How do I clean this....

[civilman1]

Without destoying the art work on the handle.I thought electrolysis might ruin the eagle motif.Any suggestion's

[jeff of pa]

although Electrolysis shouldn't effect the sides,
the Liquid may remove some of
the age toneing.

The blades will never come back.
and I Have had some fall apart during Electrolysis.
Personally I wouldn't clean it.

[Iron Patch]

Now that is a tough one! Personally I would not take a chance with electrolysis but I don't have the experience to say whether it can be done. My idea would be to carefully grind down the rust, then preserve it with a clear sealer. That said, I would be doing what your doing to try and find the best answer.

[civilman1]

Thank's Jeff.....IP,I was thinking about using a dremmel to clean the rust as close as I can get it....Thank's guy's

[BuckleBoy]

I am making a post here in Cleaning and Preservation of an alternative to electrolysis. You may find it useful for projects exactly like this one. I think it will work, but as with all cleaning procedures there is a risk. I haven't experimented enough with the method yet, but I like what I see so far.


Regards,


Buckles

[civilman1]

I'm all ear's Buckle's.....I hope your method is something that will work.PM me with any info.....just don't want to ruin the design.Thank's

[BuckleBoy]

I'm all ear's Buckle's.....I hope your method is something that will work.PM me with any info.....just don't want to ruin the design.Thank's

Well...I have experimented now at this point enough to know that the product I've been using on iron won't harm brass. It works very slowly. I have a hunch it will not harm that material either, but can't say for sure. But if at any point you can tell it is causing any damage, then pull it out and rinse it off. Problem solved. Start early in the morning so you can monitor it throughout the day. And if you feel comfortable with it by evening, leave it overnight. All of the rust will eventually be removed from the blades. Let me know how it goes--and post photos of the end result. Here's the link to my post:

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.p...,343876.0.html


Cheers,


Buckles

[Iron Patch]

I'm all ear's Buckle's.....I hope your method is something that will work.PM me with any info.....just don't want to ruin the design.Thank's

Well...I have experimented now at this point enough to know that the product I've been using on iron won't harm brass. It works very slowly. I have a hunch it will not harm that material either, but can't say for sure. But if at any point you can tell it is causing any damage, then pull it out and rinse it off. Problem solved. Start early in the morning so you can monitor it throughout the day. And if you feel comfortable with it by evening, leave it overnight. All of the rust will eventually be removed from the blades. Let me know how it goes--and post photos of the end result. Here's the link to my post:

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.p...,343876.0.html


Cheers,


Buckles

I wonder if there's anything you could coat it with that your stuff wouldn't react with. It would be easy to test before the cleaning. (Coat something and soak it and see what happens)

[BuckleBoy]

I'm all ear's Buckle's.....I hope your method is something that will work.PM me with any info.....just don't want to ruin the design.Thank's

Well...I have experimented now at this point enough to know that the product I've been using on iron won't harm brass. It works very slowly. I have a hunch it will not harm that material either, but can't say for sure. But if at any point you can tell it is causing any damage, then pull it out and rinse it off. Problem solved. Start early in the morning so you can monitor it throughout the day. And if you feel comfortable with it by evening, leave it overnight. All of the rust will eventually be removed from the blades. Let me know how it goes--and post photos of the end result. Here's the link to my post:

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.p...,343876.0.html


Cheers,


Buckles

I wonder if there's anything you could coat it with that your stuff wouldn't react with. It would be easy to test before the cleaning. (Coat something and soak it and see what happens)

Based on what I know about EvapoRust already through trial and error, a very thin coat of oil on the non-iron pieces should protect them. If it's a very thin coat (wiped on with a cloth), it shouldn't interfere with the product's effectiveness at removing the rest of the rust. I don't know what the oil would do to the design.

-Buck

[Iron Patch]

I'm all ear's Buckle's.....I hope your method is something that will work.PM me with any info.....just don't want to ruin the design.Thank's

Well...I have experimented now at this point enough to know that the product I've been using on iron won't harm brass. It works very slowly. I have a hunch it will not harm that material either, but can't say for sure. But if at any point you can tell it is causing any damage, then pull it out and rinse it off. Problem solved. Start early in the morning so you can monitor it throughout the day. And if you feel comfortable with it by evening, leave it overnight. All of the rust will eventually be removed from the blades. Let me know how it goes--and post photos of the end result. Here's the link to my post:

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.p...,343876.0.html


Cheers,


Buckles

I wonder if there's anything you could coat it with that your stuff wouldn't react with. It would be easy to test before the cleaning. (Coat something and soak it and see what happens)

Based on what I know about EvapoRust already through trial and error, a very thin coat of oil on the non-iron pieces should protect them. If it's a very thin coat (wiped on with a cloth), it shouldn't interfere with the product's effectiveness at removing the rest of the rust. I don't know what the oil would do to the design.

-Buck

I wonder if wax would work.

[BuckleBoy]

I'm all ear's Buckle's.....I hope your method is something that will work.PM me with any info.....just don't want to ruin the design.Thank's

Well...I have experimented now at this point enough to know that the product I've been using on iron won't harm brass. It works very slowly. I have a hunch it will not harm that material either, but can't say for sure. But if at any point you can tell it is causing any damage, then pull it out and rinse it off. Problem solved. Start early in the morning so you can monitor it throughout the day. And if you feel comfortable with it by evening, leave it overnight. All of the rust will eventually be removed from the blades. Let me know how it goes--and post photos of the end result. Here's the link to my post:

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.p...,343876.0.html


Cheers,


Buckles

I wonder if there's anything you could coat it with that your stuff wouldn't react with. It would be easy to test before the cleaning. (Coat something and soak it and see what happens)

Based on what I know about EvapoRust already through trial and error, a very thin coat of oil on the non-iron pieces should protect them. If it's a very thin coat (wiped on with a cloth), it shouldn't interfere with the product's effectiveness at removing the rest of the rust. I don't know what the oil would do to the design.

-Buck

I wonder if wax would work.

I bet wax would work well. I do know that oil inhibits Evaporust's ability--what I don't know is if oil would stop any potential damage (if there was going to be any in the first place). Wax should work well--and be easy to remove.

-Buck

[artyfacts]

Is that scrimshaw, paint, or a decal on the inside of the handle? I have used wax on glass and mirror to etch with acid, works well as a resist with most chemicals. If using a chemical to soak this in, try dripping a experimental piece of hot wax in the bottom of a small container and add the cleaner used, let it soak and see what happens. The edges of the wax should still be firmly in place and untouched by the chemical, if not, do not use this technique. The trick is getting the wax off again. You can place it in boiling water to remove the wax or lightly scrape excess wax off with a soft material (wood, plastic) then use a buffing wheel, the friction will cause the wax to get soft and adhere to buffing wheel. You will be taking a chance boiling it however if the bond between the ink, paint or decal is heat sensitive to the material that it is bonded to. Also if you used wax there would be no assurances that the chemical wouldn't leech through the edges of the brass pins from the inside and find its way to your design on the backside of the handle. A dremel, micro blaster or sandblaster would be your best bet I think. If blasting use at least a 4 to 8 mm vinyl resist on the handle to protect it and a finer cutting blast media at a low pressure 40 psi. a siphon type sandblaster would work best. Note, the siphon and pressure type sandblasters and micro blasters can all be used in a small blast cabinet. Take your time if using the dremel, they can get squirrely if applying to much pressure. Really nice find with great artwork. Arty
This site is a start but is missing lots of info.
http://home.fuse.net/davestr4a/Paint/Sand_Blaster.html