Cleaning rust from an old knife?

[OmegaA]

I found a very strangely shaped folding knife in the field near my work. It is quite rusty inside though mechnism still works so I want to clean it up. I guess I should use some chemicals to do it because of extensive rust. Any recommendations on chemicals?
Thanks,

 

[Cougar Allen]

First, post pictures in The Bernard Levine Knife Collecting and Identification Forum and find out what this oddly shaped knife is.

Then, if it turns out it's not a valuable collector's item, go to The Toolshed: Knife Care, Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment to find out how to deal with the rust.

 

[rebeltf]

I found a very strangely shaped folding knife in the field near my work. It is quite rusty inside though mechnism still works so I want to clean it up. I guess I should use some chemicals to do it because of extensive rust. Any recommendations on chemicals?
Thanks,

After you do Cougars first recommendation , and if it just a knife that is not like some Mayan artifact or something worth $5000 if you had left it in it's present shape, you can soak it in some WD40 to loosen the rust , then maybe gently use a wire brush to see the extent of the damage/rust.
How far you go from there is up to you. If the blades are carbon steel and they are rusty , they may be badly pitted to the point that there is not much , if anything you can do cosmetically on it.

Bear in mind that if it still has scales on it , anything you use to clean it up may damage those worse.

 

[808jimmy]

Anybody did try --Rust Removal Using Electrolysis--

I did try it with some rusty garden tools and it work really well.

 

[raker]

Looks like if you reversed the polarity, you could plate it.

 

[Cougar Allen]

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Your diagram is backwards. That is the setup for plating.
Bill

 

[808jimmy]

I thought the positive to the electrode and the negative to the rusty part, but I might be wrong.