Mudruck Report post Posted March 25, 2014 Found an older Osborne, turn of the century time frame, head knife that needs a little cleaning up. Not really any flaky rust, but a little spotty rust here and there. Mostly it just looks like a thick patina of dark oxidation 'work' on the blade. Typical dark discoloration that you see on older tools. What do you guys recommend to clean it up a bit? Would Evapo-rust harm the old blade or would a quick soak be okay to remove the rusty spots? How about removing the handle to clean the metal under there? Is that something that is okay to do or would it just be taking a chance at dinkin' up something? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bruce johnson Report post Posted March 25, 2014 Evaporust won't hurt anything. To answer the last first. I sure would not remove the handle. That pin is through the tang. Easy to mess up the wood trying to get it out. You will say bad words when the wood splits. You aren't going to hurt it by cleaning it up with fine grit sand paper and work up to superfine, then buff for a good finish. The big thing is getting the rust neutralized in the pits if you don't work them out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mudruck Report post Posted March 25, 2014 (edited) Thanks a ton Bruce. Just the input I was looking for from someone who has a lot of knowledge of these old tools. Luckly, the pitting looks to be very shallow. I'm figuring on soaking the blade in Evaporust to remove the rust and then hitting the pitting with evaporust and a stout toothbrush to get to the bottom of the pits. Edited March 25, 2014 by Mudruck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
