Patina removal

I used CLR recently and it was nothing more than wipe on and wipe off. It instantly cleaned all the patina. I also had a pepper spot on another knife. I thought I'd try it on it and it worked instantly. I put my CLR in a spray bottle. I did nothing more than spray it on a paper towel, wipe the knife, and wash it afterwards. I knew it would work, I just had no idea how well it would.

Another great item is Cape Cod Cloth or Cartier's Cleaning Cloth. These cloths will also help out swirls on bolsters and such. If you use them on your jewlery, it will look much better. I wipe afterwards with a clean micro fiber towel.

All the options I listed are not abrasive and will leave factory finishes, which is why I chimed in. I have no idea of how etching will stand up to any of those products. I know several members have asked how to get rid of etching, and I'd bet, those cloths would get rid of etching.
 
HST said:
I used CLR recently and it was nothing more than wipe on and wipe off. It instantly cleaned all the patina. I also had a pepper spot on another knife. I thought I'd try it on it and it worked instantly. I put my CLR in a spray bottle. I did nothing more than spray it on a paper towel, wipe the knife, and wash it afterwards. I knew it would work, I just had no idea how well it would.

Another great item is Cape Cod Cloth or Cartier's Cleaning Cloth. These cloths will also help out swirls on bolsters and such. If you use them on your jewlery, it will look much better. I wipe afterwards with a clean micro fiber towel.

All the options I listed are not abrasive and will leave factory finishes, which is why I chimed in. I have no idea of how etching will stand up to any of those products. I know several members have asked how to get rid of etching, and I'd bet, those cloths would get rid of etching.
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Hm. CLR is everywhere, I guess I just never thought to use it. It's cheap enough and easy to find, why not?

I'll add that anything that will take the swirls out of silver is abrasive, but you kind of want it to be. Even the lauded flitz is abrasive. Paper towels are an abrasive! You'd just have to dedicate yourself to hundreds of hours of polishing before you notice any erosion. ;)
 
These eraser blocks WILL alter the finish on a polished blade, making it more 'satin' instead. If the blade is already satin, no big deal. But the change to a mirror-polished blade will be obvious; so, if wanting to remove patina from a previously polished blade, you might be disappointed with the finish left. The fact that it removes oxide from the blade, i.e., 'patina', is proof of it's abrasiveness. These blocks are usually made with silicon carbide grit, which is about 4X as hard as most cutlery steels, in a rubbery binder. Just a heads-up...


David
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
These eraser blocks WILL alter the finish on a polished blade, making it more 'satin' instead. If the blade is already satin, no big deal. But the change to a mirror-polished blade will be obvious. The fact that it removes oxide from the blade, i.e., 'patina', is proof of it's abrasiveness. These blocks are usually made with silicon carbide grit (about 4X as hard as most cutlery steels) in a rubbery binder. Just a heads-up...

David
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Piggy backing here- even with softer approaches, keep your applicator clean! It's easy to knock off some rust and swirl it around, making little scratches.
 
All good info here. Yes...obviously the super eraser is an abrasive! I go over my blades and bolsters with a polishing compound when I'm done with the eraser.


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I use Simichrome polish or Mother's Mag Polish. Has always worked for me. Most of my carbon steel blades have a polished finish.
 
Another vote for Flitz. I like it because you can leave a slight patina or remove it all together. Just depends on how much you use.
 
Looks great wtlj :thumbup:
I may have to give that a go on some of my blades.
I find myself a big fan of Flitz and like arrowhd said you can create your own desired depth of patina
 
I use my loaded strop usually.

I've taken my own patina off too, not just new to me users.
 
Wilted Kilt said:
I'll add that anything that will take the swirls out of silver is abrasive, but you kind of want it to be. Even the lauded flitz is abrasive. Paper towels are an abrasive! You'd just have to dedicate yourself to hundreds of hours of polishing before you notice any erosion. ;)
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Everything is an abrasive in the physical world. Even water nature's lubricant can wear away at a rocks. That's 1/100 of the equivalent of what a Cape Cod cloth or Cartier's cloth does to items they polish. So in other words, we'd never see in our lifetimes the diminishing of metal or precious metals using such products. In the end, everything that is a physical substance is an abrasive.
 
