Damascus blade maintanance and cleaning?

[saville01]

I have a few older Damascus steel blades that have over the years darkened and developed slight areas of rust. Not bad but I would like to clean them up and get some shine on them before I try to sell them. I have tried Never Dull and that is taking forever. Any suggestions?

 

[fast14riot]

If it is red rust, try a copper penny. It won't scratch the steel. Beyond that I would just clean it with soap and water, dry it thoroughly and give it a wipe down with an oil cloth.


-Xander

 

[saville01]

A penny really? That is a first for me, I'm going to try that as soon as I get home. Thanks Xander

 

[Bill DeShivs]

The Neverdull will take the residual copper from the penny off the blade.

 

[fast14riot]

Hey Bill, good call on catching that! I forgot to mention about it.

Saville01- how did the blade come out?


-Xander

 

[saville01]

Not sure if the penny trick worked as I didn't have much rust, I will use it on my axe just to see how it comes out. I'm trying to clean the Damascus steel up of the darkening that has developed over the years.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Not sure if the penny trick worked as I didn't have much rust, I will use it on my axe just to see how it comes out. I'm trying to clean the Damascus steel up of the darkening that has developed over the years.

If the black oxidation is what you're trying to remove, most polishing pastes will take care of that (Simichrome, Flitz). NeverDull is a lot milder, with gentler abrasives normally intended for brass, silver, pewter and other soft metals. It's not as effective at polishing hardened steel. Flitz and Simichrome use Aluminum Oxide as the abrasive, which is very good at removing the black iron oxide from steel blades (i.e., patina).

Personally, I wouldn't remove that dark patina from a damascus blade, and I suspect most collectors of damascus wouldn't either. But, to each his own.

Edit:
By the way, the black oxidation on the blade actually helps to prevent red rust. Cleaning it off will make the blade more vulnerable to rusting (until the black oxide layer forms again).

 

[saville01]

Thanks David I will go get some Simichrome or Flitz. I'm trying to clean them up some, so the Damascus is brilliant like it used to be. I appreciate the help.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Thanks David I will go get some Simichrome or Flitz. I'm trying to clean them up some, so the Damascus is brilliant like it used to be. I appreciate the help.

You're welcome.

I have a Buck 110 with stag handles and damascus blade. When I first acquired it, I figured out, completely accidentally, how effectively the polishing pastes remove the patina. The blade was originally very dark, as you've described yours. I polished the blade, and the paste made quick work of taking the patina off. At first, I was a little worried, as the blade all of a sudden looked a little TOO shiny & clean. But, as is the case with any carbon steel (non-stainless) blade, the patina has slowly returned over time. It's a very attractive grey now. Looks just right.