Cleaning My Ang Kola

S

SkepJ

Joined
Feb 1, 2005
Messages
24
Recently I got a 15'' Ang Kola from H.I. and I've been extremely impressed with it. Certainly the finest knife I own.

Today I chopped down a five'' or so diameter tree with it, which is the cause of my problem: my knife's dirty and I cannot get it clean again. Before I started trying to wipe and rub off whatever is on the blade it was blackish-gray in color. It's not nearly so dark now, but no more will come off, even using dish soap and hot water. I cannot scratch it off with my fingernails either. I figure abrasive pads would work, but I don't want to mess up the mirror finish of the blade. I've dried the blade off to prevent it from rusting, but don't want to put another coat of oil on it until I can get it clean again. Any suggestions on how to clean the sap--or whatever it is--off the blade?

Thanks.
 
Sounds like the normal discoloration carbon steel gets when exposed to vegetable acids. Citrus and tomatoes are among the worst but it's common to get that discoloration from cutting weeds or trees too.

You'll need a polishing product like Flitz or similar to remove it.
 
Try some solvent like paint thinner, or acetone, or even WD-40. I've used a product called Goo-Gone to take chewing gum out of the clothes dryer.....twice.:grumpy: Then follow up with some metal polish, then oil it up. And be careful when scrubbing. One slip and :eek:

Steve
 
There's proprietary sprays which work well for the quick removal of plant resins. Good rub with Ballistol to follow.
 
Why?
the stains tell tales.
Certainly clean and oil Your new tool.
Polish if You wish.
Prior to the next job coat it with clear Kiwi shoe polish as recomended by Mrs. Martino's Father.
It is a tool after all. Allbeit with an incredible history.
Respectfully,
jack
 
There was a time when I too would have panicked over a little stain on the blade after use, but now I'd have to aggree with jack. If you intend to use it, it'll get dirty, scratched, and what have you. Think if it this way: the less pristine it becomes, the less hesitant you will be to have more fun with it!

If you want a khuk to stay pretty, either don't use it at all or subject it to the refinishing process in between uses. I'm lazy, so the latter smacks of too much work for me.
 
Wolf_1989 said:
Sounds like the normal discoloration carbon steel gets when exposed to vegetable acids. Citrus and tomatoes are among the worst but it's common to get that discoloration from cutting weeds or trees too.

You'll need a polishing product like Flitz or similar to remove it.
Click to expand...

HE IS CORRECT!!!!

FLITZ( OR ANOTHER GOOD METAL POLISH) WILL REMOVE IT RIGHT QUICK
 
I got a little tube of Flitz somewhere, but I can't be bothered looking for mine. ;-)

Learning to appreciate a nice patina just seems the path of least resistance, but some folks love that fresh mirror finish an want to maintain it.
 
my CAK is accumulating all kinds of marks and discolorations, just shows its a workin knife and not a mantle piece. just give the blade a good rub down with hot water and some dish soap, then rinse, dry it off very well and give it a good coat of some kind of oil to keep the rust away.
 
Repeat after me... the scotchbrite finish is your friend. Just bite the bullet and give it a nice satin finish with your abrasive pads, you'll be glad you did. Hard use khuks look better with a nice patina IMO. Or you can use Flitz, but eventually you'll be won over by the dark side of the patina. :cool:
 
I agree, the scotch brite satin finish is best for users, you can touch it up anywhere. And the patina will form eventually, so why fight it, it will help protect the blade from real rust.
 
Yep, users should have a satin finish, IMHO. U gave a few beautifully shiny khuks, but most every one of my users is either satin finished or blued.

...Or you could use Flitz;)

Jake
 
I picked up some scotchbrite sanding disks that fit on a 1/4" drill...can't wait to try 'em.
 
Thanks all. It looks nice now. Now that that's out of the way, what's a good way to get it hair-popping sharp? Do those knife sharpeners with the ceramic rods work on khukuris' curved blade? How do I use the chakmak to burnish the blade when it needs it? When does it need it, exactly?

I'm also having a bit of trouble with what I'm using to protect the blade from rust: vegetable oil. It causes the blade to stick-slip as I put it into the sheath, which has caused me to poke the sheath. No damage, but if I keep that up for years it eventually will. The stuff that came on it when I bought the knife didn't cause it to do that. What is the liquid that comes on the blade when it's new?
 
SkepJ said:
Thanks all. It looks nice now. Now that that's out of the way, what's a good way to get it hair-popping sharp? Do those knife sharpeners with the ceramic rods work on khukuris' curved blade? How do I use the chakmak to burnish the blade when it needs it? When does it need it, exactly?

I'm also having a bit of trouble with what I'm using to protect the blade from rust: vegetable oil. It causes the blade to stick-slip as I put it into the sheath, which has caused me to poke the sheath. No damage, but if I keep that up for years it eventually will. The stuff that came on it when I bought the knife didn't cause it to do that. What is the liquid that comes on the blade when it's new?
Click to expand...

Glad everything worked out for ya:) First of all, getting a khuk hair-popping sharp may not be the best edge for a chopping blade regarding durability or intended application . That said, I sharpen all of mine to said hair-popping sharpness. It's fun:D :thumbup:

You might search the the previous threads as well as check the FAQ on sharpening techniques. Many khuk lovers get there beauties sharpened by using a mouse pad that has sandpaper glued to it. They simply strop the blade on the paper. The mouse pad has a little "give" to it so that a properly formed convex edge is created. By going through finer and finer grit paper, the edge gets polished more than ground which results in a very sharp and durable edge:thumbup:

Me? I'm sort of lazy. I take a medium/fine stone to the khuks that don't come very sharp to sort of "rough out" an edge. Then I use a "toothy" butcher steel to sort of file the angel of the edge that I want. This usually results in a very sharp bur. Then I take a "worn out" butcher steel to try and smooth out the toothy roughness and knock off the bur. Then I take a very hard chakma (some are harder than others) and wipe down the edge of the khuk with the spine of the chakma. Don't be afraid to use pressure (but watch that you don't slip. Khuks bite pretty dang hard). Then I do the same thing with the flat of the chakma. Basically, I'm using progressively smoother and smoother steel to press the khuk edge into a workable edge for what I need (razor but not hair splitting). Finally, I follow up with a strop on leather loaded with jeweler's rouge. First I use the rough side of the leather to sort of polish out any left over teeth marks. Then I strop it on the smooth side for a final buff.

Works for me, anyway:)
 
Oh yeah, and you might try oiling the blade with mineral oil instead of veggie oil. It's cheap, protects the blade beautifully, and won't go rancid like an organic oil. Other's have their favorite types of oil, but I'm a cheapskate. Generic Baby oil is what I use.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top