Is this rust? There are some areas in the black which look like pitting but I can't tell. Is there an appropriate way to restore this blade?
What is this black stuff?
- Thread starter drathgeb
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It is more like "dormant" rust. It needs either polishing or sanding for removal, but it is more a cosmetic blemish than anything else. Reddish brown rust needs to be avoided.
This just looks like localized pitting to me. It's hard to tell how deep it is, but you may be able to work it out.
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My concern is that I will negatively effect the lettering on the tang or mess up the spine and blade angle. Is that even possible? I have been wanting a duck for a while and just don't want to screw it up.
It's black rust, possibly caused by the traces of unremoved soap scum; not as bad as red rust proper, and at best it might augment your RDA level of iron intake via skin absorption. You can try to spot sand or polish it out a little, or better still, just hone with a petroleum oil rather than that nasty oxygen-ridden water. Keep it oiled and you'll be fine. Gives it character IMO.
Edit: It's not going to mess up the spine or blade angle. If you try to clean things up too much, yes, you might risk to mess things up the lettering on the shank (following B&B nomenclature). Best to leave that be, IMO, if you are only concerned about shaving with it.
Edit: It's not going to mess up the spine or blade angle. If you try to clean things up too much, yes, you might risk to mess things up the lettering on the shank (following B&B nomenclature). Best to leave that be, IMO, if you are only concerned about shaving with it.
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Commonly called "Patina"
I often don't bother removing it.
-Xander
I often don't bother removing it.
-Xander
Maybe I'm wrong here, but perhaps "patina" has a more golden, amber, overall hue over the entire blade?
that there is the fabled devil's spit.
You won't really get rid of pitting - unless you are prepared to spend many many hours taking the rest of the blade down to the level of the pit!! Don't worry about it if it's confined to the spine and upper parts of the blade. The only need for concern is if it's at the edge - which doesn't look to be the case here.
You can reduce the appearance with some hand sanding. It'll still be there, but you won't damage the stamp and/or geometry. Plus, it adds to the character of the blade 
A lot of that can be cleaned up with 220x w/d. If you have a buffer, you can prob clean it all up with low grit greaseless on a aggressive wheel. You may affect the tang stamp a bit, depends on how deep the engraving is. If you go slow, you can gauge when to stop so you can preserve as much of the stamp as possible.
After buffing - soak the steel in oil and wipe clear. then sand with progressively higher grits till you get the polish you want. Carbon steel should be oiled regularly.
A lot of my kitchen knives and all but one razor are carbon steel. They all get soaked in water regularly, they all get sharpened/honed with water regularly - and there are no issues to be found from doing so. None.
Often, once you get rid of the 'black' look of the spit, and it turns more grey, it looks a lot better.
You can can refer to tarnish or oxidation as Patina.
And - the beauty/distraction of Patina is in the eye of the beholder.
After buffing - soak the steel in oil and wipe clear. then sand with progressively higher grits till you get the polish you want. Carbon steel should be oiled regularly.
A lot of my kitchen knives and all but one razor are carbon steel. They all get soaked in water regularly, they all get sharpened/honed with water regularly - and there are no issues to be found from doing so. None.
Often, once you get rid of the 'black' look of the spit, and it turns more grey, it looks a lot better.
You can can refer to tarnish or oxidation as Patina.
And - the beauty/distraction of Patina is in the eye of the beholder.
Definitely not what I would consider patina.
Clean off what you can, keep it oiled up when not in use and you should be fine
Clean off what you can, keep it oiled up when not in use and you should be fine
I gues coming from a knife world where stuff like this is often forced or artificially created is something different than you razor guys are used too! This is the type of stuff that is often wanted to help protect a blade from further damaging rust.
-Xander
-Xander
A forced patina and what you see on that razor 2 different things.
Once it's removed you can really see the damage. Although, even in pic you can see the damage that has been done to the spine
Basically you would have to take it to a grinder to remove it all ( or a buffer with low grit compound), which isn't a great option on full hollow grinds.
That being said, it should make a fine shaver. It's just not going to be a show piece. Everybody need a few like that in there collection.
Once it's removed you can really see the damage. Although, even in pic you can see the damage that has been done to the spine
Basically you would have to take it to a grinder to remove it all ( or a buffer with low grit compound), which isn't a great option on full hollow grinds.
That being said, it should make a fine shaver. It's just not going to be a show piece. Everybody need a few like that in there collection.
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