My Grandpa's Old Timer

[Raignis]

This was my Grandpa's old timer that I've had for a number of years and I need to clean it some. I've been reading this morning about cleaning the joints and inside it. The question I have is about the coloring on the blade. Is that a patina? I've read that it helps to protect the blade and just adds character. Using WD40 to clean the rest of it won't affect that coloring? After the cleanup, it's going to need a good sharpening as well.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

If the color is grey or black (maybe blue/purple), it's likely a harmless patina. You might rub the blade with a white pencil eraser; see if anything rubs off onto it. If you see red or brown, it's likely rust. Sometimes the red/brown rust can 'hide' amongst the patina, so the eraser-rubbing is an easy way to see if it's there. The red or brown rust can also be more easily seen under very bright light with a magnifier, if it isn't otherwise obvious.

WD-40 or mineral oil and some fine steel wool works well to scrub away the red rust, without doing much or any damage to the patina. If you're going to clean up the knife, you could use baking soda + water, mixed to a paste, to scrub the blade. The baking soda is a mild abrasive, and will do a good job scrubbing the rust away, without being aggressive enough to remove any firmly-set black/grey patina.


David