How To Rust
- Thread starter Sparks24
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sgt1372
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2018
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It depends.
If it's a "user," yes. No problem.
If it's a "collectable," it depends on it's age and whether you care about how much you might reduce the value of the knife by "cleaning" it.
For older/ancient knives that might be eligible for inclusion in a museum collection, I'd say absolutely not.
But, for most, modern knives, I don't think it would matter using a rust remover to remove the visible rust but polishing out the corrosion might not be the best idea especially if it's going to change the finish but a professional polishing job that makes it look "like new" would be fine IMO.
Just my 2 cents . . .
Well if you let your collectibles rust away you won't have any collectibles left.
If you wire brush all the patina off your collectibles you will have wire brushed a lot of value out of the collection.
Finding the balance is the key. Post a clear picture of the knife you're dealing with closeups of the rust if not clear.
If you wire brush all the patina off your collectibles you will have wire brushed a lot of value out of the collection.
Finding the balance is the key. Post a clear picture of the knife you're dealing with closeups of the rust if not clear.
i have been tasked to liquidate a collection for an estate.
the gentleman that collected them passed in 2014
the family just dug them out and some of them are rusted.
i have used a fiberglass brush to shine them up
some have a little rust and others are pretty rusted.
my question is do i get steel wool and mineral oil and get to town or do i leave them alone and sell as is?
the gentleman that collected them passed in 2014
the family just dug them out and some of them are rusted.
i have used a fiberglass brush to shine them up
some have a little rust and others are pretty rusted.
my question is do i get steel wool and mineral oil and get to town or do i leave them alone and sell as is?
Collectibles and yes care very much about losing value. Some are pretty bad, can it lose any more value by cleaning, or can it be rescued with a process i have heard of to save the metal?It depends.
If it's a "user," yes. No problem.
If it's a "collectable," it depends on it's age and whether you care about how much you might reduce the value of the knife by "cleaning" it.
For older/ancient knives that might be eligible for inclusion in a museum collection, I'd say absolutely not.
But, for most, modern knives, I don't think it would matter using a rust remover to remove the visible rust but polishing out the corrosion might not be the best idea especially if it's going to change the finish but a professional polishing job that makes it look "like new" would be fine IMO.
Just my 2 cents . . .
I will try to put pics up once i figure out how. thanks for replying
Haha ok i elaborated.You don't have pay per word posted here !
So ...please feel free to expand upon your question .
See expansion postedYou don't have pay per word posted here !
So ...please feel free to expand upon your question .
We need to know what the knives are to give you a good answer. If they are very valuable, then you might want to enlist a professional restorer. Collectors of high-end knives aren't likely going to be happy with some guy performing a do-it-yourself garage restoration job.
Whatever condition they are in, they aren't going to suffer much more in the next few days, or weeks. It might pay to wait and find out exactly what you should do before you do anything else to them. Some knife makers, like Randal Knives, offer restoration services for their knives.
Whatever condition they are in, they aren't going to suffer much more in the next few days, or weeks. It might pay to wait and find out exactly what you should do before you do anything else to them. Some knife makers, like Randal Knives, offer restoration services for their knives.
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rust samples
Thanks for this info.
Mostly Case knives and they offered no service. I spoke to Gina Sargent about values. But wanted the opinions on this forum about the rust.
Thanks for this info.
You better find out what you've got. If it's Franklin mint stuff no one will care if you've shined them up. If they are genuine high value antique items then restoring them will diminish the value.
You can use this handy guide to see how to post pictures.
How do I post pictures from a.....
Whatever kind of device you have? There may be an app for that. Look for a picture/file sharing host. Prefreably one that is NOT porn related. You can use imgur.com, flickr, or any others. There are tutorials online on the "How To" part, search for it. In the mean time, searching here for...
www.bladeforums.com
You can also purchase a Gold Membership here and ask about values on here as there is a deep pool of experienced collectors in the knife field.
Thanks!
Alright, they aren't "museum" pieces, and no one is going to be paying off their car or mortgage from the sales proceeds, but both Case and Bulldog brand knives have some value, however condition is going to seriously affect that value.
Since you want to sell them I would wipe any rusted areas with WD4 and a clean cloth, but that's it. A buyer/collector might not want you sanding the blades. After wiping the rusty spots with WD40 I would just sell them "as is" with full disclosure of their condition. Unfortunately anything less than mint condition will reduce their value, and sanding the blades, or rubbing them with steel wool isn't going to restore them to mint condition.
Also, any chemical rust removers might ruin the handles, or possibly other parts of the knives if they come into contact with the chemicals.
It's impossible to tell from that one pic what their true condition is (although some of the rust does look pretty bad). Closer pics of the knives with the blades open, and showing the rust would help determine value and/or desirability, but as I said in another thread, you would need to be a Gold member or higher for us to discuss dollar values.
What you need to do is determine the models, then you can Google them. You may find "sold" listings for the same models with the same handle materials, but again condition matters a lot.
From the writing on one box it looks like one is a Case model 5375 Stockman, and another looks like a Case 5220 1/2 Peanut,. I just did a Google search for each of those model numbers and found "sold" listings for one of each of those models. For example, search for "Case 5375 stag".
You can also search "sold" listings on ebay for the model numbers. When you do a search there click on "sold items" down on the left of the screen.
The ones with serious rust are going to take a major hit on value, possibly to the degree that they might not be worth the effort of trying to sell them.
Good luck
.
Since you want to sell them I would wipe any rusted areas with WD4 and a clean cloth, but that's it. A buyer/collector might not want you sanding the blades. After wiping the rusty spots with WD40 I would just sell them "as is" with full disclosure of their condition. Unfortunately anything less than mint condition will reduce their value, and sanding the blades, or rubbing them with steel wool isn't going to restore them to mint condition.
Also, any chemical rust removers might ruin the handles, or possibly other parts of the knives if they come into contact with the chemicals.
It's impossible to tell from that one pic what their true condition is (although some of the rust does look pretty bad). Closer pics of the knives with the blades open, and showing the rust would help determine value and/or desirability, but as I said in another thread, you would need to be a Gold member or higher for us to discuss dollar values.
What you need to do is determine the models, then you can Google them. You may find "sold" listings for the same models with the same handle materials, but again condition matters a lot.
From the writing on one box it looks like one is a Case model 5375 Stockman, and another looks like a Case 5220 1/2 Peanut,. I just did a Google search for each of those model numbers and found "sold" listings for one of each of those models. For example, search for "Case 5375 stag".
You can also search "sold" listings on ebay for the model numbers. When you do a search there click on "sold items" down on the left of the screen.
The ones with serious rust are going to take a major hit on value, possibly to the degree that they might not be worth the effort of trying to sell them.
Good luck
.
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