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Post by zigzagman on Jun 3, 2016 1:16:36 GMT
Hi I'm new here Been interested in swords and knives for a long time However quite honestly I feel like I know very little
So I have been looking for older blades lately so I can attempt to clean them up for a little project I found a blade a local store looks to be quite old and rusty but overall I like the style I'm not sure what it is looks leery military like is roughly a 11inch blade double saerated near the base if you know what I'm referring to is be happy to be educated since the rest of the blades sold here are all wall hangers And I'm assuming maybe wrongly , that going with a older blade means it's real steel
My question is in two parts 1 Is a old blade more likely to be a functional piece of good steel 2 Is a rusty blade worth saving or has it jeopardized the blade too much to ever be usable
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Post by highlander200268 on Jun 3, 2016 1:49:11 GMT
I guess that would depend on the value of the blade, you could devalue it if you take the natural patina off of it, i would only do it if i was going to use it personally, other than that no, surface rust i can see but you risk taking off a natural patina to so it is iffy both ways
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Post by demonskull on Jun 3, 2016 1:58:40 GMT
If you can, post some pics of the knife. Someone should be able to tell you what it is , who made it and if it's worth cleaning and using. Welcome to the forum.
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Post by zigzagman on Jun 3, 2016 2:02:07 GMT
I guess that would depend on the value of the blade, you could devalue it if you take the natural patina off of it, i would only do it if i was going to use it personally, other than that no, surface rust i can see but you risk taking off a natural patina to so it is iffy both ways Thanks for the reply I really wasn't aware of that thanks for warning me It would be for personal use Is there a chance I could tidy it up without risking the patina Or a way I can protect it from rust if I was to damage it ? I'm trying to get help identifying it Thank you for the welcome
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Jun 3, 2016 3:25:22 GMT
What color is the rust? Red rust is active and will continue to corrode the blade. Black rust is dead and more patina and it will actually shield the steel against active rust.
The best course of action, I believe, is to wipe it down with a clean rag with some mineral oil(3 in 1 works well and is cheap and easy to find, sewing machine oil also works) on it to remove as much rust as you can that way, and help it from developing more. Don't bear down real hard. After that, wipe it off and just give it a very thin coat of oil. I don't think we can give you 100% on the ball advice without seeing the blade and the condition that it's in.
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Post by zigzagman on Jun 3, 2016 3:59:05 GMT
What color is the rust? Red rust is active and will continue to corrode the blade. Black rust is dead and more patina and it will actually shield the steel against active rust. The best course of action, I believe, is to wipe it down with a clean rag with some mineral oil(3 in 1 works well and is cheap and easy to find, sewing machine oil also works) on it to remove as much rust as you can that way, and help it from developing more. Don't bear down real hard. After that, wipe it off and just give it a very thin coat of oil. I don't think we can give you 100% on the ball advice without seeing the blade and the condition that it's in. Wow that's great to know mind blown From what I remember the rust was more brown/black I hope my memory is right on that I'll definatley use that technique for cleaning it up there some great tips I'm glad I asked if have made a real good mess of it In the event the rust is active should this blade be avoided at all cost of is that still salvageable ?
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Jun 3, 2016 5:05:54 GMT
It depends on the extent of it. If it's just a little and/or just on the surface then it can be salvaged fairly easily. If it's thick, it probably has pitting, and while that doesn't automatically ruin it, it is an in for future rust.
It also depends on what it is going to be used for. If it's a show piece, then it's probably not worth it. If it's going to be a workhorse user, then looks don't matter and you can remove the rust with oil and sandpaper and it will likely function just fine. If you are getting it for collection purposes then some patina will devalue it for future sell, but is somewhat expected. If you are getting it for the intention of selling it after you clean it up, then I would not advise purchase unless the cost is very low and you are confident that you can repair it enough for resell.
