Article about: Hi guys, I came across this SS dagger for sale. It seems fairly cheap to me, but I'm not sure if the price-- about \\$1,000-- is a good deal, about right--or too much, considering the seller h
Hi guys, I came across this SS dagger for sale. It seems fairly cheap to me, but I'm not sure if the price-- about $1,000-- is a good deal, about right--or too much, considering the seller has carried out comprehensive restoration. I'm not exactly interested in buying, I'm mainly just curious about the effects of restoration on a piece's value. Pictures below, here's what he said he did.
This SS dagger is just in and I bought it with grip chips and much greying to the blade. I have carried out restoration work to it as follows;
1. Strip down the dagger completely. This was quite straight forward, the pommel nut was loose and after taking the scabbard fitting screws out the top and bottom scabbard fittings came off quite easily.
2. I purchased an Ebony wax block made my Liberon (available on Ebay). As said previously tips were obtained from Paul Hogle for this. With this type of wax block you just need to cut off a small amount from the block (enough to fill the chip) and then work the wax in your hands until it becomes soft and workable. I then pushed the piece into the grip and worked it well in and shaped it with my fingers and a small knife. I then did this for each chip and allowed the wax to set overnight.
The following day I (on Pauls advice) got a piece of paper on a flat surface and rubbed the filled part of the grip on the paper (like a wax crayon) to smooth the filled area.
To finish the grip off I used a black liquid shoe polish all over the grip, let it dry then buff it up. Job done !
2. I gave the blade a clean up with a light grade wet or dry paper and semichrome working across the blade. It was badly pitted so it was never going to be brilliant but it has brightened it up somewhat.
3. I cleaned the crossguards up with semichrome. They are the pot metal type and the plating had completely gone. They cleaned up quite well and look better.
4.The scabbard paint was quite bad so I decided to completely rub down to the bare metal with various grades of Wet or Dry paper. I then sprayed 2 coats of grey primer onto the shell and let it dry overnight.
The following day I sprayed 2 top coats of black gloss paint and let that dry.
The fittings were cleaned up as were the internal runners and then re assembled back together and a top fitting screw was added as one was missing. This was after I had re threaded all the holes using the correct tap.
So is this dagger a good deal, worth the price, or not? I don't really know much about restoration. Thanks!
Re: Question about dagger restoration--(SS example)
It seems a fair deal to me.
The guy is honest about the "restoration", I would like however to see some pics of the dagger before the restoration.
The price is less then half what a good one would cost you.
Re: Question about dagger restoration--(SS example)
locloc08 i know the site you have seen this dagger on he is a good dealer and an honest guy, but this is my own opinion but i would rather save the money and buy a better quality SS or SA dagger as i think if or when you come to sell it on you may have trouble selling it as people always start to critisize the restoration and condition of it and as always when its SS the microscope comes out as i say its jmo cheers Ronnie
Re: Question about dagger restoration--(SS example)
by stuka f
It seems a fair deal to me.
The guy is honest about the "restoration", I would like however to see some pics of the dagger before the restoration.
The price is less then half what a good one would cost you.
I agree. 'Before restoration' photos would have been interesting to see.
Wax will never 'cure' and will always remain soft and pliable. It is a treatment
used in antique furniture restoration. The grip is now prone to being further
damaged from just a warm hand.............
I would have used powdered ebony filings/sawdust, mixed into a paste
with wood glue and India ink for dyeing the patched areas.
I can see it being sold for that price relatively fast, though.
Re: Question about dagger restoration--(SS example)
I wouldn't touch it. There could be some significant issues down the road with resale value. Not for me.
The seller is not mentioned, so that is probably better. There could easily be replacement parts, not the grip- obviously, ie.e crossguard, and so forth.
If someone wanted a "sort of legitimate" M33, than it might work for them and meet their needs. As I mentioned, I believe the biggest stumbling block down the road will be resale.
I guess ultimately, it's a preference of choice. These types of things are just not for me.....
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