What should we do with Rust on the blade?

S

SOGJasonSOG

Joined
May 18, 2008
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25
I am wondering what we should do about rust on the blade ? please don't say put oil on the blade to prevent the rust :D I mean what do do with the rust when the rust stain is already on the blade ? Any ways to take the Rust off the blade? and here I mean any part of the blade...

I ask this question is because my 440A Aitor Bowie have rust on it after a few expedition trips like 2 years ago, but it was fine for me because I don't use it to cut vegetable or any kind of food anyway, but then I saw quite a few post selling their knives because it have rust stain on it; and it reduces the price for quite a lot!

So it get me take out my Aitor Bowie and tried to get those rust stain off, it seems not an easy job to do, especially if one doesn't want to scratch the metal on the blade... it shouldn't be hard to take off the rust with sand paper or chemical, but it will almost certainly scratch the metal... and would take some time, so I wonder if anyone have any great ideas to take rust stain off without damaging it? or just a easy way to take rust stain off...;)

I know we could just use sand paper to take the rust away, and there are many ways to polish it to mirror like, but what if it's a sandblast blade? just wonder if there's any easy and safe ways to take off rust stains....

Thanks you all :D

Jason.
 
Welcome to the forums!
I would start with a polishing agent like Flitz, or Mothers Mag polish. Those are not likely to change the finish of your blade to any large degree. Those are only likely to work ir your rust i real light and not the deep red pitting type of rust. The next step up I would use is a fine steel wool, like 000 or 0000 grade and some light oil with it WD 40 or the like. This will change the finish a little, but not be too harsh. If that removes the rust, move up to the polish and polish it up to improve finish and help prevent future rust.
These would be the gentle steps I tried before moving to harsher methods like scochbrite and emory cloth.
 
If I had a rust problem I didn't know how to deal with I would ask about in in the maintenance subforum.

I've never owned a rusty knife so I don't have any firsthand experience from which to advise you. I imagine it'll be much easier to fix if it's just the the blade's surface that is rusted than if there's actual pitting.
 
Sandblasted and beadblasted finishes can and do rust if some form of protective coating isn't applied beforehand.
Indeed, such a finish leaves a very porous surface, which is ripe for any blade to be impregnated with dirt and grime - leading to never ending rust spots.
You had mentioned chemical removal; try a rust removing gel.
Make sure you don't buy products which alters and coats the rust in order to prevent rusting, it will ruin your finish for sure!
You want a product that actually eats away the surface rust, and not one that leaves behind a coating of any sort.
-http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-rust-remover.htm.
Try looking up an autocare section or hardware store.
Good luck!
 
T.K.C. said:
I use Flitz to remove rust.
Click to expand...
+1

And don´t worry, noone will pay much for a used 440A Aitor, scratched or not.

At least, yes i takes some time. Depending on the amount more or less. A few spots take maybe a quarter of an hour +/-. Have you expected more?

It will always need some time for knife maintance or cutting must be left to someone else.;)
 
Welcome to Bladeforums!

Let’s see if we can find the right forum …
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I've cleaned a few old knives,some of which were pretty rusty,I usually give them a healthy dose of WD40,really soak it,then on folders work the joints,back and forth,quite a few times,the rust will ooze right out of the joint,then I take another blade,I have and older Kutmaster stockman and I use the sheepsfoot blade on it,I take the sharp edge and use it as a scraper against the blade to be cleaned.It usually doesn't take much to get the rust off down to where it's just tarnished.I rinse it again a time or 2 with WD40(I really love the stuff)take a wrag and dry it good,then if I want to take the tarnish off or even out the finish,I use fine sandpaper and,or 0000 steel wool to finish it.I rinse it often with WD and work the joints any time it's in there,it'll just keep eating at the rust.I've used it mostly on knives with bone and delrin handles and a few military knives with stacked leather handles and I've never had a problem with it.
 
Think to remember is that abrasive handiwork with a metal polish will ruin the matt finish of a sand/beadblasted surface; giving rise to a glossy look on the polished area, in essence - by abrading away the micro pores that makes up the effect of a beadblasted surface.
Hence, it is quite possible to polish away the entire sand/beadblasted finish with ordinary metal polish - into a satin and even mirrorlike finish. However, it would take a while by hand but who says that you can't cheat with the help of a machine?
That's one way to say goodbye to troblesome quick rust spot accumalation.
 
Pretty awesome article on handling rust:

http://www.metalwebnews.com/howto/rust/rust.html

I liked the electrolysis idea.

Personally, as one engaged in the Sisyphean task of maintaining an A2 BRKT Gameskeeper, I use Naval Jelly (phosphoric acid) followed by one of the myriad gun-care products that claim to bond to the metal and/or fill pores and prevent rust.

The leather sheath is a source of trouble given its tendency to hold moisture. I'm hoping someone makes a kydex sheath for the gameskeeper, but so far I haven't found one.
 
Thanks for all the input guys, I think stainless is harder to clean up compare to tool steel... Because tool steel is so hard the rust usually stay on the surface. I wonder if the H-1 steel from Spyderco will rust or not though, they said it will never stain :D (or they mean stink?)

I don't have much rusted knives anyway, I think the only two that I have rust is the 440A and the Leather man... Oh well, I use those two the most though...
 
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