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How do you clean your vintage knives

Howdy from Texas y'all,
I'm new to knife collecting and over the week been buying knives at estate sales and Craigslist,All the knives I've acquired have been either rusty or covered in black gunk on the blade. So my question to the community is how do you clean collectable knives that have rust and gunk on the blade?( materials you use, cleaners, etc.) Thank you for the info.

Below are some pictures on my knives that need to be cleaned so you can get a idea of what I mean.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Squier on March 31, 2015 at 16:09

I use a product called 'Never Dull' it is very gentle and slow which is good when you dont want to remove patina. It will polish up brass and other soft metals. Rust can be scraped off using a piece of coper, like an old penny. Good luck

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by John McCain on March 31, 2015 at 17:59

Tristan, Here is my routine, normally-- If the blades have dried paint,tar, or other gunk other than rust-- I use a product called Oops! available from Ace Hardware & probably elsewhere-- Multi-purpose Remover that will either remove or soften the offending material from the blades enough to carefully pick it off-- My favorite weapon against blade rust is microfine sand paper-- I generally start around 2400 grit and work my way up to 12000 grit-- Sold often in packs , as shown here in Amazon, I have used both the pads and sheets with great success--http://www.amazon.com/MICRO-MESH-SANDING-SHEETS-INTRODUCTORY/dp/B00... - These will progressevly remove the rust, without sanding away the steel-- In very severe rust problems, there is Naval Jelly rust remover, which I own but have not yet tried, because the previous methods have proved sufficient.-- Use a toothpick, etc. to dig out the grime inside the bolsters-- Some of these microfine sheets are even flexible enough to clean the bolsters innards wrapped in something like a screwdriver-- Oil the pivot points with something like WD-40 or Remington gun oil-- Lastly, I use Flitz metal Polish to shine & protect the blades and handles, then buff with a soft cloth-- Search Flitz here at IKC or Google it-- It is also available at Ace Hardware- Here are some before & afters using these methods

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Permalink Reply by tim payne on March 31, 2015 at 18:57

Flitz metal Polish is also my go-to, to shine & protect the blades too John.

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Permalink Reply by Adam Archer on March 31, 2015 at 19:36

I use aluminum foil and water.

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Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on March 31, 2015 at 21:12

Adam you just use wet foil? I have never heard of that but can imagine it would work! Great tip

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Permalink Reply by Tristan on March 31, 2015 at 21:54

Thanks to everyone for your great tips :)

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Permalink Reply by Adam Archer on April 1, 2015 at 14:14

Jan, It is as simple as aluminum foil and water. It creates a chemical reaction (Fe₂O₃ + 2 Al → Al₂O₃ + 2 Fe ) i think. Which is the same as termite. It removes creates aluminum oxide by removing the oxygen from the rust turning in back into steel. Then aluminum oxide also puts a slight polish on the blade. Not 100% sure on how it works though as iv never taken a chemistry class.

Jan Carter said:

Adam you just use wet foil? I have never heard of that but can imagine it would work! Great tip

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Permalink Reply by Michael Squier on April 1, 2015 at 16:43

After its all cleaned up, no matter what method you use, I have been trying a product called Renaisance Wax, its a bit pricey and hard to find but ive liked it so far. I also use paste wax. Both are good at protecting the metal and other surafaces after you get them the way you want.

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Permalink Reply by Syd Carr on May 11, 2015 at 19:41

Does that mean you submerge the knife in water with aluminum foil and wait for the chemical reaction to occur, or do you get the knife wet and rub it with the foil? I've used Never Dull before, but it doesn't remove rust which has penetrated the metal, so I would like to find a better method.

John McCain just posted a photo of one of his cleaned up knives here on IKC: http://iknifecollector.com/forum/topics/flea-market-finds?commentId.... Whatever he did, that old dirty knife came out gleaming; does your method work like that?

Adam Archer said:

Jan, It is as simple as aluminum foil and water. It creates a chemical reaction (Fe₂O₃ + 2 Al → Al₂O₃ + 2 Fe ) i think. Which is the same as termite. It removes creates aluminum oxide by removing the oxygen from the rust turning in back into steel. Then aluminum oxide also puts a slight polish on the blade. Not 100% sure on how it works though as iv never taken a chemistry class.

Jan Carter said:

Adam you just use wet foil? I have never heard of that but can imagine it would work! Great tip

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by John McCain on May 11, 2015 at 20:52

Syd- Just scroll up a couple of posts and you will see my method-- Haven't tried Adam's method-- But Adam knows what he is talking about-- If he says it works- I would give it a shot

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Permalink Reply by Syd Carr on May 11, 2015 at 21:38

Thanks for the heads up John, I wouldn't have thought of sanding rust away. Actually, I think I have a sample or two of that micro mesh stuff around that I got at a trade show but never used. If I remember, it just seemed like a sheet of plastic film to me, but was supposed to be used for "delicate" sanding. I think the local hardware store has it, I'll go look tomorrow. I read your method posted above, and will try it out. In fact I always keep "OOPS" around anyway, I use it to get sticker residue off of things among other uses, I just never used it on a knife. Another similar product is called "Goof Off". I also use denatured alcohol to melt tar-like & goo-like substances off of objects, but sometimes that isn't a strong enough solvent.

I would still like to hear more about Adam's method(s).

John McCain said:

Syd- Just scroll up a couple of posts and you will see my method-- Haven't tried Adam's method-- But Adam knows what he is talking about-- If he says it works- I would give it a shot

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Permalink Reply by Lars Ray on May 11, 2015 at 21:55

Great discussions here Tristan...thanks for asking your questions. I know I have learned about a few new tricks of the trade. No matter what method you choose, just remember, Polish is the people, and polish is the cleaner. LoL! The real trick is never ask a Polish guy how to polish his knife....you'll be there all day!