pitted blade

[just bob]

I actually bought this knife and it was welded shut with rust. Let it soak overnight in linseed oil and then began to tap and pry on it until the blade opened. I have messed with it only a little bit and the blade will snap shut. So how to get the majority of the pits out? My plan is to break the blade out, lay it flat, and then use the Dremel and get the deeper ones and then go to the sand paper in courser to finer grits. Is this the best option or should I go another route? Your comments are appreciated.

[TripleF]

WOWZUH! All I can say, is I look forward to the completion.

[orvet]

If you have a random orbital sander I would suggest using it with 220 or 320 grit wet or dry sandpaper with some oil (like WD40) on the paper. The problem with the Dremel is that it can dig a groove in the blade that is difficult to get out.

You may never get all the pits out, but you can certainly get the shallower ones out and make the big ones smaller.

[glennbad]

Yeah, what Dale said.

You need a flat surface for sanding, otherwise you will get ripples, hills, and valleys.

Even with a substantial blade like that, I am worried that to get everything off, you are going to have to remove ALOT of metal to get to smooth.

Regardless, I am looking forward to seeing the completed project.

Glenn

[Elvis]

Dale is right. Dremels are generally bad news as they leave grooves that are hard to get rid of when it comes to any final finish. PM me your address. I've got a couple of blades that are in slightly better condition that came from one I stole the backsprings from a while back. Looks like they might be easier to deal with.

[just bob]

I'll update this a bit. I have spent about 2 hrs on the blade. I did use the palm sander and 320 grit. I think I'm to the point where the pits are so deep they may have to be dug out individually to get rid of them. I know the Dremel will leave swales or divots so I guess the best option is to leave it as is and button it back down. If it returns to its natural state with tarnish many of the smaller pits will be far less obvious. Is there an effective way to tarnish the blade. Any comments or suggestions? They are appreciated.

[orvet]

You can use lemon juice, mustard or vinegar, but it makes it pretty evenly dark.
It looks more natural sometimes if you just cut some apples & other fruit and don’t wipe it down when finished. The result will probably be less even, but more like a knife usually darkens.