cleaning knives

M

muskrat man

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Is there any effective way to clean knives? I'm talking about knives with large black spots on the blade(s) where rust used to be. What do you find is the best way to do this? I doubt there is any way to do this without removing frosting. But Was wondering, as I have picked up knives in the past that were in nasty looking shape, and you can usually get these knives cheap and was wondering if there was any way to clean them up to look nice.
thanks for listening
MM
 
The way various people clean or treat there knives is a very personal subject. There are many products and many methods. I am sure that you will get a myriad of answers in my case I vary what I do with what condition the knife is in and what the knife is, these methods vary widely so I choose at this point not to generalize. It really depends on what I want to do. However on this subject I do want to offer one suggestion. before cleaning or even buying a knife needing special care there is one tool that is an absolute necessity. An eye loop or good magnifier. Before deciding how you want to correct a problem it is imperative you know what the problem is. A product like Flitz is different from one like Metal Glo, White lightning is not the same as WD-40 . Sometimes the answer needs to be mechanical polishing and buffing which opens up a world of grits, belts, pads, you name it. The black spots you mention can sometimes be buffed or polished out but whether you should even attempt to do so depends first on the knife and second what and how bad the spots are. This can only be determined by what the problem is and to this end the eye loop or magnifier is indispensible. With time and experience it is possible to distinguish the correct procedure just from having encountered it before or being able to explain the exact condition to someone else who has addressed the condition before. Is the knife pitted, is there an etch inbolved. Is the knife a rarity what kind of a finish is desired satin, high polish. Original or crispy ( that is a joke ), Original or a different finish. Personally I have found that a scotchbrite medium wheel is about the best all around tool I have found. LT
 
thanks for the reply LT,
I don't have any bufers or similar power tools. I have in the past used scotchbrite pads and very fine grit sandpaper, but if there is an etch involved you can kiss it good bye. Most of the knives I find dont have etches on them anyway.
Many thanks for the information that you have provided me.
MM
 
I agree with what LT has said. This subject always comes up, and as Rich has said, there are a variety of answers that will come out.

The important thing to think of is, what does that knife mean to you? Is it a collector piece, or is it an edc. That will usually answer your question as to how you will approach any cleaning / restoring.

For some knives, simply removing years of patina will drastically reduce the value (like those fools on Antiques Roadshow that polish that brass lamp cause "it looked dirty" :D )

I like to use a system I consider "stabalizing". To me, this is the stopping of any further deterioration of the piece. If the knife is a user, than I will do anything to it that I deem necessary. Other wise, I do only what is necessary to maintain the stability of the knife.

I typically use buffing wheels and compounds for stubborn stains, and for general cleaning inside the knife, toothpicks (no pun, phil), dental floss, pipe cleaners, dental picks, small screwdrivers, etc. Just be careful not to scratch anything.

Not sure if this is what you were looking for, have fun and good luck.

Glenn
 
thanks glenn,
Exactly what i'm lookng for, between the two of you you answered my questions. many thanks guys
 
MM,

I'll suggest you pick up a bottle of mineral oil (In dire times it can be used as a laxative by us OLDER guys... :o ) at the drugstore. It is cheap, $1-$2 a bottle. It can be used to soak natural scale materials (bone, stag, wood) or for any knife that is slightly rusted shut or really "Gunked" (it that a word?) up, and hard to open. Just enough to cover the scales, leave it a couple hours, wipe off excess (you can also blow it out with canned air), and the scales should look good. If it's the pivot area, after it soaks awhile, work the action some, then clean it up. I use small eyemakeup sponges on a stick that look like little barbells, that I get at the beauty supply store, ( watch the wisecracks.. :D ) to get in between the liners and in the joints. They are flexible, and don't scratch or leave "trailers" like a QTip might. Plus, you can check out the babes in the beauty supply shop when buying them... :thumbup:
Pipecleaners work pretty well too.

The tiny bit of oil that might be left in the joints is not a bad lubricant either.

There are about a shabbadabbazillion (courtesy of my daughter) cleaners and lubes out there, so to each his own, of course. Just one way to skin a Muskrat.....OOOPS, sorry. :eek:

Bill
 
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