How To WW1 knives rust removal

some of it can be removed by buffing, by hand or machine. pitted areas will need sanding or grinding using the same methods.
 
davidtimoney said:
Hi, im trying to revove rust from these WW1 knives (i think they are WW1 anyway).

Also any idea of origin. One says "mexeur and cie". The bowie knives say " william rodgers," made in Sheffield.
https://imgur.com/a/ywJBCP4
Click to expand...
That red rust is active and needs to be stopped. But you also don't want to remove the character of its past. I would lightly scrub it with steel wool to and WD40 to remove any loose material, and let it go at that. (Not my area of expertise, there are others here who know a lot more, but that's what I would do.

"mexeur and cie" company history.

Paul Mitton & Company

<p>Paul Joseph Frédéric Mitton (1855-1922) was born in Paris, the son of Alexandre Mitton and his wife, Reine. The family came from Ch&ac...
www.hawleysheffieldknives.com
 
If you are concerned about preserving value then letting the blade soak up some wd40 & then hitting them with a plastic Dremel wheel brush will take off the red rust without marking the steel much. Or, to be even more careful, use a firm-bristle toothbrush.

If you aren't concerned with preserving value then you can use wd40 and fine sandpaper, but the finish will look uneven due to the pitting
 
Wiping the blades down with mineral (baby) oil will get rid of the active rust. I might also buff the blade using a shop rag with something like Mother’s metal polish. Beyond that I would leave it alone; if you want something shiny the stores are full of them. Going more aggressive will simply be a matter of scrapping the antique knife and remanufacturing a garage made knife from recycled materials.

N2s
 
Find a glass jar big enough, to soak the blade up to the guard.

Buy some of this.

96431_W3.jpg

Place the blade in the jar tip down, fill it up to the guard. Leave it overnight and check it in the morning. You might have to leave it in longer, it will remove all of the rust. Rinse the blade off with water and then apply oil to protect it.

As other have said, if the blade is pitted, the only way to fix it is grinding it out. Which would further devalue the knife.

ETA: keep the knives out of the sheaths. The chemicals in the leather can rust the steel, and the leather can hold moisture.
 
Just as a precaution… I soaked a Case folder in Evaporust overnight about a month ago. When I took it out all the steel was black and gummy. I was eventually able to clean it up using a 1x30 fine “conditioning” belt I bought from Sharpenings Supplies. You might test a small area before dunking if you plan on using that stuff.
 
Use a pencil to knock the rust chunks off, I use the big flat carpenters pencils. Then wipe the blade with an oily rag.
 
You'll need to chemically remove most of that rust before sanding the blades. I use "Must for Rust" available at the big hardware stores. I restore knives professionally.
Buy some 0000 steel wool and a can of WD 40 Specialist penetrant.
 
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