Got a bit of a rust problem...

[aux80]

I loaned this knife to a family member, and they left it out in the elements. Now there's rust. I think I can still salvage the blade, but I'd appreciate some friendly advice. I've heard about using baking soda or white vinegar. I don't have any powered grinding tools.

[TripleF]

#2 pencil lead is your friend!! Try it!

Then hit with some fine steel wool and polish off with some Flitz Metal Polish!!

[jerryd6818]

And steer clear of the power tools. Them bad boys is bad juju.

[BIGHEAD]

Vinegar will patina the whole blade. If it were me I would do as Triple F suggested then drop it in my pocket and use it.

[Colonel26]

Yep pencil. You can buff with steel wool and oil too if you like.

NO POWER TOOLS!

Also if you take vinegar and force a patina on those blades it will make the spot that will be left behind less noticeable. Plus the patina will help protect it from further rust.

Oh, and NEVER loan a knife to that family member again.

[aux80]

I hear you man. I'm not loaning out a knife to them again. I should have known better in the first place. Thanks for the pencil tip. It actually works better than I expected. I used the pencil for the tight spaces. I scraped most of the surface rust off with a penny. Now I need to get the fine steel wool and metal polish, and possibly some 2,000 grit sandpaper.

[Colonel26]

If it's a user, it's going to get spots etc eventually anyway. I'd do all the above, but personally I'd skip the sandpaper.