I would love to find a 225Q in the $30-50 range that did not look like it had been run over by a landing craft and left in the surf for 70 years...
1066Vik, I really owe you one. If you/i find a decent 225Q, I will restore it for you and send it back if you would like... I will keep my eye out for a nice one that I can fix up if you are interested.. If I find a good deal on one that is saveable, I will snatch it up.
I use these products:
**Loctite Naval Jelly: 6-10$This is acidic, and will loosen up the hardened black oxides so you can better remove them with abrasives; a pink jelly that you use in controlled applications with an abrasive. It is essentially a mild/medium strength Phosphoric acid mixture. Apply with a Q-tip or straw to Pits in knife or entire blade and let sit until the outsides of the pink gel starts to turn a light translucent brown (about ten minutes) Then use an abrasive such as metal finish pad or steel wool to buff at the oxides. Rinse with warm water and dry with paper towel, then buff with steel wool or metal finish pad (Wet/Dry paper is the best for this). Repeat until you get desired result, It works to loosen oxides. After your rinse with water, wipe down with K1 Kerosene.
**A brass gun cleaning specialties brush (1-3$, available at a gun specialties/reloading store or cheaper than dirt. Do not use this as an abrasive with Phosphoric acid products (Navel Jelly or Milder and less effective CLR), or whilst you apply them, as the acid will dissolve the brass onto the steel and leave a yellowish anodized look. Brush over red or black oxides with gentle to medium pressure to remove them before you apply acids. This is really effecting for pitting or getting the oxides out of the stamps of blades. Will also remove hardened black oxides from "pits" in blades) This is HARDER than the black/red oxides (rust), but softer than the steel itself, which means it will remove oxides but wont scratch the steel itself(black and red patina and exfoliate pits) For deeper pitting, use a harder steel gun brush - But keep in mind you will need to use a Wet/Dry paper for final refinish on the blade.
**Metal Finishing pad: (1-3$ You use this as a heavy abrasive, to buff out the larger scratches and imperfections such as "pits" created from long exposure to oxides on the steel, with enough elbow grease you can buff out anything with this. It is about four times as abrasive as steel wool, and just as versatile, also will not oxidize like steel wool)
**Black Sandpaper in 600grit wet/dry, and 2000grit wet/dry: (5-12$ You use the 600grit wet/dry for medium polish with grain, and 2000grit wet/dry for satin/mirror polish with Flitz Metal polish)
**K1 Kerosene (relatively cheap, and available at your local gas station. This works as an excellent penetrant. You use this to clean knives after using anything acidic; such as naval jelly, clr ect... Keep in mind that K1 Kerosene is a "petrollium distillate". Petrollium distillates will darken leather and wood if applied to them, so demonstrate proper care when applying them to knives/guns with wood parts. I keep a mason jar of K1 Kerosene at all times. It works great and is cheap. If you are very worried about the wood on your firearm/knife, use a german gun cleaning solvent called Ballistol. Ballistol is another excellent penetrant that is good for both wood and steel on guns and knives and safe to use on both. What I mean by penetrant for those who read this that do not know or aren't as familiar is that it penetrates into the acid (Which soap and water does not quite do) and prevents it from oxidizing or eating away at the metal, and leaves the metal neutral after a couple wipe downs. You do this after you treat with any phosphoric acids or acidic products in restorations... Ballistol is 8-10$ a can and found at **some gun specialties stores)
**SNO-SEAL (For all leather restoration needs. A beeswax product that will make old dried and cracked up leather new and pliable again. Contains silicon, I have noticed it will darken leather just a bit like Rem Oil, well worth the tie and money. Will swell up dried and cracked stacked leather washers on a hidden tang knife as well. Safe for metal, unlike most leather conditioning products. Apply product with a rag liberally, and heat with a blow drier on medium-low heat. One technique I use is to spread gobs of sno seal onto the handle, wrap with aluminum foil as to keep the melted wax in, and leave the blow drier blowing onto the foil for 10-15 minutes on low-medium heat and then turn off the drier and let the wax and knife cool under the foil. This will work in as much product as possible, may take a couple applications)
**Rem Oil gun cleaner (6-8$ for a large spray can at most everywhere. Rem Oil is a gun cleaner and oil. Pretty nice stuff. It is a petrollium distillate, so use caution with wood FYI. Rem Oil is a dry feeling oil, that is not sticky or wet feeling to the touch. It does however have a sticky quality to it; it gathers lint like no other oil does. Some folks hate this about Rem Oil and to those that want an oil that does not collect lint Go with Hoppes Weathergaurd, which is better than Rem Oil (gander mountain, bass pro, specialties stores) Just apply to steel and wipe with rag/paper towel)
**00,01 Steel Wool (This will let you get into the hard to reach places of a knife; liner, frame, lock mechanisms ect and is cheap and available just about everywhere)
Here is some more of my work:
I made the handle of this out of aluminum breaker bars and 3/16" pivot screws. Old German Okapi.
(Unfinished Okapi Ratchet Knife)
(Unfinished Okapi Ratchet Knife)
(Rehandled and Finished Okapi Ratchet Knife; used metal finishing pad, steel wool, Rem Oil on blade)
(Rehandled and Finished Okapi Ratchet Knife) Made new handle from 3 aluminum breaker bars with 3/16" pivot screws.
(Rehandled and Finished Okapi Ratchet Knife)
.
