Need help on cleaning rusty blade!!!

Federico · 23rd May 2005, 09:27 PM

When you said rusty, I was expecting something that was more rust than sword, but this piece is in good condition. Lemon juice, vinegar, or any other juice that is acidic will remove rust, but it will also remove patina. So that can be a catch 22, depending whether or not you want the blade etched. The plus side, if the blade is laminated then it will show the lamination after etching. Just make sure to clean the blade of any grease/dirt before using the lemon juice. Kerosene would work with that, so would acetone (that is what I use). If you do not want to etch, with a blade in this good of condition, soaking it in a little WD-40 (or any other similar penetrating oil) and then scrubbing with #0000 steel wool should remove any active rust. Make sure it is at least #0000 steel wool or finer, as while it will remove rust, it will break off on the harder steel, and therefore not scratch the original finish. Anything coarser will scratch. Anyways, nice blade.

23rd May 2005, 09:27 PM	#6
Federico Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Minneapolis, MN, USA Posts: 312	When you said rusty, I was expecting something that was more rust than sword, but this piece is in good condition. Lemon juice, vinegar, or any other juice that is acidic will remove rust, but it will also remove patina. So that can be a catch 22, depending whether or not you want the blade etched. The plus side, if the blade is laminated then it will show the lamination after etching. Just make sure to clean the blade of any grease/dirt before using the lemon juice. Kerosene would work with that, so would acetone (that is what I use). If you do not want to etch, with a blade in this good of condition, soaking it in a little WD-40 (or any other similar penetrating oil) and then scrubbing with #0000 steel wool should remove any active rust. Make sure it is at least #0000 steel wool or finer, as while it will remove rust, it will break off on the harder steel, and therefore not scratch the original finish. Anything coarser will scratch. Anyways, nice blade.