Need help cleaning up knives and sheaths...

[Pygmy]

I have a box containing  a number of older knives and sheaths..They have been stored in The Mermiad's garage under less than ideal conditions, and the sheaths have some mold and mildew, and some of the knifes do too, along with some  oxidation issues..

I want to get them all cleaned up,... Any tips from you knife guys out there, like Lawdwaz and Airedale any anyone who wants to help ??

[airedale]

If the blades have bad rust one of the best things to get rid of it is Evaporust, you submerge anything rusty in this stuff and it will eat it away not harming anything else.

If the blades are just tarnished one of those lead removal cloths will take care of that, Birchwood Casey or the generics work equally well.

To put a shine on the blade it is tough to beat Flitz which is a polish I have had good results with on most metals.

For any leather cleaning Lexol works great for both cleaning and treating. Obenauf's is another leather conditioner that I use on belts and holsters.

With a little elbow grease these products you will have those knives back into decent condition Dan.

Al

Edited February 17, 2019 by airedale

[Lawdwaz]

FREAKING EXACTLY WHAT I WAS GOING TO TYPE.

Wow, it's almost like he was reading my mind. 

I'm soooo glad Al answered first 'cause I would have said "SOS pads and sperm whale oil".   I'd be thrilled to see pics before and afta'..............

PS: where does a guy source sperm whale oil these days?

[The_Real_TCIII]

FREAKING EXACTLY WHAT I WAS GOING TO TYPE.
Wow, it's almost like he was reading my mind. 
I'm soooo glad Al answered first 'cause I would have said "SOS pads and sperm whale oil".   I'd be thrilled to see pics before and afta'..............
PS: where does a guy source sperm whale oil these days?

How important is the whale part


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[Lawdwaz]

Just now, The_Real_TCIII said:

How important is the whale part


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I guess that depends on the importance of said knives...........

[goosifer]

1 hour ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

How important is the whale part


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From the whale's perspective, very.

[Pygmy]

Thanks, Al....Now I have a project to keep me busy for a few days....

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Dan, if you have a Harbor Freight near you and a bench grinder, I can't recommend these enough for saving some of that elbow grease.  I have a couple I put on and off. some to run polishing  chemicals and others for more aggressive rubbing compounds. 

https://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-spiral-cotton-buffing-wheel-69700.html

 

 

[Nomad]

I have a buffing wheel mounted on an old washing machine motor .

The thing to know is knife makers consider it the most dangerous item in their shop .

https://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?/topic/30573-buffers-the-most-dangerous-tool-in-the-shop-sadly-proven/

[Culvercreek hunt club]

22 minutes ago, Stay at home Nomad said:

I have a buffing wheel mounted on an old washing machine motor .

The thing to know is knife makers consider it the most dangerous item in their shop .

https://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?/topic/30573-buffers-the-most-dangerous-tool-in-the-shop-sadly-proven/

Gotta work the spin and side that is heading away from you. 

[Nomad]

I still get a little nervous, or at least very aware when using mine . Every so often I tip the blade a little to much , push the spine a little to deep and it grabs  and pulls . That’s not a good feeling .

I much prefer doing knives with large handles so I can get a better grip .

The safe zone is 3:00 to 5:00 with the wheel spinning down . I have a hard time not trying to push that small area .

Edited February 18, 2019 by Stay at home Nomad

[Culvercreek hunt club]

14 minutes ago, Stay at home Nomad said:

I still get a little nervous, or at least very aware when using mine . Every so often I tip the blade a little to much , push the spine a little to deep and it grabs  and pulls . That’s not a good feeling .

I much prefer doing knives with large handles so I can get a better grip .

The safe zone is 3:00 to 5:00 with the wheel spinning down . I have a hard time not trying to push that small area .

I agree and I also like to run the blade length ways as well on the away spin. I have two bench grinders and they spin opposite so it's tough for me to give general directions...lol

[Nomad]

From what I’ve just read part of my problem may be my wheel is about an inch wide, apparently narrower wheels like 1/4 inch will collapse before grabbing .