SS Dagger Handle Restoration

[Top Buzzer]

I was wondering if any off you top men can give me some advice.....

I have just bought a very tired SS Dagger with a badly chipped handle and it is very dull since it was covered in laquer and I removed it. The Eagle and SS button are perfect but I want to restore the handle.

I was trained as a cabinet maker and have had experience off restoring furniture. I can fill and sand and shape wood. I want to use the right products to create a smooth ebony black finish. What do I use? I do not think its right to use mahogany wood filler as I then need to stain it black then try and blacken the whole handle. Can you just Buff the wood after using wire wool? I do not know but could someone who has restored a dagger give me some information? any advice on cleaning a dull marked blade? or re finishing a scabbard? I am also looking for a single missing screw and the lower ball is dented but could live with it. However if someone has a spare one for sale I would be interested.

I paid very little for this dagger and want to bring it back to life.

Thanks in advance and any advice is appreciated. I would also consider sending it to a good restorer in the UK or US if you can reccomend one for me.

Thanks

Mike

[juoneen]

Just leave it as found, as it reflects its own war wounds.

[Top Buzzer]

Thanks

With all due respect its personal choice....people restore classic cars and furniture to their former glory. I could live with a dagger that is a little rough and I prefer my items with honest wear and patination compared to mint. I paid next to nothing for this dagger but my quess is that its not honest wear but post war abuse.
I dagger can be so rough that its unsellable so I would rather have something that is original but restored and nice to look at. I would not restore a helmet that had original paintwork but there is nothing wrong with filling and painting a water found panzerfaust as a member has done that and it looks amazing.

I have seem members who have restored daggers and they look good and I have decided im going to restore mine and all I want is pointed in the right direction. The way my dagger is I would not display it.

Thanks for your opinion.

Mike

[Skyline Drive]

I have restored an SS dagger. I filled the grip with wood putty and stained it with a couple of products available here in the US. I used an old clean cotton tee shirt to rub the grip after applying the stain. It came out great.

The problem for you is going to be the blade. A dull marked (pitted?) blade is next to impossible to restore, so you could end up with a great looking restored grip mated to a tired worn blade and it never looks right. I was lucky with the dagger I restored because the blade was in remarkably good condition, so restoring the grip made sense.

I also restored the scabbard which had rusted clean through in several spots. I used liquid metal which I believe is an epoxy with metal filings in it. I don't remember offhand the brand names of the products, but I could find out if you're interested. I would post photos but can no longer do so because I am no longer a paid subscriber here.

[Br. James]

Hi Mike,

I must agree with Juoneen's elegant statement: "Just leave it as found, as it reflects its own war wounds." Restoration...or attempted restoration...can lead to all sorts of problems that weren't there to begin with. The examples you use are interesting, though for different reasons: classic cars are restored to duplicate their original glory and to prevent them from further deterioration, but no one would accept a gleaming '32 Ford as if it were in 'original condition!' And yes, if you are addicted to "Antiques Roadshow" as I am, you will see almost weekly the results of people who tried to restore classic furniture, only to find that in so doing, the piece's value was also destroyed. While people do not restore classic cars in order to sell them as 'original,' far too often people have reworked antique furniture for the purpose of increasing their value as if in original condition. So too with restoring a dagger. The market is full of pieces that someone tried to restore, either by exchanging parts from one piece to another or by reworking the wood or metal to look closer to what it did when it came from a Solingen factory. None of this is welcome in our hobby, in my view.

Yes, it is sad to see some daggers that have apparently been abused either by their original owner (often in order to disguise his connection with the Nazi time) or by careless children of vets who were allowed to play with these artifacts as if they were worthless, but to me that shouldn't encourage a collector to try and 'upgrade' a battered and ill-cared-for piece. The only SS M-33 dagger in my collection was purchased a couple of decades ago; it is in what might be considered "fair" condition or even "good" condition by today's standards as a couple small pieces of its ebony grip have been broken away at the crossguards (the very hard wood does have it's downside in fragility) and the blade has lost much of its gleam, probably due to being stored under improper conditions. I bought this piece at perhaps a third of what SS sidearms in similar condition are sold for today; I wanted this piece and the cost was all I could afford at the time. I have never regretted adding it to my collection, nor have I ever considered having it 'restored' -- as Juoneen said: "...it reflects its own war wounds."

If the piece you have is not satisfactory to you today, then I would suggest that you consider selling it and perhaps buying another one in better, more 'original' condition. While fairly 'rare' and hence costly, SS M-33 daggers are easily available through upstanding dealers and you will get a solid guarantee of originality, as well. You will probably never be happy owning a piece that you regret purchasing and don't enjoy looking at, handling and showing to friends and other collectors, so you should do something about that sooner than later...and I don't mean trying to 'restore' it!

With best wishes,

Br. James

[Top Buzzer]

Hello

Thankyou very much for the last two replies as you have taken the time to give me the advice I needed but also an arguement for and against restoring it.....now i do not know what to do because you have presented me with some very valid points.....
I have an original early Boker which is a joy to look at. I did not want another SS Dagger until I was offered one in abused condition but at the price off an SA Dagger. On the wall it looks ok till you take a closer look. I would not have bought this from a dealer in this condition but the woman did not want it and I seen it as my duty to "Save" the dagger. Its not wartime honest wear. Its years off people playing with it post war then it probably sat in a shed for years.

Thanks again to the three off you for your help and advice.

Appreciated

Mike

[Mac 66]

Mike,


its your dagger mate & if you feel it needs restoring back to better condition its your choice, some photos would be nice to see before & after




Regards Mac 66.

[jodagger]

Ss dagger

Hi mike
send it to tom wittmann his repairer does a wonderful job. I have had two ss grips repaired and the finished job was outstanding. You only need to send the grip with both cross guards. My opinion for what its worth do it.
Kind regards john

[Nolan]

Hi mike
send it to tom wittmann his repairer does a wonderful job. I have had two ss grips repaired and the finished job was outstanding. You only need to send the grip with both cross guards. My opinion for what its worth do it.
Kind regards john

Second that

[Rheingold]

Hi mike
send it to tom wittmann his repairer does a wonderful job. I have had two ss grips repaired and the finished job was outstanding. You only need to send the grip with both cross guards. My opinion for what its worth do it.
Kind regards john

Would you please post a pic of this job?

[collecter]

I filled a couple of chips in my grip with 'cobblars wax' also known as 'heel ball',I don't know if you can still get it.As its wax if you wanted to remove it later it should be easier than filler.John

[jodagger]

Ss dagger grip repair

Sorry.
I hve since sold both daggers
cheers john

[nickn]

may we have a photo of the dagger

[cogwheel]

On the subject of pros and cons regarding restoration my own feelings are to each his own. Some people prefer the antique store look reflecting wear and tear of the ages, others like the show case look reflecting the appearance of the items when they were worn. I'm certainly partial to the latter, I just like nice daggers. Here is one example of a 1st Luft I picked up (years ago) and restored.
BTW: The rust on the scabbard fittings had been described as patina.