tried to apply some (white) polish paste and let it dry. I've hoped that the dried remainder of the paste would stay in the indentation, but it did not.
Do you know any other material / paste which can be easily applied in such a way? Or any completely different suggestion?

Thanks a lot!

Kind regards,
qwerty85

[IMR4198]

     Looks like the shield was stamped on to begin with instead of a metal inlay.  They wear off.  You can always replace the scales (handles) but I wouldn't bother.  If the scales are sound, they are better than the new ones.  I would enjoy it like it is.  A great knife.
      Your photos are very high quality.  Would you consider making a photo of the large blade tang stamps.  Front and back marking if any.  Best wishes. Gary
     

[NutSAK]

I believe the OP is correct; that it originally had the inlay.  I've not seen a hot-stamped shield in this shape; the economy models had a more triangular shield as shown in these images: https://www.sakwiki.com/tiki-browse_image.php?imageId=2043&highlight=economy

I don't know of any way to restore this or make the shield indentation more pronounced.  I'm with Gary--enjoy it the way it is, because these older scales where more solid than replacements.

[IMR4198]

I remember the triangular shield now.  Oh well, there goes another brain part thingie whatcha macallit.  I would still enjoy seeing the tang stamps, if it is convenient.  Best wishes Gary

[Huntsman]

If you have some spare scales you could just take the shield of those scales and superglue or epoxy it  (carefully!) to the knife
Use a pin to apply the glue -  Not sure how successful that would be?   

Or heat it up and press it in (I assume Vic do something like that in the factory?)

Could end up ruining the scales for either of these approaches - I don't know a foolproof way

I saw a YT video recently discussing using nail polish to adorn scales - That night work

[qwerty85]

Wow, thanks a lot for your answers.
I'm happy to provide photos of the tang stamp.

I've already had the idea of applying a Victorinox logo inlay from a different knife. Unfortunately, the logo inlays of modern ones differ in size a wee bit and do not fit the indentation of my old knife.

I've also thought about applying decent silver spray paint onto the indentation and than instantly wipe it off from the remaining scale surface in the hope that it will stay in the indentation, but I don't know if this approach is promising.

[IMR4198]

    Beautiful tang photos.  I have actually done the paint idea on lettering on a steel surface.  How I did it was to put a small amount on the lettering area with a brush.  Let it dry.  Then wipe it with a cloth with WD40 spray.  The surface gets cleaned away and the lettering remains with paint inside.  That works on steel print.
     It will be harder with your lovely Vic.  One, the depth is more shallow.  Going to be hard to wipe paint without wiping it all off.  Two, the paint may damage the cellidor.  Try it on a scrap piece first.  Three, I don't know that the WD40 is completely safe.  I have wiped cellidor scales with WD40 with no adverse effects.  I didn't leave it on the surface, but cleaned it off. 
     I used liquid metallic look hobby paint, like you might paint some little craft idea or do it yourself jewelry.  I wouldn't use spray paint.  More damage risk. 
      If you are determined to do this, try it on a piece of plastic or something that you put some scratches on with an awl and find out how hard you have to press to remove the paint from the unwanted areas.  WD40 took off the paint I used, but all paint isn't alike.
       Four, even if you get this to work, the paint won't be particularly durable.  Might look okay.  Never will be very permanent.  This is a really nice knife.  Don't mess it up if you can help it.  Best wishes. Gary

[Farmer X]

I haven't figured out how they do the inlay at the factory, but I have a possible solution. There is a product called Bare-Metal Foil, used by model car builders. That or a similar product might be just what you're after. Of course, I'd suggest practicing on a set of junk scales first.

https://www.bare-metal.com/bare-metal-foil.html

[Huntsman]

Yeah - Maybe just leave as is

Like the boss says:
"Leave the dents as they are - Let your belongings show their scars as proudly as you do yours."

As, apart from losing the shield, those scales are in VGC and I think they'll be the solid old ones.

[qwerty85]

Thanks a lot for the tips with the paint and with the bare-metal foil.
I'll try it on junk scales first.

[IMR4198]

Let us know how things come out.  We will keep our fingers crossed for you.  Best wishes. Gary