Well I lost my dad a year and a half ago and I have some of his things .
Being a hoby knife maker I was thinking of cleaning up my dad's hunting knife and refinishing the leather handle and polishing the blade .
Was going to make it a new sheath too .....
As I was looking it over , it occurred to me , every little ding and scratch is a story .
This knife has field dressed countless rabbits , several deer and one moose .
The sheath has scratches from green briers and rocks etc...

I think it looks just fine like it is , and I have no right to erase the memories .

If it could only talk .    

I hear what you're saying Graps., and I'm with you on that.

I lost a knife last year that had been a faithful companion of 30 years. Found a same one here in the classifieds. The story the owner shared with me about it brought me to tears. Usually, I'd make my own sheath for the knife... this one, I place with reverence in the one it came with.

Grandpa would sit at his kitchen table sharpening an old stag handled knife, pick up a piece of news paper and shave a tiny sliver off, look over his glasses at me and grin. Then in one slick motion he would toss and stick it in the pantry door. To a kid that was pretty awesome.That old stag handled knife now resides at my house. And my son knows the story .

So your absolutely right, keep the character and the memories.

That''s a cool knife, your Dad's!

I have one of my Dad's favorite knives as well.

My Dad had one just like it. He's been gone for 30 years now and I have that knife. Wouldn't do a thing to "improve" it.

That's a good looking knife and a really good story!  I have a knife that looks like its twin.  

But I have been carrying my dad's knife, which I found stored in a gun cabinet that my Mom gave me.  Lots of good memories!

I always carry Dad's knife when I hunt......Dressed a Antelope in Wyoming with that old knife. I would just carry that old girl and think of Dad.

I agree 100%.  
That would be an interesting thread to start :  one picture of your favorite knife- nicks and all, especially if it was handed down to you. And what you have used it for, maybe.

Scars tell a great story.  Especially if you know where they originated.  Leave it the way it is...Dad did.

God bless.

Have one that is very similar that was my Dad's. Lost him in 1986. Still carry the knife every once in a while.

Awesome!! I don't blame you, I'd leave it like it is too. I lost my dad on May 19th 2014. Completely unexpected. I have his hunting knife but I've been kinda scared to use it. I haven't lost a knife in years but I'm scared to lose this one... I know he'd want me to use it though. I may take it out a couple times this season.

If you " improve it" it won't be your dad's knife any more.  I suggest, as others did, to keep it just as it is, remember him just as he was.

CHuckC

I too have my Dad's old knife and it rides in my pack frequently.  Although when I found it in pretty poor shape I did give it a bit of cleaning up.  The main marks and sharpening scratches are still there, but I oiled up the leather and polished the tang and end cap.  He would have liked that.
It had no sheath, so I made one for it.

My dad lost his pukko in the early 60's, hunting deer.  A design flaw I guess.  It just friction fit into the sheath, and fell out.  Wish I had it now.

What I do have is the sheath for his knife.  Somehow I lost the sheath for my Mora; I was about eleven then. (it was the smallest model they made)  So he adapted his old sheath to fit my mora.  Kind of a mongrel, but it would make a great neck knife if I ever wanted to use it for that.  

I love old suff that is still usable. Brings back some of the best memories of my life.  This one means a lot to me.  Maybe I will take it bear hunting this fall. Some great steel in this blade.

Items like my dad's knife, his recurve bow. The things and times we spent doing together are tied to those items. I see then now as artifacts holding the memory and feelings of those times. My dad's bow hangs on my bow rack now,sitting at the very top, a place it has earned. His knife sits on the shelf next to it. They are precious memories.

Good one Graps. I too have my dads Bear 3 piece knife, file and stone kit that I carry.  Dad is always with me in the woods.

That is great Graps. I carry my Grandfathers knife, it looks very similar to yours.

Thanks for the nice posts .
Sad thing to add to this , my dad and mom had moved into assisted living and nobody knows what happened to his Ben Person recurve .    :(  
Sure would like to have it .
But I still have the first K-Mag that he got me , lots of memories there as well .

My father has the same knife. Can't wait to pass it on to my son.  I carry my grandpa's combat knife from WW2. Comes in handy for chopping brush for a blind and has protected three generations of men in my family.  I love carrying stuff from past generations in the woods.  Great way to honor the men that came before us.

Thanks for posting that graps. I too, have a knife that was my great grandfathers, and passed down to me. Those type items are always the most precious we can possess.