Cleanser/knife story and question

[BasketballJones]

I just found an old Kamp King Boy Scout knife. The knife must be over 30 years old (wow I'm old) . The knife was rusty and somewhat dull. I honed and stropped it to reasonable improvement but still wanted to remove all the rust marks. Then the flashback hit me. I actually caught a fly and ate it with this knife as a bet; but that's another story.

It was one of the merit badges. We were taught how to sharpen the knife from a stone and strop of a hard piece of wood using an abrasive and I thought it was cleanser. Well that's where the cleanser idea came from.

I stropped this old knife with Ajax cleanser with bleach. The knife turned blue (Ajax is white). I'm guessing that was the bleach reacting with the rust. The knife turned sparkling clean and sharper as I stropped. I did have compound buildup on the strop too.

Did this happen because of the cleanser and metal reaction.? Or was it that this may have been good ole Pittsburgh or USA steel? The active ingredient in the cleanser is calcium carbonate and the bleach. I guess I'm easily impressed but I'm curious as to what happened.

Seeing that knife brought back some great camping memories that I had totally forgotten or surpressed (my dad was our assistant scout master). I don't think I'm going to use the knife. It sort of has it's own magic right now.

It's a chemical reaction from the cleanser and strop compound. I get the samething when I add pumice to my strop

[AlArchie]

Hey there, Jones! Make sure you wash that pocket knife blade well with hot water, after cleaning it with that cleanser. The chlorine bleach contained in the cleanser is a powerful oxidizer (read that 'rusting agent') and if it is not totally removed, will pit that blade something fierce in short order. Then make sure to oil the blade thoroughly before storing away, as the abrasive in the cleanser will have removed any protective oil. I like to use a silicone fishing reel grease to protect the blades on my knives. Which reminds me, I have to pick up a couple tubes of the stuff!

Al

[BasketballJones]

Thanks for the replies. I'll certainly do the oil. I'm certain the last time the knife was used was during a canoe trip down the Allegheny River. I expected the blade to be brittle. I will oil the blade. It seems like the one thing I always forget to pickup is stropping compound. It never seems to last. I was hoping I found one of those improvisions in time of need.

I just purchased a detail knife & Doziki saw from Woodcraft (I love the saw) and forgot the compound. Why the heck wouldn't Lowe's or Sears, a store close to me sell stropping compound. Wal-Mart sells the diamond, arkansas, & other sharpening stones in the sporting goods section but no stropping compounnd. I can't just buy it over the net, there has to be something else purchased along with it. And that's when Mrs BBJ starts dishing out fouls. Okay tha's my rant for the day.

[AlArchie]

Sears carries a series of 'buffing' compounds that are exactly the same as 'honing' or 'stropping' compounds. They come in three grades;
1. Jewelers' rouge, which is red in color and the finest grit.

2. Tripolli, which is brown in color and a medium grit, and

3. a white polishing compoud which is a bit coarser.

All three, however are micro-abrasives suitable for stropping.

I tend to favor the red jewelers' rouge, but either will work just fine. They come individually in tubes or bars and in sets of all three.

Al

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I have some red and green hard stuff, I guess they are jewelers rouge...but I don't care for them, flexcuts yellow gold and a couple others I can't remember the names of have a waxy substance that makes them go on like a crayon, I like it much better...but you are right, have to get it thru the internet....talk to Rick at little shavers, maybe he has a suggestion.

[BasketballJones]

You guys are great. I only use the yellow gold for my favorite knives. I put a drop of oil on this knife and wittled a bit on a scrap 2x4 it worked well. I'd like to restore and polish some of his old handtools and place them on my workbench. Sort of like a tool shrine, though I could never as organized as he was. I'm interested in the quality of steel used on knives and chisels compared to now and 30-40 years ago.

Sears is around the corner so I'll check into the Tripoli and all. I know a guy who swears by rubbing compound but I'm not seeing a great benefit. I do know my stropping and honing skills could be improving.

Something else I noticed with the pocket knives is in releveance to the edge. I'm lefthanded and my dad was right. My sharpest edge (by feel) seems to be on the push stroke with the blade flat. His knives feel sharpest on my pull stroke (push stroke for righty's). Something I would have never noticed. Not to bore anyone but there is something nostalgic about this tool trip.