The customer brought me this knife in rough but cared-for condition and we discussed options for handle materials, pins, degree of polish to the blade, etc. Once I did a surface cleaning, I could see it was from J. Russell and Co., Green River Knife Works. A bit of digging discovered that this lovely old butcher knife dated to between 1840 and 1880 and was one of three iconic knives of the Old West (the other two being the Green River hunting and skinning knives). It was said that a Mountain Man only needed three things to succeed: a Hawken rifle, dry powder, and a Green River knife (from "The History of the John Russell Cutlery Company, 1833-1936” by Robert L. Merriam, Bete Press, Greenfield, Mass, 1976). Restoring this old beauty was a real pleasure, and a real testament to the excellent quality of these old American knives. How many other tools are still going strong after 140+ years?

Here’s a comment from the owner: “My grandmother's sturdy "kitchen knife" has been a part of our family for as long as any of us can remember. It was given to my grandmother as a wedding gift more than 100 years ago, and as a farm wife in northern Minnesota she gave it many decades of hard, daily use. In due course it came to my mother, and it's been the workhorse of our kitchen, too. When its faded, brittle handle finally began coming apart completely earlier this year, I brought the knife to SharperAngle in hopes that its useful life could somehow be extended. The care, attention and expertise that Dan Branan applied to our tarnished old heirloom was remarkable. He advised regarding a host of available materials, kept us informed at each step of the knife's challenging rehabilitation, and even provided fascinating facts about its manufacturing pedigree. Now clean, razor sharp and sporting a gorgeous new maple handle, I have every expectation that my grandmother's humble "kitchen knife" will provide our family efficient, attractive service for another century, at least.” 

Thanks, Dan!