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Removing pencil lead from blade
- Thread starter blade man
- Start date
If it's just graphite residue embedded in the porous surface of the steel, maybe WD40 will work. That's what I would try. An eraser would only work on the surface of the steel, it wouldn't get down into the microscopic pores/grain of the steel.
This reminds my of something- I once used a #2 pencil to draw a line along the blade of my Al Mar SERE Operator with S30V steel (it has sort of a rough ground surface). I was thinking or shortening the blade and I wanted to get an idea of what the blade would look like after.
When I rubbed the graphite off the blade, I noticed a clear scratch in the steel where the line was drawn (the entire length of the line). I assume that there was some kind of hard grit/impurity in the graphite that scratched the blade. There have also been times when I was drawing or writing with a #2 pencil and something very hard in the lead scratched the paper. Something to think about for those who sharpen their pencils with their knives and might want to avoid scratches.
This reminds my of something- I once used a #2 pencil to draw a line along the blade of my Al Mar SERE Operator with S30V steel (it has sort of a rough ground surface). I was thinking or shortening the blade and I wanted to get an idea of what the blade would look like after.
When I rubbed the graphite off the blade, I noticed a clear scratch in the steel where the line was drawn (the entire length of the line). I assume that there was some kind of hard grit/impurity in the graphite that scratched the blade. There have also been times when I was drawing or writing with a #2 pencil and something very hard in the lead scratched the paper. Something to think about for those who sharpen their pencils with their knives and might want to avoid scratches.
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- Apr 12, 2009
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- 13,495
Pencil lead is a proportioned mix of graphite and clay (as a binder/hardener). Different lead hardnesses (2H, HB, etc) use different proportions of each. More clay w/less graphite = 'harder' lead with a lighter line drawn; less clay w/more graphite = 'softer' lead with a darker line. The clay might be responsible for scratches left on blades.
To scrub off the pencil lead, I'd likely just use a little bit of metal polish (Flitz, Simichrome, Mother's Mag, etc). Scrubbing with some baking soda might also work; that's a good method for scrubbing rust out of pits in steel. The 'grit' of the metal polish or the baking soda can more easily get down into the 'pores' of the steel to dislodge what's in there. Might try the baking soda first, if you don't want to leave a bright/shiny spot behind (as the polish will do).
David
To scrub off the pencil lead, I'd likely just use a little bit of metal polish (Flitz, Simichrome, Mother's Mag, etc). Scrubbing with some baking soda might also work; that's a good method for scrubbing rust out of pits in steel. The 'grit' of the metal polish or the baking soda can more easily get down into the 'pores' of the steel to dislodge what's in there. Might try the baking soda first, if you don't want to leave a bright/shiny spot behind (as the polish will do).
David
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