Blade polishing with tooth paste...

[Blerv]

I pulled out my Caly3 Superblue sprint and noticed that when I put it away the blade wasn't completely clean. Almost like I cut open a sandwich bag and didnt wipe it off (sufficiently). A small amount of liquid + 2 months of sitting had allowed a bit of faint rust to form on the blade, hardly anything horrible looking but definitely triggering the OCD hobbyist panic :eek: .

Anyways, I should have Fitz polish but since it was very minor I figured a very mild abrasive and a bit of elbow-grease might work. I cleaned some superficial corrosion off a stainless necklace flashlight with Colgate tooth paste and a brush after about a year of EDC use. With a cloth shop rag and a few minutes of scrubbing it's all but gone.

Next time you grab a knife that looks a bit dingy or has a few specs of corrosion, give it a shot. It's sure food safe edible and bound to make your knife smell like spearmint. :D

[xceptnl]

I pulled out my Caly3 Superblue sprint and noticed that when I put it away the blade wasn't completely clean. Almost like I cut open a sandwich bag and didnt wipe it off (sufficiently). A small amount of liquid + 2 months of sitting had allowed a bit of faint rust to form on the blade, hardly anything horrible looking but definitely triggering the OCD hobbyist panic :eek: .

Anyways, I should have Fitz polish but since it was very minor I figured a very mild abrasive and a bit of elbow-grease might work. I cleaned some superficial corrosion off a stainless necklace flashlight with Colgate tooth paste and a brush after about a year of EDC use. With a cloth shop rag and a few minutes of scrubbing it's all but gone.

Next time you grab a knife that looks a bit dingy or has a few specs of corrosion, give it a shot. It's sure food safe edible and bound to make your knife smell like spearmint. :D

To add to your excellent suggestion Blerv, I have found that the liquid Barkeeper's Friend works great at removing tarnish or corrosion from stainless knives. It will also remove the patina from some carbon steels.

[Blerv]

To add to your excellent suggestion Blerv, I have found that the liquid Barkeeper's Friend works great at removing tarnish or corrosion from stainless knives. It will also remove the patina from some carbon steels.

Oh cool, thanks :) .

[xceptnl]

Oh cool, thanks :) .

I do prefer Flitz though. I was actually planning to make a flitz loaded strop for polishing (not edges).

[chuck_roxas45]

I do prefer Flitz though. I was actually planning to make a flitz loaded strop for polishing (not edges).

I do have a metal polish loaded strop. I use it to bring back the polish on the bevels of non stainless knives, mostly my SB caly 3.5. I find that metal polish works better than diamond paste on getting rid of unwanted patina. :)

[xceptnl]

I do have a metal polish loaded strop. I use it to bring back the polish on the bevels of non stainless knives, mostly my SB caly 3.5. I find that metal polish works better than diamond paste on getting rid of unwanted patina. :)

Which side do you guys suggest I load? Smooth or napped side of the leather?

[Holland]

Very cool find, thanks for sharing

[Officer Gigglez]

Just did this on my Tenacious. Worked like a charm. No more rust. Thanks for the tip.

[Blerv]

Cool :) . Glad to hear!

[The Deacon]

Never tried it on knives, but in the distant past I've used toothpaste to restore clear plastic parts on model cars and airplanes and as a substitute for valve lapping compound on a small engine or two, so I'm sure it would work. One thing to be aware of is that many toothpastes contain whitening agents of one kind or another and at least some of those whitening agents are oxidizers. Not saying don't use it, but do be sure to thoroughly clean the knife afterward.

[Pinetreebbs]

Toothpaste is good for polishing out scratches in CD and DVD disks. Test it first, not all toothpaste has the same size grit.

Two cleanser products contain a safe fine abrasive, Barkeepers Friend and BonAmi. They are great for light polishing and keeping your Sharpmaker stones clean.

[Blerv]

One thing to be aware of is that many toothpastes contain whitening agents of one kind or another and at least some of those whitening agents are oxidizers. Not saying don't use it, but do be sure to thoroughly clean the knife afterward.

Great note, Paul :) .

Yea it washes away easy enough but you certainly don't want to leave any on the blade. Chemicals aside (which are certainly questionable) trapping moisture is counter-productive to say the least.

[Jimd]

Neat idea!

[xceptnl]

Update for Blerv. After getting this well loved Kiwi in the mail yeserday I studied and considered how I planned to get out the scratches in the bolsters. I attempted both a baking soda toothpaste and a whitening toothpaste with little to no results. To be fair, I also tried Flitz for about 5 minutes per bolster with only minor success. Once I broke out my Stropman strop with black and green compounds the results really came. I wasn't looking for a perfect mirror, just a more even scratch pattern. Maybe with a stronger toothpaste I would have whiter teeth and shinier knives! :D

Before:


After:

[Holland]

Nicely done Landon

[Blerv]

Nice work Landon! :D

Yea, it's really just a convenient grit and gunk remover than anything. Maybe with a dremel toothpaste would work but I would rather go with the proper compound and broad slow strokes.

[w3tnz]

Nice score! Jelly! :) Polished up real nice, still planning to try a stonewash?

[xceptnl]

Nice score! Jelly! :) Polished up real nice, still planning to try a stonewash?

Not for now. I do need to reprofile the blade because of a big chip, but for now I put on a medium stone microbevel and this thing went onto the watch pocket. With some use I may still consider the stonewash later. It is surprising the difference between the slimmer all stainless and this stag model.