[bender]

got a WWII Kabar that's been stored (garage) for 30+ years.

blade is pretty ugly looking (light rust, etc). Don't know much about knife care, so what's something good to clean it up, without harming the blade or finish...?

thanks!

[hso]

Use a brass brush and some transmission fluid and scrub it well. If there are no pits that should do it.

Try to keep the fluid off of the stacked leather washer handle or clean it off with a little soap and water and then dry it and dip it in paraffin before going after the blade crud.

[Dave Markowitz]

Ballistol is an alternative to ATF if you're worried about damaging the handles. It's safe to put on leather.

[bender]

ok, thanks!

is there anything common that I might already have that could clean it up a little before I do it properly as described above? Naval jelly, whatever...?

[rcmodel]

I would be very cautious of even using Ballistol.

WWII leather handle rings are almost always dried out completely & shrunk up. And very often decay and jungle-rot has started inside around the rusty tang. The leather is very brittle.

Any oil, Neatsfoot oil, Leather Lotion, or anything else that will penetrate the rings may lubricate them enough to let them slip.
If they slip, one or more will crack.
Once they crack, it's all over, short of a complete handle restoration.

The hot paraffin dip is the only treatment I would even entertain using on one.

I generally use 0000 steel wool and oil to clean surface rust off the blades. It won't hurt the orginial black finish, or patina.

Pitting is best handled with a very fine steel wire wheel on a buffer.
Again, it will only remove the rust & scale without doing any harm to the blade itself.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j219/rcmodel/KTOG/1224.gif
rcmodel

[bender]

I just looked at it quickly yesterday while I was going through boxes of junk. The leather was hard and smooth I think, but it looked good.

I'll do the steel wool / oil thing first. Hopefully no pitting underneath.

[hso]

I like the brass/copper brush because it will remove rust and leave the patina in place.

[nwilliams]

Use some Flitz and a rag to remove surface rust, the heavier tarnish can be removed with some Flitz and a Brillo pad or steel wool, but be gentle if you want to keep the finish.

I think you will find that with Flitz alone and a soft cloth you can remove a good bit of tarnish and surface rust and still keep the original finish on there. You can find Flitz at True Value and places like that, I've been using it for a long time on my knives, swords and even my guns with great results.

Tip: If you want to help keep your blades rust-free don't store them in leather sheaths, leather attracts moisture.

[fineredmist]

Soak the blade (and blade only) with a penetrating oil such as Kroil and let it stand for a few minutes and then wipe with a soft cloth, repeat if necessary. The penetrating oil will lift out any deep crud as well as remove surface rust.