Bug bites

[TexasRed]

How do you prevent bug bites? Of I get a knife with bites, do I need to do anything to it? If I add it to the collection will it spread? Not sure how small of bugs we are talking. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I just don’t know.

[jerryk25]

you are looking for a tan caterpillar about as big as a grain of uncooked rice. Some are hairy, some are smooth.

bug bites do not "spread". . . you must empty the container. . .if you see shed insect hulls (skin). . .the bug probably came, ate, and left.
Sometimes, when you cook generic Cheese macaroni, and you empty the box into the water, these hulls float to the surface.
And you boil and eat the larvae, which is hiding in one of the macaroni noodles.

Preventative measures are as simple as waxing the knife with museum renaissance wax, and a plastic zip lock baggie.

There are a great number of bug larvae that eat animal material,
like horn or hair or untanned rawhide or feathers. (violin bow string - wool clothing) .
It is not one particular species of insect. Bugs lay eggs, they hatch into worms(larvae) then they go into a shell (pupae)
then hatch into a grown insect(adult) . . usually a Moth or a Beetle.
Beetles that are notorious are Dermestid Beetles. . . .

Cedar wood blocks, or cedar chests (hope chests) can somewhat chase away adult moths , but not beetles so much.
Moth balls have an odor of Camphor, and will kill adult insects if trapped in a drawwer.
But as good as camphor is for protecting horn, it can cause old 1920's celluloid handle material to decompose.
And decomposing celluloid can rust out pre-stainless era knives. and give off fumes that rot other knives.
This is why it's best to individually wrap knives.

[jerryk25]

Depending on the bug bite "trail" and color of the horn. . .it might be repaired.
Dark horn requires only super glue and a sharpie black pen marker.
Thin layer of glue,(not a drop puddle) let dry, sandpaper in the direction of the horn grain.
mark with the marker, repeat glue layer.

If you have lighter and lighter horn, you can collect water colors (in skinny toothpaste tubes)
and you paint on color using a technique called "drybrush" . . .which is like when a paintbrush is running out of paint.
You paint colors in the direction of the horn grain, overlapping and sanding the colors.
You never apply a thick layer of paint, you mostly sand it off, and clear glue over it, and sand down the glue.
This developes a translucent layer that can blend into the existing horn color.

People who have patched autobody dents understand this. you alternate red paint and grey paint.
Each time you sand the bump, you get bands of color. . .the wider the band of color, the flatter and smoother the patch.

Below is an example of a bug bite paint and glue repair.
Show is the bug bite trail in a white area of horn.
Then a photo of the repair is shown.
If you look close, you can see the glue repair has completely buried the bottom scale pin.
and the dark horn below the bottom scale pin is now a lighter color.
the glue repair is semi transparent, I avoided making it as white as the original horn.

But, it is a preference, whether to repair or replace the horn.
If the knife is a cheap, made in Japan 1970's knife, go ahead and experiment.
But if you have a Coricama, or Latama, I'd send it away to be rebuilt. With quality material replacements.

[JulesVane]

Wonderful post! Thanks Jerry!

[TexasRed]

Jerry - THANK YOU!!! Awesome post with great info. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge.

[Tom19176]

Jerry great post and I see you are on fire here on TB since you joined !

[Panzerfaust]

I keep mine in sandwich baggies and haven't had any problems with bug bites.