suggested rust remover for leatherman pliers

cj65 said:
Be careful with Barkeeper's Friend. It has oxalic acid, and an abrasive which could etch and scratch the finish. BKF is an awesome product, but I use it to clean my sharpening stones, not rust on my knives. You may try a mild metal polish such as Flitz. It can also change the finish if you rub alot.

Just read Obsessed, this is what happens when you read the op then post without reading the rest of the threads. OWE, I do believe there is an abrasive in the BKF, it works great on my porcelain sink.
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Hey CJ.

I've been Googling on BKF, and have come across at least a couple of descriptions of it, that describe it as 'non-abrasive'. Here's the description I see in the Google listing of search results, from the BKF site:

"Non-abrasive cleansers for brass, copper, stainless steel, fiberglass, porcelain, tile, plastics, glass cooktops, formica, and marble."

And another description from Amazon:

"Bar Keepers Friend, 12 OZ Cleanser and Polish, Non Abrasive Powder, Removes Rust and Hard Water Stains, For Copper, Tile, Brass, Stainless Steel, Marble, Porcelain, Plastics and Glass Cooktops. "

Some descriptions I'm seeing are referring to it as a 'cleanser and polish'. If so, whatever abrasive might be in there is likely to be very fine, if it does indeed 'polish' surfaces.

I think if there's any abrasiveness to it at all, it's very mild. I used it a while back on some stainless flatware with a high chrome, polished finish (rubbed with either a Q-tip or fingertip), and it didn't leave any trace of scratch marks. I mixed it with some water, to make a paste, prior to rubbing it on. The BKF site does recommend pre-wetting the surfaces before applying the powder, so using it wet (diluted) might make a difference too. If the powder was rubbed dry onto a surface, might be an issue there. But that could also be a chemical issue. If used dry (undiluted), the chemical action would presumably be stronger.

If it was used in conjunction with a Scotch-Brite pad or some other 'scrubber', I could see this producing some scratches. I'm thinking whatever 'etching' is produced by BKF on some surfaces is more likely related to the chemical action. There is a warning on the BKF site that it shouldn't be used on lacquered surfaces. I could see a lacquered surface possibly being damaged by a mild abrasive, but on metals, I don't think abrasiveness is an issue.

Having said all the above, it does show the importance of reading all the warnings on the label and, when in doubt, test it on a small, inconspicuous area to be sure.
 
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If you have rust on an outer surface of a multitool, you probably have some at the pivots of the small tools folded in the handles. Get a lubricant in there. To remove rust without abrasive, cover the area in mineral oil for a day or so and rub it off with a soft cotton cloth.
 
I'll second an earlier recommendation for Evaporust in situations like this, with the caveat that I've found it doesn't work very well on the most stainless steels. I tried it on a friends rusted to hell diving knife once after hitting it with every degreaser I had (to make sure the evaporust could contact the surface properly), but it barely touched the corrosion on it after a few days. Seems to work okay on higher carbon stainless steels, just slow, but it gets it all eventually. On non-stainless steels it's almost like magic :p
 
BKF is abrasive. A powdered or liquid abrasive can be more aggressive with greater pressure when using.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
BKF is abrasive. A powdered or liquid abrasive can be more aggressive with greater pressure when using.
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If it's abrasive, it's virtually moot. When I've used it (as a loose paste, mixed with water), there's virtually no rubbing with 'greater pressure' involved. Apply it, let it sit for a few seconds, wipe it off. Sort of like rubbing a little bit of melted butter off of your plate.

As I noted before, I've used it with no signs of scratching left at all. Just depends on how you go about it.

Here's BKF's own product description, when brought up in Google search:
"Bar Keepers Friend
Non-abrasive cleansers for brass, copper, stainless steel, fiberglass, porcelain, tile, plastics, glass cooktops, formica, and marble.
www.[B]barkeepersfriend[/B].com/"


I'll be sure to let them know their own product description is wrong.
 
Tell flitz too, totally not non-abrasive. There's some legal/industry rulebook on what can and can't be called non-abrasive. I know that flitz falls into what I consider abrasive territory even though they can legally claim otherwise. Wouldn't be surprised if barkeeper's friend falls under the same category.
 
OwE,
Because a product says it's non abrasive doesn't mean that it is. Try scrubbing a gold ring with BKF. You will end up with a nice, satin finish. You can't do that without abrasion. As a matter of fact, you can't POLISH without abrasion. Flitz is another "non-abrasive" that is.
My point was, with BKF, or other powdered abrasives, you can scrub hard for the full abrasive effect, or use it lightly for less effect.
 
yoda4561 said:
Tell flitz too, totally not non-abrasive. There's some legal/industry rulebook on what can and can't be called non-abrasive. I know that flitz falls into what I consider abrasive territory even though they can legally claim otherwise. Wouldn't be surprised if barkeeper's friend falls under the same category.
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This highlights a good point. Virtually anything can be considered abrasive, depending on what it's 'abrading' against. Coarse abrasives will scratch, where very fine abrasives will 'polish'. It comes down to two materials rubbing against one another. Presumably one is harder than the other, so it will either 'scratch' or 'polish' depending upon the relative size of the abrasive particles.

The material of which abrasives are made obviously makes a difference too. There's a description on the BKF site, which describes the original inventor's formula as 'talcum smooth', the implication being that it's very, very gentle (soft). Unless the material being cleaned is very, very soft, it's unlikely that this 'abrasive', by itself, is going to scratch it.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
OwE,
Because a product says it's non abrasive doesn't mean that it is. Try scrubbing a gold ring with BKF. You will end up with a nice, satin finish. You can't do that without abrasion. As a matter of fact, you can't POLISH without abrasion. Flitz is another "non-abrasive" that is.
My point was, with BKF, or other powdered abrasives, you can scrub hard for the full abrasive effect, or use it lightly for less effect.
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There's a specific warning on the BKF label against using it on gold (and silver, pewter, aluminum). I'm pretty sure the makers were more concerned about the chemical (etching) effect of the oxalic acid on some metals and other materials, as opposed to the abrasive effect. If you combine a relatively strong chemical action with rubbing, it is possible to see changes in the finish, regardless of what other abrasives may or may not be at work.
 
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Oxalic acid will not harm gold-it's one of the least reactive metals. The reason they don't want you to use it is that it will dull the material by abrasion.
 
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