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Post by zigzagman on Jun 3, 2016 5:14:12 GMT
It depends on the extent of it. If it's just a little and/or just on the surface then it can be salvaged fairly easily. If it's thick, it probably has pitting, and while that doesn't automatically ruin it, it is an in for future rust. It also depends on what it is going to be used for. If it's a show piece, then it's probably not worth it. If it's going to be a workhorse user, then looks don't matter and you can remove the rust with oil and sandpaper and it will likely function just fine. If you are getting it for collection purposes then some patina will devalue it for future sell, but is somewhat expected. If you are getting it for the intention of selling it after you clean it up, then I would not advise purchase unless the cost is very low and you are confident that you can repair it enough for resell. Thanks again that's great to know I just had this question bouncing around my head for a couple days and am glad You've given me the answers I needed This piece will be one just for me and will serve no purpose other than to give me a new blade to playwith and gain a little bit of experience during the process Sounds like fun anything to stop me daydreaming about building a little home forge
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Post by MOK on Jun 3, 2016 5:15:15 GMT
Depends on how much rust there is, how deep it goes, what kind of knife it actually is and what purpose you'd be salvaging it for. With a serrated blade, I'd say if you're lucky it could be either an old diver's or paratrooper's knife ("old" as in 1940s or later) with some antique/collectible value, or a newer piece with functional value; if you're unlucky it could be just another decorative piece of crap. Impossible to say without seeing at least some up close photos of it. PS. Ninja'd!
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Jun 3, 2016 5:21:23 GMT
If it's relatively cheap then for your purposes it sounds just fine. You may be able to find a cruddy knife at a second hand store for dirt cheap to learn on it before you tackle this one you may want to do that, but if this one grabs you and you can afford it, then there really isn't much reason to not grab it.
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Post by zigzagman on Jun 3, 2016 5:26:44 GMT
Depends on how much rust there is, how deep it goes, what kind of knife it is and what purpose you'd be salvaging it for. With a serrated blade, I'd say if you're lucky it could be either an old diver's or paratrooper's knife ("old" as in 1940s or later) with some antique value, or a newer piece with functional value; if you're unlucky it could be just another decorative piece of crap. Impossible to say without seeing at least some up close photos of it. Great point that gave me a good insight I didn't think of that before paratroopers would make sense for a serrated blade its very long for a knife and I'm think I remember the tip of the blade being forked or pronged (intentionally split) I do think it looks quite old though my judgment is not to be trusted I'll post pictures tomorrow im going to have to pick it up it seems to have stuck with me I'll hope for the best case scenario but I'm not usually so lucky would be happy to bring it back to a fucional point just for something to play with
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Post by zigzagman on Jun 3, 2016 5:32:21 GMT
If it's relatively cheap then for your purposes it sounds just fine. You may be able to find a cruddy knife at a second hand store for dirt cheap to learn on it before you tackle this one you may want to do that, but if this one grabs you and you can afford it, then there really isn't much reason to not grab it. This much is true I'm definatley going to grab it and I'll give it a go Who knows there's a chance it might look have decent I appreciate all the responses and tips Great group
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Post by MOK on Jun 3, 2016 5:40:11 GMT
A forked tip would pretty much rule out any sort of practical or military origin, so it's probably a decorative piece. But hey, even then it's material to practice on, and with no real value to it you're free to make mistakes and learn from them. Win-win! (Assuming you don't pay too much for it.)
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Post by zigzagman on Jun 3, 2016 5:44:42 GMT
A forked tip would pretty much rule out any sort of practical or military origin, so it's probably a decorative piece. But hey, even then it's material to practice on, and with no real value to it you're free to make mistakes and learn from them. Win-win! (Assuming you don't pay too much for it.) Yeah that's a good way too look at it it would be worse if it was a really nice piece Simone else would love to have and I'm over at my place scratching it up haha I'll take it for what it's worth Some good practice I'll still post pictures when I get it As I may be remembering wrong though I'm quite sure we have the answer to what this is
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