Should I make a big deal out of this?

S

strick284

Joined
Apr 10, 2010
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141
Okay, so I bought this knife on gunbroker. It's a Cold Steel G10 Espada. It was listed as used, and the guy described it as "in perfect condition, practically new". But when I got it in the mail, there were little rust spots scattered all over the blade, and a small area that looked like it had the beginnings of some pitting. Otherwise, the knife did look new, but I'm not happy about the rust. I contacted the guy, and he basically said, "hey it's not like it's a collectors item, it won't hurt the value, just use some compound to polish it out." Ignoring the fact of his suckish and dishonest item description, what do you guys think? I've got some Brasso, but I don't know if I should try to polish the blade. It's a bead blasted finish, will polishing mess it up? If I can get the rust off, I'll probably just leave him alone, in order to avoid a retaliatory bad feedback. If I can't get the rust off, should I just let this go? It was the XL size, and I paid $140 (hopefully I can say that without getting in trouble).

On a side note, how easily does bead blasted AUS8 rust? I've got some smooth finished AUS8 knives, and I have never seen rust on them. Is this neglect, or just normal?
 
Unfortunately those are the risks of private, online purchases. There's probably nothing you can do to get satisfaction from the seller as I don't imagine you could force a refund. And it might prove to be more trouble and work than it's worth. If it were a significant problem with the knife then I would take whatever action I could to at least try and achieve satisfaction, but it doesn't sound like a significant issue. Of course, I can't see the knife. Maybe it's worse than I imagine.

If you attempt to polish a bead-blasted finish it will change the finish.

Bead-blasted finishes trap moisture (a big reason why many don't like them), and even on stainless steel blades that can cause rust. I have a bead-blasted blade that has some rust spots on it.

If you sand and or polish the finish off, rust will become much less of a problem.
 
I have had rust spotting on a bead blasted kershaw skyline, it was cared for as well as possible. I used some barkeepers friend to remove the rust spots but I did have to be careful, it does affect the finish a bit. If it's anything more then light spotting I would press the issue, did you use paypal?
 
Yes, I used paypal. I was going to show some pictures, but i don't have a nice camera and I can't get quality photos up that close.
 
That's not good. Having to do work on a knife that was described as "in perfect condition, practically new" after paying $140 would have me making a big deal out of the purchase. I would not be expecting rust on a knife with that description. I have learned the hard way that everyone has their own version of "mint" or "in perfect condition" or "Never carried" so I always require detailed photos and a friendly email or two before pulling the trigger on a private party purchase. Making a big deal out of it depends on how much those rust spots bother you.
 
Longtrang said:
Hoppes, and a brass brush works wonders.
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Won't that scratch the living crap out of it? I tried a couple of gun solvents and general lubricants, but just rubbed them on the rust spots with shop towels. I have no experience sanding or polishing blades and whatnot, and don't want to risk destroying this knife.
 
strick284 said:
Won't that scratch the living crap out of it? I tried a couple of gun solvents and general lubricants, but just rubbed them on the rust spots with shop towels. I have no experience sanding or polishing blades and whatnot, and don't want to risk destroying this knife.
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Brass is the key word there. A steel wire brush would jack up the finish pretty seriously, but conveniently brass is much much softer than the blade steel and will not mar up the finish. Best to wipe the spot you just scrubbed frequently though so you don't end up rubbing in the bits of rust which can scratch up the finish. I've used wd40 before as its thinner than gun oils which is better IMO for this sorta thing.
 
post pics of the rust spots

i use scratch free ajax and either a paper towel or soft sponge to clean blades.
 
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Dude! My rajah 2 got rusted! Use baking soda man, takes the rust right off, depending how deep it is. But yeah! Trust me and it leaves the bead blast finish. Yo, good luck.

Just pour baking soda on the blade, get it wet, and scrub it with a towel or sponge man! Ive done this to remove alot of rust from my blades, cheap and expensive
 
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Have you tried asking the guy for a refund (if that's something you'd want)?
 
strick284 said:
Yes, I used paypal. I was going to show some pictures, but i don't have a nice camera and I can't get quality photos up that close.
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If you're really not happy with it and the guy won't take it back then file a dispute with PayPal.

99.999999% of the time they side with the buyer.
 
It would bother *me* enough to file the dispute. Seems to me the description was bogus to start with.

Some folks think they can pass off anything.
 
If he said it was used I wouldn't get too upset. Everyone has their own idea of used and new and who knows, maybe he wasn't wearing his glasses and didn't see the rust spots. Bead blasted blades rust. It can be a super stainless alloy and they still want to rust if bead blasted. I'm not sure I even own a bead blasted blade anymore, and that is the main reason why.

I can't believe no one has mentioned it yet, but try flitz or Mothers Mag and aluminum wheel polish. The latter can be bought in just about any auto parts store. Both will take off quite a bit of staining without effecting the finish. I would try that before I put anything abrasive to it like some polishes, ajax, brillo pad, or a brush. If you keep it and use it, more than likely you will be doing this anyways at some point regardless of how it came from the seller. If you like the knife, use the snot out of it, because why not, it's already rusted. :)
 
Like FMB said, a little Flitz or Mothers will work. I use Flitz all the time on bead blast to remove small spots and stains. Just put a little dab on a paper towel and rub it in. And it leaves a protective coating once you remove the excess. Very few of my knives have shown any spotting or staining after using Flitz.
 
PayPal is good insurance for disputes. I would utilize that route. He will still probably post a retaliatory review regardless. I hope it works out for you.
 
Try to make sure you see good close ups of the blade if you buy used. I would mention it to the auction site with a copy of the conversation and let them know you will be very hesitant to use the site for future purchases. Then just take down the folder and clean it up and move on with life. Let it soak in some WD40 outside for 15 min or so and wipe it off with paper towel,napkins, old t shirt.
 
strick284 said:
On a side note, how easily does bead blasted AUS8 rust? I've got some smooth finished AUS8 knives, and I have never seen rust on them. Is this neglect, or just normal?
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Unfortunately, AUS8 is prone to rusting more so than most stainless steels. I'd probably say it's equivalent to D2.

Also, bead blasting is terrible. It causes millions/billions of microscopic indentations on the steel, increasing its surface area, making it more prone to rust. You're better off with blade coating on AUS8. Sucks CS offers some pretty crappy coatings.
 
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