UBB.threads Forums General Interest Restoration, Conservation, and Maintenance Forum OIL BATH FOR CLEANING BLADES

The blade of this SS dagger has what appears to be a coating of old oil which has become quite difficult if not impossible to remove. A friend of mine told me that soaking the blade in motor oil may free the old residue....he said to just submerge it in oil and forget about it for a few months. This is a full Rhom by Herder, and as bad as it is, I do not wish to make it worse. Has anyone been successful in cleaning up a blade using this method? Thanks, R.W.

other discoloration

Certainly think it would not do any harm and it seems possible it could help?.

Hi Mongo, I have enjoyed viewing your postings...your collection is superb. Thanks for the come-back...I think I shall give the oil bath trick a whirl and see if it does any good.

You might want to try sudsy ammonia first. Use it with a soft bristled brush (I use a baby toothbrush.... I figure they make them soft enough for a baby's gums, so they shouldn't hurt a blade). Then rinse off the ammonia with water (or a clean rag that is wet... just be sure to get the ammonia off). Finally, make sure you dry the blade with a soft cloth. If it's dried oil, I think this will take a good bit off.

Good luck!

Thanks for the tip. I shall try it...I am leery of taking the dagger apart to soak the blade, but I really want to try cleaning it. I think this is a good first trial method and can be done with the grip still in place.

Try some acetone..

You may try mineral spirits?

good luck with any or all these methods,,post pics when finished with your blade...

falstaff2k,

My amateurish 2 cent thought.

Are you certain that the residue is 'dried oil'? I would imagine any of the above would be remedies if it is for sure that substance. I don't believe there would be much of a problem in removing or cleaning dried oil off.

I might also offer a suggestion of soaking the blade with �Break Free clp�
(cleaner-lubricant-preservative) Highly effective with cleaning imbedded dirt and crud from guns with absolutely no after effects.

Like I say, if it's only dried oil, I wouldn't imagine any serious or in depth problems and also as I say, only my 2 cents.

Respectfully,

John

Everything mentioned so far should work, but WD-40 is a cheap quick way to remove cosmoline or dried grease from metal. I've used it for small jobs on firearms, but use kerosene for larger projects. WD-40 is mostly kerosene anyway so it works just as well.

WD-40 treatment in progress....awaiting results.

So far, WD-40 has had no affect on the blade.

I have to agree with John, I don't believe the problem is dried oil. I've used WD-40 to remove dried gunk from firearms that hadn't been cleaned since the turn of the century.

Just currious if you still have the problem if so try Etched Blades method with Sudsy Amonia, seems to work on dired gunk very well. Let it soak and lightly hit it with a soft tooth brush (just make sure you rinse the tooth brush out good before the wife uses it in the morning)hehehe.
I cringe at the thought of removing any remaning crossgrain but you can try Flitz or Semi chrome, just go about it lightly with a very soft cloth if the Sudsy doesn't do the trick.

My 2 cents worth.

EW

If all else fails; take your blade to a clock repair shop and ask then to put it in their ultrasonic cleaner. This is what they use to clean old clock movements and it's very effective in removing dried oil and other gunk.
Jim

Laquer thinner.