Rusty Knife project.

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Rusty Knife project.

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

I have a customer that put his yanagiba away for an extended time and came back to it in a bad way.

How would you advise him to fix it? I know how I would do it but I thought the discussion would benefit others. We should also give him suggestions on how to keep it from happening again.

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I'll send him over to look at this thread when we're done talking about it a bit so please be polite.
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Re: Rusty Knife project.

Post by Ut_ron »

I use bar keepers friend and 0000 steel wool. Works like a charm. Just did a cleaver that was in worst shape. Came out great.
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Re: Rusty Knife project.

Post by Ut_ron »

Ut_ron wrote: Thu Sep 13, 2018 10:52 am I use bar keepers friend and 0000 steel wool. Works like a charm. Just did a cleaver that was in worst shape. Came out great.
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Re: Rusty Knife project.

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

That's awesome! I love before and after repair pictures. :) So satisfying.

Once it's fixed the simple way to maintain if putting it away for an extended amount of time is to oil the blade. Just a drop or two of oil will put a film over the blade that will keep moisture off the blade and keep it from oxidizing.

I do the same thing with my sword. Once a month I pull it out of the sheath and use cape cod cloths to clean off any patina and it must have mostly mineral oil in it since it puts a nice film over the blade. Works like a charm. https://www.chefknivestogo.com/cacodpocl.html
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Re: Rusty Knife project.

Post by jmcnelly85 »

Bkf with a cork or wet/dry sandpaper are what I would use for the rust. It doesn’t seem too pitted from what I can see, doing work sooner is better than later. Coarse stones, buffers, or any abrasives will work. Have fun.
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Re: Rusty Knife project.

Post by ken123 »

I use diamond bars on a buffer. And workboots for safety starting at 80 microns. If it needs more I go to a belt grinder.

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Re: Rusty Knife project.

Post by Jeff B »

An SOS pad or rust eraser will work too along with methods mentioned above. A buffer and a knife though is a good way to lose an appendage or worse.

When I store carbon knives for a long period of time I use a very light coat of mineral oil and/or wrap in VCI paper. VCI paper works great for this type of thing and will work for a couple years before you have to change it depending on environment.
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Re: Rusty Knife project.

Post by Bensbites »

I used BKF and liked the way it works. One key step after BKF is washing once (or twice if you are crazy like me) with a slurry of baking soda and water to neutralize the acid.
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Re: Rusty Knife project.

Post by ken123 »



You might find this video instructive. These employees use buffers and belt grinder 8 hours a day. Of course they are highly skilled technicians not people who have never used buffers or even belt grinders. They put finishes on knives all day long so I value their opinions a bit more than someone with no experience.

Clearly there are many approaches to the problem. Im just mentioning what works for me.

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Re: Rusty Knife project.

Post by Jeff B »

My point exactly, they are highly skilled technicians not people who never use buffers or belt grinders on knives like 99% of us. That's what makes it pretty dangerous for most of us. You're very experienced and impaled a knife into your foot so evidently it can be very dangerous.

I'm not saying don't do it just making sure that the dangers are known for someone not skilled/experience in using a knife on a buffer.
If your skilled enough and have the equipment then by all means go for it.
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Re: Rusty Knife project.

Post by ken123 »

Fair enough. There is an element of risk for buffers, grinders and even sharpening with a waterstone (reference :



A suitable amount of caution should be used in any sharpening task.

Most knifemakers and handlemakers have experience with power tools so this is aimed for the more skilled users in this group.

Here is a knife finished using a 2 micron diamond bar with a buffer.
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Re: Rusty Knife project.

Post by Cutuu »

How did he store it? and how long was it in there. I've been away from my knives for what will be a month in a half. I oiled most of them but I may have missed a couple. Im curious how long it takes. Obviously it depends on the conditions. Mine is in an air conditioned house. They should be fine. BUt im still curious what he did.
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Re: Rusty Knife project.

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

Jeff B wrote: Thu Sep 13, 2018 1:44 pm An SOS pad or rust eraser will work too along with methods mentioned above. A buffer and a knife though is a good way to lose an appendage or worse.

When I store carbon knives for a long period of time I use a very light coat of mineral oil and/or wrap in VCI paper. VCI paper works great for this type of thing and will work for a couple years before you have to change it depending on environment.

Yeah I forgot to mention this non rust paper is a good thing to use for storage after it’s cleaned up.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/vciruinpa11.html
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Re: Rusty Knife project.

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

I’ll see if he can send us after pictures when he’s done with it.
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Re: Rusty Knife project.

Post by Dkroe3 »

I love restoring old or rusty knives, it really gives me satisfaction to know that I’ve brought something back to life. And when hand sanding for a carbon steel blade... WD-40 is your best friend.
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Re: Rusty Knife project.

Post by jmcnelly85 »

There is a strong chance that there is rust lurking under the handle. Some handles pop off easily and can be put back post restoration, but there is a chance new handles may be needed if you have to break it off.
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Re: Rusty Knife project.

Post by ken123 »

If the non rust paper is the same as what many knives are wrapped in, yes highly recommended!

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Re: Rusty Knife project.

Post by Peter Nowlan »

Wet/dry sandpaper and lots of water. I start at 220-400 grit and stop at 800. It just takes a lot of patience but it’s fun seeing the changes to the way the knife looks. I’d never use a grinder for this but then again I don’t the nifty tools that Ken does and I don’t imagine many people do. I think it’s more satisfying doing it by hand.
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Re: Rusty Knife project.

Post by ken123 »

Going back to the original pictures. The nakiri looks like it had a kuroichi finish. What hapoens to it? When it is removed, the metal finish left is rough so usually that requires further work. Do you consider etching? Ignore it? Something else?

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Re: Rusty Knife project.

Post by Bensbites »

ken123 wrote: Sat Sep 15, 2018 2:07 pm Going back to the original pictures. The nakiri looks like it had a kuroichi finish. What hapoens to it? When it is removed, the metal finish left is rough so usually that requires further work. Do you consider etching? Ignore it? Something else?

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I have seen some forum members parkerize (sp?) which is etching in iron phosphate and manganese.
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