M43 rust flecks on buttcap: advice please

A

Amko

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Jun 15, 2017
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So the M43 reached Canada safe and it turns out that there are rust spots on the buttcap!

This is a first for me since I am paranoid about rust for some reason and pride myself in not having any on my khukuris in spite of India's extended monsoon this year.

May I please request a step by step rust removal technique?

Will also scan the forums but really keen on hearing from you, Bawanna! Thanks in advance!
 
Get some metal polish. Folks have their favorites and I have been using simichrome at the advice of helpful forumites. Polish it up with some elbow grease and then coat all the metal with mineral oil or 3n1 oil. I like to soak wood handles in mineral oil for a few days for all my new knives. Coat with Hooflex for horn handles. Store all kukri out of their sheath.

Kamis use really tough steel (usually salvaged from vehicle leaf springs). Its good stuff and wears well, but its not a stainless steel so it will rust if you dont take care of it.
 
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This is actually good news, as it means your buttcap is steel instead of the more common "white metal," which wouldn't rust. Not that it makes much difference, but I prefer a steel bolster and buttcap. It's stronger and it matches the blade. You can test for steel with a magnet.

Any metal polish should remove the rust spots, if it's surface rust. I like Flitz myself, as it is easily available and won't spoil even a highly polished blade (or buttcap in this case). If there is pitting you can polish it up as best you can, but to remove the pitting you sand the surface, using a grit rough enough to get down to smooth metal, then progressively finer sandpaper and finally metal polish to get back the original finish. It's soft steel, so sanding is pretty easy. I usually start with 220 grit or higher, since you don't want to scratch the metal any more than necessary.

After that, avoid moisture and coat blade, handle and buttcap with mineral oil or equivalent.
 
Thanks Mateos and David

I guess it's reassuring that the buttcap is steel - and will see about that multi grit sandpaper and metal polish.
 
Obviously the QA on this Khukuri escaped Aunties usually eagle eye else she would have advised that this was a blem/ DOTD?
 
Amko said:
Obviously the QA on this Khukuri escaped Aunties usually eagle eye else she would have advised that this was a blem/ DOTD?
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My guess is that the rust occurred while the khukuri was in the packaging during shipping and customs clearance. A little condensation from the temperature change (especially if there was bubble wrap to hold the moisture), and perhaps some accidental fingerprints on parts of the knife that could have benefitted from more oil for the transport.

My first khukuri came from a maker other than HI, and the blade arrived rusty. I blamed the residual moisture in the sheath wood, combined with a tight wrapping of plastic. The rust cleaned up okay.
 
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Thanks for sharing Mr Tall! That's good to know. Would you advise me as to how best to clean the buttcap rust free without using harsh abrasives? Would the Coke and tinfoil scrub technique on YouTube work?

Edit: flecks appear tiny but are numerous.
 
You could start with some 4/0 steel wool and a little oil.
If you have access to a buffer or polishing wheel, its a 30 second job.
Steve Tall nailed it especially with finger prints. Some people apparently have a very acidic make up in their bodily fluids.

I am blessed that I don't have that but I always take a silicone cloth and wipe down any gun or knife I handle. I especially wipe them down when somebody else handles them.

I store out of sheath and use regular car wax on most of mine that I look at more than use. The users get oil.

I remember a post from far back where someone asked Uncle Bill what Khukri's in Nepal looks like.

His answer was "Rusty".
 
I agree with all of the above. The order i would recommend: Start with the polish first and see what results you get. If its not enough then go with 4 ought wool. Then if that dont work try the papers. Start with 600-800 first. You can always back up to 220 or 400 if needed. A dremel with polishing disk does wonders on a low budget for small stuff like that. For final polish before the flitz/semichrome etc. I use one of them scotchbrite 3000 grit pads you find at the auto parts store. They work best if they have been used some. I keep a new one and a worn out one for final polish. Gets you to a mirror finish. Thats for a low budget hand polish on small areas. For blades and larger areas forget all that stuff. Get you some machines!
 
Amko said:
Would you advise me as to how best to clean the buttcap rust free without using harsh abrasives? Would the Coke and tinfoil scrub technique on YouTube work?
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ndoghouse covered everything I know (and more). I'd be leery of using Coke, because it's acidic.
 
Thanks much everyone...the M43 is with a friend in Canada. Will let him know to start with the metal polish first, then steel 4-0 wool/oil then sandpaper and so on. Will update.
 
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