Restoring a Vietnam War Pilot Survival Knife from 1967
Odd Tinkering
Jun 5, 2026 18:35
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In this restoration, I bring a Vietnam War pilot's survival knife back to life. This knife was made by Camillus in 1967 and had seen decades of hard use, corrosion, and neglect.
The blade was heavily rusted, so I carefully removed the corrosion. The original stacked leather handle was beyond saving, so I crafted a new handle using stacked leather washers in the traditional style. After the restoration work was complete, I applied a cold blued finish to the blade for a clean, period-appropriate appearance.
The original leather sheath was also too damaged to restore and I plan to use this while hiking so I'd rather ruin my own sheath that the original, while doing so. I made a new sheath based on the original design, with light improvement to the original military design such as metal rings on the holes in the leather, to strengthen then when I put rope through the holes.
This project combines metal restoration, leatherworking, and traditional knife-making techniques to preserve a fascinating piece of military history.
If you enjoy restoration videos, knife making, leatherworking, and historical tools, be sure to like, subscribe, and let me know what you'd like to see restored next.
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