Recommendation? How to clean old IXL?

A

At1Rest

Joined
Apr 11, 2019
Messages
102
Hi there,
I found and old IXL George Wostenholm Sheffield England and wondered if someone can recommend a safe way to clean the metal scales?
There's a bit of crud down in there.

Thanks!

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IXL_1.JPG
 
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One might conclude you are sneaky hinting at an eBay sale of your knife...that might be frowned upon and fall under the "What's my knife worth?" umbrella. Might.

As for cleaning it, I would say the best way to is to not.
 
Thanks. Edited my post.

OK, So I'm keeping it and want the crud out of there for sure but don't want to damage the scales.
Would soaking it in Lestoil hurt anything?
How about a mineral oil bath for 24 hours?

I'm gonna run a Dremel 320 grit Scotch-brite brush on the blade then
grind out the chips and reshape the point on a 220 Edge Pro stone then go to a Spyderco Medium then to my black Arkansas.
 
The handle on these IXL knives is supposed to be black; careful not to over clean and make them bright metal.
Rich
 
Lestoil?!? There's something I haven't heard of in a while.

The mineral oil shouldn't hurt. Lestoil, I don't know.
 
marcinek said:
Lestoil?!? There's something I haven't heard of in a while.
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Yea. Me either until I saw someone recommend it for cleaning oil (probably motor oil) out of my old Arkansas stone when I rediscovered it. Dad's or Grand Fathers, but been in the house here forever.
It worked great on that. I just soaked the whole stone over night and then next day the Lestoil was dark brown and the stone was clean.
 
At1Rest said:
Yea. Me either until I saw someone recommend it for cleaning oil (probably motor oil) out of my old Arkansas stone when I rediscovered it. Dad's or Grand Fathers, but been in the house here forever.
It worked great on that. I just soaked the whole stone over night and then next day the Lestoil was dark brown and the stone was clean.
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Cool!
 
I use a tooth brush and soap and water. I've also soaked it in mineral oil, thothbrush scrubbed, then used soap and water. That gets off dirt and surface rust. Then after its dry, Flitz, maybe some sanfpaper if it's real bad and/or I want it prettier.

I did a cleaning job on the same basic knife, but with different covers. After i got the dirt out, it had no snap and was floppy. The dirt and rust was all that made it tight :) It was tight enough to pocket when bought, but not now, although it's no longer rusty.
 
lambertiana said:
This. Or mineral oil and a toothbrush.

I wouldn't take scotchbrite to the blade, only some 000 steel wool with WD-40 or mineral oil.
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Me either, I just don't get why people often feel the need to take abrasives to old tools and knives.
I guess people are so used to stainless steel that it's like think a knife has to be shiny to be useful.
 
Hickory n steel said:
Me either, I just don't get why people often feel the need to take abrasives to old tools and knives.
I guess people are so used to stainless steel that it's like think a knife has to be shiny to be useful.
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To quote a great man "Don't carry no ugly knife." :)

It has nothing to do with being "used to stainless steel", it has to do with restoration taken past the patina.

I have a carbon steel Western Boy Scout knife (bird/trout patter) that was bought new 45 years ago, used hard and often, but is still shiny because I polish and either oil or wax it after use. To me it's proper stewardship that avoids the need for restoration.
 
Warm water and soap/toothbrush. Rinse well and blow it dry with compressed air. Mineral oil. Sharpen and use.--KV
 
Just another thought if you do not want to lose the antique look of the knife. Soak the scales, one side at a time overnight in a shallow saucer. Mix, coke, molasses and a bit of vinegar and place in saucer so it will just cover the scales. Then lightly scrub with a soft bristle toothbrush.
 
On top of the other suggestions here, I'd try some rubbing alcohol and canned air first. Those are the two methods/substances that are least likely to damage or have any lasting negative effects on your knife, and they usually work well for me when I need to clean things. That said, if there is surface rust like others are saying, then you'll need something harsher to take care of it.
 
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