Update: I tried the eraser block to take off some spots developing on my GEC 77 Barlow. It worked really well, but I'd caution anyone using these to rub with the direction of the grind (perpendicular to the spine), as the eraser will leave swirls if you press hard enough.
 
I've been using rust erasers for years. I think I got my first one from SMKW back in the late 90's. They do work very well for removing rust, or for my particular need, removing bead blasting that encourages rust like crazy.

It is terribly abrasive though. I normally just use Simichrome polish for removing patina, and break out the rust eraser if I need to add a satin finish to a polished blade, or remove some pitting in carbon steel.
 
HST said:
I used CLR recently and it was nothing more than wipe on and wipe off. It instantly cleaned all the patina. I also had a pepper spot on another knife. I thought I'd try it on it and it worked instantly. I put my CLR in a spray bottle. I did nothing more than spray it on a paper towel, wipe the knife, and wash it afterwards. I knew it would work, I just had no idea how well it would...
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I'd be careful with CLR it may be too powerful for some things.

The website for CLR states "CLR can not only remove the finish off of brass, aluminum and copper, but can also pit certain grades of brass, copper and aluminum." It also states "We do not recommend putting CLR in a spray bottle. CLR is acidic in nature and the solution could "spray back" on your clothes or in your eyes or can get on materials it's not intended to be used on."
 
Well the OP has convinced me I received my Super Eraser this morning. I have a couple of CV Case knives that have acquired a bit of red rust. I will see what the eraser will do with it tonight. Here is my new eraser with what I normally use depending how bad it is. Mother's, Flitz, micro fiber cloth, toothbrush, 1200 grit sandpaper, and Green compound.


 
brownshoe said:
I'd be careful with CLR it may be too powerful for some things.

The website for CLR states "CLR can not only remove the finish off of brass, aluminum and copper, but can also pit certain grades of brass, copper and aluminum." It also states "We do not recommend putting CLR in a spray bottle. CLR is acidic in nature and the solution could "spray back" on your clothes or in your eyes or can get on materials it's not intended to be used on."
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I always test first on a small inconspicuous spot. I also always spray outside on a yard drain or in my sink. I've been doing this for years. I even keep diluted solutions in separate bottles.

As far as knives, I make sure there's no CLR residue left. Not risking my knives.

Don't do this and don't so that is like substances that cause cancer in California. Common sense goes a long way...
 
r redden said:
Well the OP has convinced me I received my Super Eraser this morning. I have a couple of CV Case knives that have acquired a bit of red rust. I will see what the eraser will do with it tonight. Here is my new eraser with what I normally use depending how bad it is. Mother's, Flitz, micro fiber cloth, toothbrush, 1200 grit sandpaper, and Green compound.


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Randy, I meant to tell you the other day, thanks for posting this photo! My Black Cherry #14 TC Barlow that I've been carrying a bit had developed some pepper spots on the bolster, and while I'm fond of patina, I didn't particularly like the look of those spots. I had looked at the big hardware retailers for one of those rust erasers, without any luck, and was thinking about ordering one, but when I saw this photo you posted, I thought, "Hey, I have a strop and plenty of green compound, that might work." Sure enough, it did the job in seconds! Worked perfectly! :thumbup:
 
I used an eraser to clean up a 60's era Craftsman carpenters knife. Along with removing discoloration and rust, it also removed the etching on the blade. You can still see the word "carpenter" on the blade if you hold it just right. I've never cared for etching on a blade so it's no big deal to me. If the knife had any value I'm sure "cleaning it up" ruined it.
 
Patina is personal, I think. If you don't like what came with the knife, starting over to make your own isn't a crime.
 
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