My first yataghan

[kai]

Hello Emanuel,

Will wd-40 and lemon juice have adverse effects on it?

Any oil/wax suitable to protect blades should be fine.

Be careful with acids though, since removing rust also affects those crevices and can lead to loss of inlay; prolonged soaking can also eat away inlaid metal (except gold) which makes matters worse.

I'd take pains to polish the blade by hand as good as possible (also be gentle on the inlay since this is softer than steel) and do a quick etch with vinegar if you wish to have a look at the steel grain. Make sure to heat the blade thoroughly after etching to remove all traces of vinegar (no need to neutralize since acetic acid evaporates easily).

Regards,
Kai