Hi Elaine,
If this is the knife I'm thinking of, it has a marble handle and is made of stainless steel...?
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The best way to clean it, and make sure all of the cracks get clean is to immerse it in a pot of boiling water for about 60 seconds. - After the 60 seconds are up, take it out, being careful not to handle it very much, as this is the time most tiny scratches and niks occur.
Just let it air cool (don't put it in cold water as you risk bending the blade).
Once it's cool, you can take a toothbrush to rub off any softened crud still clinging on to the knife.
Then rub the blade with a tiny bit of any type of cooking oil. This will help preserve it.
In terms of repair, since your knife is a collectible, I would recommend against it, as a repaired knife is worth less than an "all original" knife, even if it's damaged.
If you must repair it, do the following for the following pieces:
- If the blade is rusted, scratched or bent, you can gently rub it with a "steel wool" pad, or similar abrasive material.
If the two metal ends are "lose", you can stuff flat pieces of paper in the ridge with a sowing needle until it's not visible anymore, and the fit is tighter between the hinge and the cap. If the gap is too wide, you can simply apply regular high strength glue to hold it together.
If the hinge itself is damaged or rusted, you'll need to dismantle the knife to get at it, and it can be next to impossible since the metal is inserted into place when it's extremely hot and when it cools down, it shrinks to form a tight fit. - Without good dexterity and knowledge of metal properties, I wouldn't recommend doing this. If you must, you can use a blow torch. - Make sure the knife is properly secured in place with a hard metal clasp, and heat up the metal with the blow torch. Once it starts to get a little soft, (won't take long), use insulated gloves or any other type of heat resistant material to grab the ends with your covered and protected fingers and "push" it towards the marble middle.
Hope this helps!
Patrick
Edited by PatrickG on February 5 2007 at 5:19 PM
If you require clarification or would like additional detail on a particular item, please just let me know I will be happy to assist!
Thanks,
Patrick