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Cleaning Knives - the dos and don'ts

Hi all just a Newbie here So Hope this is the right spot for this question.

I have several old USA Schrades that have been sitting in their boxes in a draw for sometime now (Years) The Carbon steel has had a light coating of oil all this time - lanolin I think - But have gained that typical Carbon Steel patina plus the bolsters have lost their luster.

I would like to tidy them up but I don't want to impact on any collectors value they could have, which is probably not a lot anyway. I am thinking a light clean and hand buffing the bolsters with some metal polish. Any suggestions on the right polish and/or cleaners to use and the right way to go about it would be appreciated. I don't want to use anything too harsh and in particular don't want to use anything or technique that will mar the surfaces especially the Blades and the Derin (?) scales. Thanks Derek

Tags: Cleaning

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Permalink Reply by Derek Wells on August 12, 2014 at 19:03

Thanks, Joe, John, Jan and everyone else who chimed in. Very dependent on what I could buy locally and ended up with a product made in Germany called Autosol - very happy with the results and I am assuming it it is very similar to those products like Flitz and Simichrome you get Stateside.

Anyway this Autosol works well, only $9 a 75ml (3.3 oz) tube and a little bit goes a long way.

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Permalink Reply by mark causey on January 9, 2015 at 13:52

after polishing coat the blade with bee's wax seals the air out and prevents rust and tarnish

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Permalink Reply by Flitz Polish on January 12, 2015 at 11:33

Derek,

Visit our online store to shop for all your polishing needs! We have a special Gun & Knife page that might interest you in particular: http://www.flitz.com/gun-knife-clean-polish-wax/

You can order online and have the polish shipped anywhere in the world! We are based in Waterford, Wisconsin but have providers and distributors around the world.

Like the others before us, we recommend polishing with a water-based, non-abrasive polish, rubbing in gently with a microfiber cloth and then buffing clean with a fresh, dry microfiber cloth. For your needs, we would recommend our Gun/Knife Care Kit, it comes with cleaner, polish, wax, and a microfiber cloth. Check it out here: http://www.flitz.com/gun-knife-care-kit/

Do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Bigolovich on May 22, 2017 at 15:59

I almost posted a similar question then found this one. Thanks for the great info all.

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Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on May 22, 2017 at 17:14

Mike that is excellent that you are getting around the site so well! We try to keep resources available to our members :)

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Permalink Reply by Bryan W on May 22, 2017 at 17:16

Simichrome I would say is the "gentlest" of the bunch. Just a bit at a time and be sure to use a super soft cloth. Good luck and enjoy!!

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Permalink Reply by Michael Squier on May 22, 2017 at 19:36

I use a product called Nevr-dull, its an impregnated cotton wadding, works well on dull metal, wont remove patina but gets the crud and film of scuz off.

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FeaturedPermalink Reply by Dave S. on December 20, 2017 at 6:41

Ok just skimmed through this cause my lap top keeps closing out the window so if I repeat something sorry....So most of my knife making these days is with stainless however when I started making knives I delt with a lot of carbon steel (mainly cause I didn't have the equipment to heat treat stainless at the time) anyway as people said Flitz and Semi-chrome are both good polish. Semi chrome has slightly more of a abrasive action to it than flitz does. Also now I am a knife maker so when I make a knife i want to show it off so covering it in oil always seemed messy to me when ever i wanted to show it to someone there is a product called renaissance museum wax (link below) this is what i use on carbon steel its simple yo use rub it on with a soft cloth give it a couple seconds to dry and then hand buff it with that cloth and it leaves a nice shine you wont even know its there. Personally i would sugest you leave it as it is for some collectors out there having some patina and some obvious age is better than shining it up again.....if you try to shine it back to new you can make it look worse if your not familiar with the process. Obviously this is all speculation depending on HOW much patina rust and ageing it has to it....if you posted a couple close up pics show what the surface looks like i might be able to give you better advice....there are ways of cleaning it up and not making it look shiny and new for example cold blueing or acid ectching ect...but that is if your SURE that's what you want to do with it.....anyway if you got some pics send me a private message and i can probilly give you better advice and options of what you can do and even walk you through the process a bit....here is the wax i was talking about.....

http://usaknifemaker.com/renaissance-wax-7-oz-can-289.html