New Central African knife, cleaning/maintenance advice?

wildwolberine · 5th January 2025, 01:30 AM

Just added this Central African (Ngombe?) knife to my collection. Large, flat blade with faint marks. Wood hilt mostly covered with metallic wrap. Would like to know the best way to clean the blade and hilt, and to preserve the wood, without destroying the patina? I want to be careful to avoid over cleaning. I could wipe the metal down with Ballistol but I’m unsure how to proceed with the wood.

Overall length 58 cm
Blade length 47 cm
Blade width 8.5 cm

5th January 2025, 01:30 AM	#1
wildwolberine Member Join Date: May 2023 Location: San Antonio Posts: 112	New Central African knife, cleaning/maintenance advice? Just added this Central African (Ngombe?) knife to my collection. Large, flat blade with faint marks. Wood hilt mostly covered with metallic wrap. Would like to know the best way to clean the blade and hilt, and to preserve the wood, without destroying the patina? I want to be careful to avoid over cleaning. I could wipe the metal down with Ballistol but I’m unsure how to proceed with the wood. Overall length 58 cm Blade length 47 cm Blade width 8.5 cm Attached Images