how to clean an old knife

[ironhorse]

I am new to all of this and was wondering the best way to clean an old or older knife without taking away from the value. Have tied metal polish with varied results, maybe I am using the wrong one. Any and all help would be much appreciated.

[Mountain Man Knives]

I am new to all of this and was wondering the best way to clean an old or older knife without taking away from the value. Have tied metal polish with varied results, maybe I am using the wrong one. Any and all help would be much appreciated.

Sand Paper and Polishing Compound or Polishing Wheel ~ You do not want to overwork the grind lines or stamp with any kind of polishing wheel so be careful not to overly polish it, you can ruin a Blade like that ~ Automotive Variety Pack Sandpaper at your local Napa or Oreillys or Auto Zone should have grits from 220 to 1500 start with a 220 followed by a 600 - 1000 - 1500 ~ followed with a Polishing Cream or Wheel with some Rouge ~ Should Mirror for you if this is what you're wanting ~ Nice meeting You ~

[kootenay joe]

In part it depends upon the condition of the knife.
To best retain value, less is better when cleaning. You do not want to remove whatever original finish might be left on blades.
Very brief outline: wash in hot soapy (dish detergent) water scrubbing with a stiff nylon brush.
Rinse thoroughly & dry & flush out moisture with WD40.
Try a lead pencil tip to rub off superficial rust and/or drop mineral oil on rust and try to lift off any rust flakes
Clean out joints and well where blades lie
I use some Flitz or Simichrome to shine bolsters & shield.
kj

[just bob]

I have this bookmarked


http://boyslife.org/outdoors/ask-the-ge ... cketknife/

[peanut740]

Other than some kind of polishing paste,which there are many and everyone has their favorite,if you don't know what you are doing, the best advice is to leave it alone.Stick around and learn some things before you do more harm than good.
By the way To AAPK.

[supratentorial]

Wipe the steel surfaces with a rag damp with mineral oil until the blades no longer dirty the rag. That's it. That is all that is needed to remove dirt from the blades and to preserve the knife. This is what Bernard Levine recommends.

Using abrasives removes any original finish remaining on the knife.

[Mountain Man Knives]

Here is a good example of a Cleaned and Polished Knife ~ These blades were once oxidized and Black in Color ~ Until cleaned ~ Now it looks close to Mint ~

[ironhorse]

thanks everyone for taking time to respond to my post.

[orvet]

I am not a proponent of removing the patina from carbon steel, either the blades or the springs. The patina actually helps to protect the steel from rust. I don't use sandpaper to clean a blade. Sandpaper is for removing metal and that is not "cleaning" in my book.

Now, if a person is repairing a knife, say adding a new blade that had no patina, then you might want to clean the other blades so that the blades look like they belong together.

It is easy to over clean a knife, it all depends on what you want to do with it. Many collectors prefer to have a knife that is completely uncleaned, but years of experience has shown me that very few are willing to pay the same price for an uncleaned knife that you can get for a cleaned knife. I know of one exception to that, but in general, "shiny sells."

[btrwtr]

Welcome to AAPK!

Lots of good advice here but I am not sure what you mean when you say you want to clean an older knife.

The definition of cleaning a knife can mean different things. In most cases cleaning means the use of abrasives to remove metal in an attempt to resurface worn, scratched and corroded blades to a more factory like finish. In another context cleaning can mean simply removing any loose rust and lubricating the knife by some far less aggressive means other than using abrasives and resurfacing the metal.

I prefer patina to aggressive cleaning and resurfacing. It depends on the knife and what the individual wants to accomplish and what they prefer. The important thing is to know what definition is being used when you here the word.

[kootenay joe]

Long ago when i first began my collecting daze i would like an old knife made shiny again over the same knife in it's partly oxidized state. But this attraction didn't last long. The restored knife lacks 'something'. It's that 'something' that can speak to you.
You can think of it like your dog, far more rewarding when alive than stuffed as a taxidermy mount in a corner of the room.
Or, have you ever been to Miami Beach and seen the 90 yr old women in their skimpy bikinis and red lipstick out, still looking for a 'good man' ? That's how i see a 'restored to near mint' knife. It just does not speak to me.
kj

[orvet]

KJ, I wish you hadn't used that last illustration, that visual is going to be stuck in my head for a while!

[supratentorial]

Good posts, guys.

To put it bluntly "Cleaning" with abrasives is a euphemism. Words like "cleaning" or "close to mint" are used to describe old knives instead of harsher words because it appeals to fantasy. It is inaccurate and misleading.

When Krein regrinds blades on a GEC knife, it is no longer the manufacturer's work. He doesn't call it a mint GEC knife. He even puts a prominent Krein regrind stamp on it.

When the original surface is refinished, it is no longer original. Whether or not the work is skilled, the manufacturer's finish has been replaced by resurfacing. A Remington buffed by Frank in Kentucky now becomes a Frank-n-Remington more than a Remington.

Also, "cleaning" knives with abrasives can make a genuine knife appear questionable. In particular, buffing bolsters is a finishing step on a parts knife.

Some folks don't know or care about original. Some folks do. Some folks care but don't know.