Is removing rust taboo for resale?

B

Barlowfan

Joined
Jun 9, 2013
Messages
7
Hi guys,
Long time lurker, first time poster :-). Anyway, I was at the flea market today, and bought around a 40 year old Imperial Ireland barlow knife, and it was in decent shape, I mean no play or krink in the blade, no cracks or anything in the handles. I doubt it's worth anything much and I probably won't sell it but is it frowned upon to remove the rust like they say on American Pickers all the time?

Thanks,
Brandon
 
If there's red rust on it, it'll likely continue to get worse over time, if left alone. Rust will trap & hold moisture and other stuff that allows more rust to form underneath it. The pitting will get deeper & deeper as a result. The red rust can be removed in such a way as to protect the 'patina' (black oxide) that otherwise is desirable on 'old' knives. Some very fine steel wool (#0000) and mineral oil or WD-40 would work to scrub the rust off, without really altering the patina on the rest of the knife. Once the blade is cleaned of the red rust, it can be oiled or waxed to protect it down the road (if keeping it as a display piece).

Red rust is destructive to blade steel, so I see no legitimate reason to leave it in place, even if the item is considered 'antique' or collectible. With knives, some collectible value will likely be lost if the black oxide (patina) is removed, either by buffing/polishing or sanding/grinding, leaving a 'shiny' appearance on the steel and therefore diminishing it's 'antique' character. I suspect that's most of the reasoning behind what you've heard from the 'expert' collectors, whomever they may be.

You might post some pics (closeup & clear) and this same question in Bernard Levine's sub-forum here on BF (link below). If there is any real collector value in your knife, he and others in that forum could give you some tips about how to go about cleaning it and protecting it. Whichever the case may be, I'd personally still worry about leaving any red rust on the knife, unless you can guarantee it'll never be further exposed to moisture or humid conditions, which will perpetuate the rusting problem.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/f...-Levine-s-Knife-Collecting-amp-Identification


David

P.S., Welcome to the forum, by the way. :)
 
The 'rust erasers' use abrasive (silicon carbide) that's pretty aggressive, so it'll leave some 'satin' scratching on blades. Not good, if the blade has a high-polish finish. They do remove rust easily, but I'd only reserve them for 'user' knives that you won't mind getting scratched.

I used a rust eraser to clean up an old Voss Cutlery Co. 'springer' knife (which was missing the spring), traded to me by a friend who found it on his property (long time on the ground). Heavily rusted, and I wasn't overly concerned about abrasive scratching, which turned out to be a good thing. It's cleaned up now, but with a slightly altered finish on the blade.

David
 
I think it completely depends on the opinion of the buyer. I see some knives that have been completely buffed shiny, and there are still legions of people who collect old knives that do not mind that one bit. It depends on how old, how rare, and how valuable the knife is. For an Imperial Ireland knife, I'd say make it look good.
 
I really appreciate the responses guys :-) jus looking around it seems like it's a $20 piece, so I'll probably remove the rust and keep it for edc. It's thinner than my Barlow-made Barlow and feels better in the pocket
 
I agree with Thawk - depends on the rarity and age of the knife and the type of buyer. I bought an older Case 6292 CV Texas Jack knife off an auction web site. From the pics it looked pretty flawless but when I got it, there were some small areas of pitting which were clearly the result of rust. However the blades had been shined and polished to like-new other than those pits, which were also shiny and rust free.

Well that was fine by me. It was priced like a user and less than most current production knives, and the handles and bolsters were flawless and the blade looked to have a factory edge. I'm guessing the rust occurred during storage or display rather than from use.

I wanted it for a user myself and I'm glad they had spiffed it up, saves me from having to do it myself.
 
All the previous responses are correct. However, I will add something in the mix for you to think about. It's an Imperial Ireland. Meaning, it's not particularly rare or valuable. Cleaning it up isnt going to change the value.
 
medicevans said:
All the previous responses are correct. However, I will add something in the mix for you to think about. It's an Imperial Ireland. Meaning, it's not particularly rare or valuable. Cleaning it up isnt going to change the value.
Click to expand...

That was my first inclination as well, although I don't have one of these old Imperials. Hence my relatively conservative/cautious advice in my earlier post. If there is some concern about preserving the 'antique' character of it (value or not), I'd still just focus on cleaning up the rust and leave be whatever patina may remain. If the plan is to make a user of it, do whatever works to clean it up to one's own satisfaction.


David
 
medicevans said:
All the previous responses are correct. However, I will add something in the mix for you to think about. It's an Imperial Ireland. Meaning, it's not particularly rare or valuable. Cleaning it up isnt going to change the value.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've been looking around a bit and figured as much. Definitely glad to know I'm not ruining it. :-)
 
medicevans said:
All the previous responses are correct. However, I will add something in the mix for you to think about. It's an Imperial Ireland. Meaning, it's not particularly rare or valuable. Cleaning it up isnt going to change the value.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've been looking around a bit and figured as much. Definitely glad to know I'm not ruining it. :-)
 
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