Vintage SAK Owners Club

[Huntsman]

Superb restoration job JNOX - And thank goodness - Those first images were very scary

[jnoxyd]

Thanks Huntsman!   

[Myron]

Fantastic work rescuing those old beauties, @jnoxyd.  Your original post brought tears to my eyes, and I had to look away!

[jnoxyd]

Thanks Myron!   

[Remco]

Hello, I'm new here and I'm in the Netherlands. I came here for answers and I hope you can help me. I found an old skeleton of a knife at my father's. It's very old, very dirty and has no scales. After some googeling I think it might be (a variant of) the old 1897 knife. Except for one odd thing: the awl and corkscrew have switched sides. It is a 4 pin. I've attatched some photos.

[Huntsman]

Welcome Remco,

Wow - Looks like that knife has seen a bit of damp or oxidisation, or is it just paint   

I am no expert but a few comments: - If it was a Victorinox
I think the corkscrew would be grooved, - or maybe that came (and went!!) later   
The blade does not look like the right shape (thinner) - Could be sharpening
The can-opener awlso looks thinner than a Vic.
Awlso the bottom of the awl looks more rounded than a Vic

SO it could be a knife from another company of a similar design - eg from Solingen
Which might support the switch of the cs and awl positions

Can you get to the tang stamps - ie clean it up around the base of the blade? 
That would be the best way to find something out 

As I am sure you know that style of opener disappeared around 1950 from the so called "Officer's Knives'
But hung around on the Soldiers until 1960
 

[Remco]

Thanks for the reply! I'll see what I can uncover. For it's part paint because according to my dad it used to belong to a painter at some point.

[pfrsantos]

Thanks for the reply! I'll see what I can uncover. For it's part paint because according to my dad it used to belong to a painter at some point.

Welcome aboard! Even if that isn't a Victorinox, it sure looks like a knife worth restoring. I'd say you have a lot of work to do, but it will be worth it when, in the future, you take that out of your pocket to cut something and go: "Say, have I ever told you how I got this knife?..."

Try letting it soak for a few days in some rust removing liquid and then use some sand paper to begin cleaning it up. Let us know how the work comes along.