I'm looking for a way to clean 2 old knives

[jmcbang]

I was recently given by my grandfather 2 old knives that he didn't want. Each where made out of a file years ago and neither have been cared for much. What is the best thing to use to clean up these knives? There is alot of rust and corrosive on each. Thanks for any help you guys can give.
Jmcbang

 

[Ash]

My Dad retores firearms, to clean them off he uses a mix of 1 part molasses to 12 parts water, lets the metal parts sit in that for a week or two and the rust is gone.

This treatment tends to leave quite an attractive dark grey patina on the metal. Its great for files/old tools so it should work like a charm here.

Make sure you remove or protect wooden parts before immersion.

Good luck.

 

[bob bowie]

Hi,

You should run a search in Mr. Levine's forum, as this topic has been discussed at length. I usually soak the blade in mineral oil, and then work through various grits of sand paper. Also, check out the Shop talk forum.

HTH.