Stained Blackjack

[Twistrate]

I've been searching the forum for a way to get the dark spots out of my Blackjack. I bought this knife 15+ years ago and have worn it a few times but never used it which is even more humiliating. Just not a very useful design for me and the A-2 steel is too high of maintenance for my purposes. I would like to clean it up to pass along to someone who could use it. Any help for the new guy here would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

If the spots aren't too deeply pitted (if at all), you could likely just polish them out with something like Flitz or Simichrome. From your pics, most or all of the spotting looks like the 'black' oxide, which most refer to as 'patina'. Metal polish will remove it very easily. I should point out, the metal polish will leave the blade considerably 'brighter' too. It's up to you, if you prefer that look or not. If you prefer the grey satin finish, as it appears now, the next suggestion (below) might be better for you.

If you'd like to clean up the spots and AND any pitting that might be there, some wet/dry sandpaper wrapped around a flexible 'block' would probably work well. I've used a 'Magic Rub' rubber eraser, with a piece of sandpaper wrapped around it, to clean up pits/dings/scratches on blades & brass/nickel bolsters. The rubber block makes it much easier to control the pressure, and will nicely conform to the contours of the blade, which minimizes flat-spotting and makes for a much more uniform finish. Keep the sanding strokes in only one direction, such as edge-to-spine & back. For the 'satin' finish I see in your pics, you might start in the 400 - 600 grit range.

Forgot to add:
WELCOME to the forum!

 

[Twistrate]

Working on it now. Your advice is much appreciated.