I don't think the Randall Shop would have been the right place to send the knife. I don't think their experience in "restoration" would apply here. Gary routinely turns away vintage knives sent in for refinish so as not to adversely affect their value.
The Grissom Astro needed to be "cleaned" by the removal of oxidation and mineral deposits. My guess is a good portion of this cleaning was done chemically which is reflected in the photos. I don't think the Randall shop has the facilities or abililty to tackle a project such as this. Museums have people that do this type of cleaning to various materials and it is a science.