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Rust Pits
Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2021 4:58 pm
by Mark in PA
Just curious. Has anybody ever had any success in trying to fill in rust pits on a blade? Be curious what kind of success or failure you may have had. Any success in getting the filler material to match the blade color?
Re: Rust Pits
Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2021 5:20 pm
by Gunsil
I don't believe there is any way to "fill in pits". At least none that would not look worse than the pits.
Re: Rust Pits
Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2021 7:12 pm
by Bill DeShivs
Impossible, practically.
All you can do is remove the material so that the pits are ground away.
Re: Rust Pits
Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2021 10:06 pm
by OLDE CUTLER
I agree, there is no way to fill rust pits. Only remove metal around them to make them "go away". Is the knife as bad as this KABAR folding hunter that I picked up at a flea market for $1 because the seller thought it was useless junk? I rehandled it with rosewood and it is one of my favorite folding hunters to carry and use. The pits have no effect on performance.
Re: Rust Pits
Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2021 1:16 am
by herbva
No way to fill them in that I am aware of. I have had moderate success, mostly on thicker blades, with milling the blade down until the pits are gone, or nearly gone, then sanding with progressively finer grit, then polishing. Of course, you run the risk of changing the profile of the blade and any patina is obviously destroyed. Not a "perfect" solution.
Re: Rust Pits
Posted: Sat May 03, 2025 3:52 pm
by dlr110
Re: Rust Pits
Posted: Sat May 03, 2025 7:25 pm
by glennbad
dlr110 wrote: ↑Sat May 03, 2025 3:52 pm
Here is a cleaver that I've been trying to clean up. That blade had more rust and pitting than fleas on a hound dog and all I knew to do was start with a sonic bath, then an eraser and then to the sander with progressively higher grit. I finished with a 7K grit on the Dremel and then some polish. The surface of the blade is still not smooth but that would have required too much metal removed. I then put on a new wood handle. I probably did everything wrong on this one but it's not as if I'm going to be cutting up steaks for dinner tonight with it. That's my story and I'm sticking with it....
BEFORE
20250419_101450.jpg
AFTER
20250429_123404.jpg
Looks pretty nice from here!
Re: Rust Pits
Posted: Sat May 10, 2025 7:37 pm
by orvet
Re: Rust Pits
Posted: Sun May 11, 2025 12:31 am
by doglegg
Great work.
