how to clean this knife?

F

fan of fanboys

Joined
Feb 14, 2014
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So when I was a kid we lived in the Philippines.

My dad got this knife there at some point and I have now. Blade is right at 12" long and overall length is 17"

Wood is mahogany. No idea on steel or HT or anything like that. Not sure this is even a way to find this info?

I have no way to know if this is a high-quality knife worth a quality restore or if it is some cheap junk, do I?

I would like to clean it up some though. What is the easiest way to clean the steel up? I do not need a mirror finish or anything. Just make look respectable

http://i.imgur.com/viERKvu.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/tCjU7VS.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/voVX9Jw.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/YYvSdKN.jpg
 
YYvSdKN.jpg
 
All I see on this blade is some patina, and nothing that needs cleaning off.
If I were you all I'd do is scrub it with soap & water and just sharpen it.
 
Is that a wood scabbard? Cool. Its in pretty good shape, i'd say a soft rag with your choice of metal polish will clean up the blade nicely (Flitz or Mother's are brands I use on many things). The wood, maybe wipe it down with some Tru Oil or something, perhaps you will hear more about cleaning and polishing the wood in the other section of the forum from people who are better at it than I. It looks like you dont have a long way to go to get it looking good again. Remember to post pics of your finished work!
 
Yep. Take it from an idiot who ruined a couple family heirlooms. Leave it alone. Its beautiful just the way it is. Cleaning it or polishingg it will only remove years of character.
 
Looks like it originally had a satin finish. Most metal polishes will result in a shiny finish, or will at least make it less satin-y.

I would first try a metal cleaner like Bar Keeper's Friend powder, on a wet paper towel or cloth, and work a small area first to see what the result is, maybe in the flat of the tang where it meets the handle., or that big black area on the left side of the blade. If the results are promising, try other areas. I would use light pressure to avoid potentially creating scratches.

If you want to go with a polished finish, then you could try a metal polish like Wenol, Simichrome, or Flitz.

I don't know for sure, but it LOOKS like a relatively inexpensive knife and not a truly valuable heirloom. However, if it's something that reminds of your father, then that makes it valuable to you.
 
Mo2 said:

also found this which is different than what you want to do but you can probably get a similar result, no?
https://www.australianbladeforums.c...removed-sunday-project.html?32600=#post300264
Click to expand...
When did Jun get a second cat?? Never mind, I guess I don't follow his other channel enough to keep up with the cats - they have 3 now.

But note that what he ends up with is a mirror polished knife. If you want THAT, it's easier to accomplish than maintaining the satin finish. Just keep polishing with finer and finer abrasives.
 
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