New Moro kris

[apolaki]

I have left the blade in a vertical bath of 5% vinegar for a couple days and tried to clean it a couple times by running water over it and scrubbing.

The dark smudge develops really fast after resubmerging in the vinegar. It develops thick again at both sides, and when I take it out of the bath to rinse it off with water and scrub it smells REALLY RANCID AND PUNGENT!!!! (Is it a toxin or hazardous to inhale)? My mind may be going overboard, but I wonder if it's arsneic or something? Any way, I was scrubbing it with a plastic brush very hard with citric dish soap thinking it will scrub the black smudge away, but it didnt seem to do much.

Then I realised that the black smudge actually fades away when the blade dries. The last photo shows what it looks like when it is almost completely dry. Is the rust not being removed or am I making some progress?

Thanks!