How to clean Great Grandfathers Italian knife

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KnifeQuestions32

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Nov 25, 2018
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I have this old Italian 1939 Pugnale da Combattimento that was passed down to me from my great grandpa who fought in WWI (he was black and fought for the USA btw). After days of searching i resorted to bladeforum and found out what model it was. The knife is pretty sharp but is very old and rusted ( I will post a video of it below), for my great grandpa i'd love to restore it and i have an idea of how to do it thanks to a helpful comment on my last thread. But to make sure i dont damage the knife i want to make sure i know the best way to clean it. So far im told to use 0000 steel wool and oil and to rub gently up and down the blade (oh and if you guys have and idea of what metal it is made out of that would help, thanks). I also wonder how it came into his possesion since it was italian issue. Tell me your suggestion on how to clean it so i can be sure to do whats best for the knife. Anything helps, thanks.
 
For cleaning it, the suggestion of #0000 steel wool with some light oil is a sound suggestion, as it'll remove active rust without damaging the patina.

The specific steel grade is virtually impossible to tell for certain without getting it professionally tested, but it's probably a low-alloy high-carbon steel along the lines of the 10XX series.
 
Use the steel wool dry. Then, flush the blade with WD 40. Let it sit for a day or so, then wipe it down well, Use the steel wool again, then WD40, sit, wipe. When you stop getting rust on your wiping rag, stop the process.
Leave the handle alone.
 
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