Dealing With Rust Spots

[Greg F]

Hello guys,

I recently started a post for opinions on saya cleaning as a blade I have rubs. There are a few tiny dots of rust just starting to show. I have been using uchiko in hopes of reducing it or atleast prevent worsening. I just swapped from choji to gun oil as ive heard it coats better. Just hoping for opinions on how to deal with this. I cant afford to have the blade polished at the moment unfortunately. I should have the saya sorted soon. The spot that im concerned about mostly is around a cm from the kissaki on the ha edge! Any help is appreciated. All the best.

 

Greg

[SAS]

PM sent.

[ROKUJURO]

In case this was active red rust, first rule is to stop it. You can use a strip of pure copper as a tool. Bone or ivory are probably too soft. This may not make it look as nicely as a freshly polished blade, but it may save from further damage. This is important in the HA area as the high carbon content of this steel attract rust much more easily than the JI or other (softer) parts of the blade. Rust in the HA also goes sometimes deeper into the steel.

Concerning protective oil, it is more important to apply a very thin film quite often than what oil you use. Of course a modern 'creeping' machine oil is superior to most traditional oils.  

[Grey Doffin]

I would think that something like a strip of copper would screw up the polish.  Polishers have ways of removing rust spots that don't involve messing with the polish, are pretty quickly accomplished, and shouldn't be very expensive.  I would show this sword to a properly trained polisher to see what is possible.  In the mean time, if you keep a light coat of oil it won't get worse.

Grey

[ROKUJURO]

Grey,

pure copper is way softer than any kind of steel, so it's a simple but efficient way to remove active rust, when bone, antler or ivory prove to be too soft. Working with a pointed tip only on the rusty spots, the polish will not suffer much. In any case, the polish is more affected by rust than by removing it, I think.

But of course you are right with your advice, if a traditional TOGISHI is at hand!

[seattle1]

Hello:

 If you have a raised rust spot on a blade that is otherwise polished get a British penny made not later than 1970 and use the edge to scrape off the rust. Those pennies made between 1797-1859 are 100% copper, 1860-1922 are 95%, 1925-1954 are 95.5%, and thereafter until 1971 they are 97%. The remainder parts of the coins are tin and zinc. They can be had at most coin shops and shows and can cost as little as 25 cents. They will not, in my experience, show any damage to the polished area outside the rust spot. First prove this to yourself by experimenting on a junk blade!!! To add safety restrict yourself to the rust spot and not beyond. If anyone can't find one, if you are at the Tampa show just ask, and I'll have a few and won't even charge you 25 cents.

 Arnold F.