View Full Version : rustification!
Melonfish
03-09-2009, 09:54
my wife lent my opinel for the beautiful days festival, and it served her well (as did my tent, 3 season bag and trang ;)
however my opi has dark spots on the back of the blade where its exposed, seems to have got some rust forming, whats the best way to clean this up?
pete
Why not just leave it Pete ? I think carbon steel looks nicer with a bit of character patina on it. Failing that a bit of wet and dry should get it off.
I agree, any loose bits of rust can be removed with a wire brush or a bit of wire wool, and the rest can be left...
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44785&highlight=browning
There's a post I did a while ago on the use of rust in Patination. :) If it's red rust and you don't want it there, you can always use vinegar, ketchup, brown sauce, etc to give a black/dark grey oxide layer which should prevent red rust.
Pete
PS: If it's deep bubbly rust, it doesn't hurt to blast with WD40 to get out the water, wipe dry, then rub some linseed oil or wax in, and then rub off again to try and prevent deep rust.
I just rub with my finger (carefully) using the slurry from the whetstone after sharpening. Can actually remove quite a lot of marks
Leave it, if you wanted a pristine knife you would have bought it in stainless steel and had it sealed in a vacuum chamber! Get rid of the ginger bits, leave the rest as it is!
Had a similar problem when I lent an Opinel and it was used (and then left overnight, uncleaned :eek:) to chop fresh tomatoes. I used barkeepers friend, available at places like:
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/F/keyword/barkeepers/product/8868
It brought it up a treat!
(No connection just a satisfied customer)
<snip> Get rid of the ginger bits <snip>
Excellent advice buddy - if only it were possible, eh?..... :D
Rat
Melonfish
04-09-2009, 11:14
lol well aye it does appear to just be a patina on there, i think i'll oxidise it and get it coated to give it some extra protection but perhaps remove some of the unsightly spots.
cheers fella's!
If you use it almost every day and wipe it on you shirt or something it will never rust it will just patina which looks good when the bevel is shiny.
If you dont like the dull effect you could get stainless or use a metal polish (or slurry)