Help needed with stained blade

Patrice Lemée

Patrice Lemée

Joined
Aug 13, 2002
Messages
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My brother left one of his knives with some water on it for a few days.
It resulted in some stains. Anyone has an idea on how to remove them without damaging the sandblasted finish? I think he tried flitz sp? but it did not work.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Patrice
 

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Check your local yellow pages for chemical supply houses. I used to work at one; we sold it for rust-removal and water-treatment. This is the first source I found on google... $14/pound seems like a lot, but a little goes a long way. (it comes in crystal form that you mix with water) Wear your respirator and gloves.
 
why dont you just go over it in a bead blast cabinet. surely somebody you know has one..
 
I have reservations about how well it will work on the blade, but oxalic acid is readily available in the hardware stores and lumber yards. It is sold a s wood bleach for decks, and as stain remover for rust stained concrete.
Stacy
 
bladsmth said:
I have reservations about how well it will work on the blade, but oxalic acid is readily available in the hardware stores and lumber yards. It is sold a s wood bleach for decks, and as stain remover for rust stained concrete.
Stacy
Click to expand...

I'm with Stacy on this one. You might wind up with instant rust.

On a side note, Sany Morrissey pointed me to oxalic acid a few years ago. It is THE ticket for removing dirt smudges from natural colored leather sheaths prior to dying them or putting a finish coat on them.

Sorta like Brylcream....... "A little dab will do ya". (if you are old enough to remember those things:D)

Robert
 
Robert Dark said:
I'm with Stacy on this one. You might wind up with instant rust.
Click to expand...

Really? We sold it expressly for removing rust and had customers that swore by it. :confused: IIRC it's also a component in cleansers like Barkeeper's Friend for getting rust/calcium/lime stains off of sinks and whatnot.

Then again, I didn't know it was used as a wood bleach or leather cleaner either. :o Hope I didn't steer anyone down the wrong path.
 
Anytime I want to remove rust I usually start with a pencil eraser, if that did not work I next try a cratex block. If that did not work I would probably just throw it in my bead blast cabinet and call it done.
Chris
 
Scrub it with a thick paste of baking soda and water. Scrub the paste in with your fingers. Rinse and oil the blade.
Erasers are abrasive and will change the surface texture of the blade.
 
Oxalic acid is a great rust stain remover and bleaching agent....from things with rust stains on them. Concrete, darkened stainless steel,porcelain,leather, etc. However, putting any acid directly on non-stainless steel will cause a reaction with the iron ( what the oxalic acid binds with in "RUST" removal). This may create a darker area, a pit, or more rust? I don't know, but would try it on a rusty junk shop knife before putting it on a good blade.As I recall ,oxalic acid is several hundred,maybe a thousand times as reactive as vinegar.( Just looked it up....3000 times stronger) I also seem to remember that oxalic acid is used in some rustproofing solutions. It reacts with the iron and forms an insoluble oxide layer similar to what phosphoric acid and selenicic acid do (like gun bluing). This is done by converting the rust (Fe2O3) into black iron oxide (Fe3O4). Possibly the industrial process used to make black iron pipe.

Concentrated oxalic acid should be handled just like muriatic acid....carefully. It dissolves marble, stone, wood,clothes, and flesh....and probably eats steel.
Stacy
 
Thanks guys, I'll pass this along since he doesn't frequent this board as often as I do.
I think we'll try the less corrosive options first.

Thanks again.

Patrice
 
Don't hold me to it but I think it's the primary ingredient in CLR.
 
if there is no surface finish.. then a lite rub with ultrafine pumice powder and a soft cloth will do some good..

its also used by conservators..


;)
 
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