Photos How (or Should) I remove pitting on a blade?

M

Matthew H

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Feb 4, 2013
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I picked up an "old file handmade" kitchen knife. I am planning to rehandle it. Then return it to service. There's pitting on one side of the blade.

I initially tried the other night to remove the pitting by handing sanding w/ 60 grit sand paper. After an hour's work, it seemed like I made no progress. The results are in the pictures.

In thinking about it, should I remove this pitting? If so, what is a better way to go about it?

Photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Dp3JzytNRX5zB7zj6
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ou5ow1GvM63nU3z36
 
Hi Matthew,

Thats a devent amount of pitting... its is going to take a lot of elbow grease to do this by hand. A beltgrinder will be much faster, but than you must have a beltgrinder and some skill... :)
When handsanding, 60 grit is fine to start with. Make sure to clamp the knife down so you don't need to hold it and you have 2 hands to sand it. Use a sandingblock or a piece of wood to keep the bevel flat. Unless the bevel is somewhat convex, use something more flexible. When all the pitting is gone, go up in the grits.

You can also leave the pitting... soak it in vinegar for a day or so to get the rust residue off. Buff it and clean the edge up with handsanding. Put on a nice ebony or bone handle. It will look rustic and old... but thats what it is, i guess.:D

Good luck!
 
Pitting that deep must be ground, or draw-filed off.
You could just leave it.
 
On an old knife like that, I'd leave it. It's part of the history & character of the knife. Removing absolutely all of the pitting would take a LOT of work and leave the blade looking pretty plain, erasing most of that character. Depending on the depth of the pitting, you might also find the blade a lot thinner than anticipated, and weaker after grinding it all away, depending on how deep you have to go.

I'd just focus on making sure there's no red rust living within the pitting itself. Scrub the pits with something like a wire brush or steel wool and some mineral oil or WD-40. Beyond that, just keep the blade clean & dry between uses, maybe even oil it with a food-safe oil to keep the rust at bay. In food use, acids & salts will do the most damage, if the blade isn't cleaned right away after use.
 
There's some good advice here. I think I'll clean it but otherwise leave the pitting alone. I hadn't considered a bone handle; but I can see it. Thanks for all the responses.
 
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