Cleaning up old machete, puzzled?

[gypsum]

Ive just cleaned the rust off an old machete, but it's still got this wierd black stuff on it that wont come off by sanding, does anyone have any suggestions what it is and how to clean it off, is there some sort of acid or something I need to rub on it?

Cheers.

 

[Doug C]

Welcome to BladeForums! Is it a smooth surface? Pitting? Could be some kind of patina!?

 

[Walking Man]

Is it some kind of coating? A lot of folks here have had luck with some kind of paint stripper. Maybe someone else will chime in and give you a more specific answer.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Heavily rusted blades often have deep pits and the rust will be black and hard. The sandpaper won't even hit it until you basically bring the entire surface down to that depth. You can use an acid to remove it, there are lots of chemical rust removers, this however will make it more likely to rust in the future while the black oxidization is fairly stable.

-Cliff

 

[DGG]

You could put a steel wire wheel in your power drill and wire brush the whole blade until it is sparkly! Then hit it with some Breakfree CLP to prevent further corrosion.

Usually machetes are not the real quality steel and have to be frequently sharpened (I put a small stone in your pocket and give the machete blade a couple of licks a couple of times or more an hour).