Blade Cleaning

A. G. Maisey · 24th February 2008, 06:26 AM

Bill, you can clean a blade with just about any acidic agent--- vinegar, various fruit juices, dilute acids, Coca Cola---almost anything. But some things are better than others.

The same is true of staining. I taught myself to use asenic about 50 years ago. In my opinion it gives the very best results of anything. But there are other agents that can be used.

I think a lot has been written on this subject both in this Warung Kopi group, and in the old Forum. If you do a bit of digging I feel you might find a week's reading for yourself.

David · 24th February 2008, 11:03 PM

Hi Bill and welcome to the forum.

I completely agree with Alan on a couple of points. Firstly that arsenic will give the best results. Other staining agents will affect the metal in similar ways, but the resulting colors will never be quite right.
Secondly, as a new member i cannot recommend to you more that you try using the search function to see where this forum and the main forum have already been on any particular subject. The Classic thread you read is just one of many threads that have been posted on this subject. Dig around a bit first and if you don't find the answers you are looking for try posting a more specific question.

24th February 2008, 06:26 AM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,048	Bill, you can clean a blade with just about any acidic agent--- vinegar, various fruit juices, dilute acids, Coca Cola---almost anything. But some things are better than others. The same is true of staining. I taught myself to use asenic about 50 years ago. In my opinion it gives the very best results of anything. But there are other agents that can be used. I think a lot has been written on this subject both in this Warung Kopi group, and in the old Forum. If you do a bit of digging I feel you might find a week's reading for yourself.

24th February 2008, 11:03 PM	#2
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,229	Hi Bill and welcome to the forum. I completely agree with Alan on a couple of points. Firstly that arsenic will give the best results. Other staining agents will affect the metal in similar ways, but the resulting colors will never be quite right. Secondly, as a new member i cannot recommend to you more that you try using the search function to see where this forum and the main forum have already been on any particular subject. The Classic thread you read is just one of many threads that have been posted on this subject. Dig around a bit first and if you don't find the answers you are looking for try posting a more specific question.