All About Pocket Knives

This was advertised as an "attic found" knife on the big auction site & I'm into it for cheap. It appears unused and it would be super nice were it not for the crusty/rusty backsprings and the portion of the blades that stick above the liners. I'm usually in the camp of not cleaning knives, but this one is deserving of some TLC/spa treatment.

Rubbing the backsprings with a CLP soaked rag did fairly well. They're still dark (which I'm good with) but there's less rust now. Wiped the blades off with the same rag but it did little to remove any tarnish/rust. The inside of the blade wells is really clean, surprisingly.

I have a rust eraser block and some super fine sandpaper which I've yet to use. Before I get more aggressive than an oily rag I thought I'd post here and ask for suggestions. Not looking for this to shine like a hounds tooth when I'm done, but would like to clean it up a bit more if I can. Any & all info is appreciated.

Try using a No.2 pencil on the rusted areas. Oil the blade up and let the oil soak in for a few minutes then use the pencil to scrape away the rust. The graphite in the pencil is harder than the rust but softer than the steel so it will not make any new scratches on your blade. It may take two or three tries to get the rust all gone.

Phil's suggestion is good but try to find a harder lead than number 2 pencil. Carpenters pencil? Harder lead wider surface.
Try a green scrubby in"infected" area only. Try green scrubby with Bon Ami. Try a cork with moist Bon Ami.
I avoid Comet and other such cleansers.
Bon Ami is the best.

Nice knife. Got one myself.

Looks like it was close to another knife that was gassing.I bet there will be some lite pitting on the blades after you get done unless you remove steel.

Dirty shame someone stored it with an outgassing Celluloid handled knife. That kind of rust is really difficult to eradicate. As a starter, I'm voting for Joe's solution.

You beat me to the enter key Roger.

jerryd6818 wrote:Dirty shame someone stored it with an outgassing Celluloid handled knife. That kind of rust is really difficult to eradicate. As a starter, I'm voting for Joe's solution.

You beat me to the enter key Roger.

The rust on that knife is a shame! I have one or two of those knives myself and they are good knives with really good steel.
The first time I got an aluminum handled knife, it was a Zenith and I thought it was a cheapie until I did little research. Prior to the invention of electric smelters for aluminum, the process of smelting it was quite expensive and aluminum was not readily available. So the old lightweight aluminum handle knives you may pass by on a dealers table, were at one time quite expensive knives and probably among the best & most expensive knives made by a particular company.

I'm not sure where the aluminum ropes and fits in the timeline, whether it was before inexpensive aluminum or not, though I'm sure Charlie would know.

Four ought (0000) steel wool works better than any pencil and it is made from mild steel which will not scratch a hardened knife blade. Soak in a little Hoppe's #9 bore solvent first to loosen the rust. Never use the Hoppe's bore solvent on a knife with celluloid scales though. I have used it on bone and metal handled knives with good results since it is made for removing lead residue and rust from gun barrels. I have to admit I love the smell of the stuff, probably from using it on my .22 rifle as a kid. Hoppe's gun oil is also really good for oiling knife joints.

The Robeson in question is a post WW2 knife and aluminum was cheap and plentiful by then. It is and was a cheaper knife than a bone handled one. It is really only the pre or really early 1900s knives that had aluminum handles when aluminum was the new cool metal on the block.

I used the hardest pencil I had (5H) to scrape away a good amount of the rusted areas. Thinking I'll try the steel wool next.

Thanks for the good info.