Help! My Damascus Koji Hare Folder Rusted!!

[tensixteen]

Hello!

I have a Koji Hara folder which carries a Damascus Blade. Recently, I had this "Brilliant" idea of wrapping it in a piece of Chamois Cloth to prevent any scratches it might get from the zipper of its pouch.
Soon after, i realised that the part of the blade which had come into contact with the blade had rusted!! it seems to be surface rust, not resulting in severe pitting, but after wiping it down with WD-40 i can still see the specks of rust on the blade spine.
Could anyone suggest to me a way i can remove the rust without spoiling the pattern of the blade, short of sending it back to Koji?..

Thanks for the trouble!!

Cheers!

Nick!

[dsvirsky]

Two suggestions:
1) try lightly rubbing the affected area(s) with whitening toothpaste; in my experience, it doesn't lighten the damascus the way that Flitz will.
2) try carrying the knife and using it, so that it won't sit its zippered case and collect rust

[TikTock]

Ouch!

Try 0000 steel wool if its light....

If not, I'd probably take the blade out, do whatever I could to get the rust off, and re-etch carefully, using swabs or q-tips...depends on how deep the etch is...if its just a very light etch, you could probably match it easilly...if the etch is deep enough to cause ridges or valleys, it will be quite a bit more difficult to match. Put a coat of Ren Wax on that baby if youre gonna store it!

[tensixteen]

Thanks dsvirsky & TikTock!

I think i'll give the "whitening toothpaste" idea a try..kinda trying to stay away from steel wool as i fear it might scratch the blade.. ...TikTock, I can't take the blade out as the pivot pin has been made flush with the handle itself, and would be impossible to remove...thanks for the suggestion though!...

[marcel54]

Steel wool (the most fine quality) works great but I use a bit of oil as lubricant and that works like a charm.

Marcel

[sjaqua]

Originally Posted by tensixteen

Hello!

I have a Koji Hara folder which carries a Damascus Blade. Recently, I had this "Brilliant" idea of wrapping it in a piece of Chamois Cloth to prevent any scratches it might get from the zipper of its pouch. (snip)
Nick!

Others here have given you good advice on how to fix your problem. The only thing I can add, is to perhaps try using Semichrome polish, first before any abbrassives. If it is just surface rust, then Semichrome should deal with it. And without harming the black iron oxide finish of your pattern welded blade.

Next, important to note here: Storage in any form of leather product equals bad results!

Even chromium tanned garment leather have at some point been exposed to or produced tanic acid. Even the slightest bit moist air can cause the leather to release a small amount of tanic acid that will attack your custom knife. That is the root cause of your rust and the reason I provide a storage case rather then a sheath with the knives I make.