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Post by micahsala on Jan 5, 2023 20:29:28 GMT
Hi there :-) i've just inherited my grandfather's WW2 US military machete. He served on the Pacific front. It is in poor condition and I am looking to have it professionally restored so that I can present it to my family. I would learn some basic skills to restore it myself if the machete was not such a significant piece of my family's history. I live in Southern California and was wondering if anyone knew any professionals in the area.
cheers
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Jan 5, 2023 21:46:57 GMT
Post a pic of the machete, we may be able to help you do the restoration yourself.
Sometimes its easy
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jan 6, 2023 16:58:20 GMT
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Post by micahsala on Jan 27, 2023 21:49:03 GMT
awesome! here are some pics of the machete. I'm not expecting to get the heat damage on the tip cleared up, but there's a variety of goo and scuffs I'd like to buff out Attachments:IMG_2167.HEIC (1017.52 KB)
IMG_2164.HEIC (958.42 KB)
IMG_2165.HEIC (739.87 KB)
IMG_2166.HEIC (925.74 KB)
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jan 28, 2023 1:15:03 GMT
FWIW I cannot view your photos without downloading a driver for HEIC. A HEVC video extension to be exact which I’m not willing to do. I can’t say how many are in the same boat.
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Post by larason2 on Jan 28, 2023 1:57:54 GMT
HEIC is the standard photo extension that iPhones use when they take photos. It will work on any Apple product, but not necessarily on any Android ot PC. The OP can try exporting it as a jpeg from their phone.
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Post by micahsala on Jan 29, 2023 20:14:08 GMT
converted them to jpegs, lets try this out |
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jan 29, 2023 21:08:23 GMT
You stand a better chance of a response as jpg is a more common format. I was expecting to see an Ontario machete and was surprised to see made in El Salvador. It does look like the blade has seen its better days. I hope the tip hasn’t lost its temper due to the excessive heat.
It looks like the blade has been refinished at one time. The “MADE IN EL SALVADOR” in English is clear enough. I can vaguely make out “HECHO [EN] EL SALVADOR” which is the Spanish equivalent. I can also make out other letters, some making partial words, but nothing that I can read. Good luck on your restore.
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Post by larason2 on Jan 30, 2023 2:51:49 GMT
A technique I've used before is hand sanding using 400 grit sandpaper lubricated with mineral oil. At such a high grit, it's hard to do a lot of damage to the blade. It's labour intensive though! It will take off the top layer, but not much more, so it won't repair any major defects. If you also want to polish it, you can wipe off the excess oil, then work your way up the grits. For heat damage, sometimes it goes pretty deep, but sometimes it's just the top layer. You can try sanding it, and see how it looks. If the blue goes deep, then just clean off the top layer and leave it at that. If the blue goes deep, it will at the very least need to be tempered again to restore it's strength.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jan 30, 2023 13:36:53 GMT
I use a similar method. Depending on the damage I start with 220 grit, finer if not much damage involved and then increase to finer grits as I progress. And WD-40, but any light lubricant will work. Use a block of wood as a backing, not your fingers. I also normally use a compressible backing between the paper and block. That will allow the paper to follow the surface of blade better, but in the case of that machete which has flat sides probably wouldn’t be necessary. As for the heat damage I suspect that you will have to live with that, but include that area anyway in the sanding process in order to maintain a uniform polish. As far as retempering, that would have to be done by a professional and in all likelihood damage the scales when removing. You did not include those in the photo so I am guessing that they are of two slabs of wood rivetted to the tang. It doesn’t look like that was an issued machete as there are no military stampings, but a private purchase.
It appears to me that you intend for the machete to be an heirloom, so my personal opinion, and solely that, is not to worry too much about restoring it but keep as is, oiled of course, as it shows some of the history your grandfather put it through. If the grips are of wood oil them also using a wood oil such as linseed, teak, etc. as they will dry out and crack.
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