Removing stains from ZDP-189 steel

[Mr Blonde]

I don’t mind scratches or blemishes on my knives, the main joy is in using them, but if I can fix it then I’ll definitely try that. I found this ‘Super’ polish at the AG Russell website (I noticed that New Graham Knives also carries it) and was pleasantly surprised by its performance on ZDP-189. I sacrificed this Spyderco sprint run Walker, to demonstrate the effectiveness of this polish.

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Wouter

[ChrisR]

Really interesting and I quite like the mirror polish finish ... I might try it on my S30V Orange UKPK. I use the UKPK quite a lot for slicing in the kitchen and I find it really useful :)

[Metals of war]

Thanks for the vid.

[cr123]

cool vid, now i know what to get when I get a zdp-189 based blade. thanks a bunch.

[ChapmanPreferred]

As usual, nicely done Wouter. Does the polish comment on food safety?

[Donut]

I wonder how this would work with a dremel.

[Mr Blonde]

Does the polish comment on food safety?

Yep, with plenty of exclamation marks too. It's not food-safe without washing the blade.

Wouter

[Mako109]

Thanks for the tip Mr. Blonde! I'm going to give "Super" a try.

FWIW, I tried "Flitz" on my Stretch ZDP-189 which acquired a small hazy blotch on part of the blade. Flitz is my favorite metal polish, but to my dissappointment it did little to remove the hazy stain.

[MyKnife]

Thanks for tip!

[jwpark]

Thanks for the tip Mr. Blonde! I'm going to give "Super" a try.

FWIW, I tried "Flitz" on my Stretch ZDP-189 which acquired a small hazy blotch on part of the blade. Flitz is my favorite metal polish, but to my dissappointment it did little to remove the hazy stain.

Yes, Flitz works well for that. So does SemiChrome polish.

As for stain removal, Bar Keepers Friend is the best bet. I use it to clean off rust or patina from carbon knives. But depending on the alloy, even stainless steel will form patina.

[buferoe]

hey Wouter,

It works wonderfully, my Chines Lum ZDP189 looks shinning again after this polishing.
The only thing is I used Diapad 0.5 and 0.25 micron.


kind regards,

Werner

[D1omedes]

Yep, with plenty of exclamation marks too. It's not food-safe without washing the blade.

Wouter

I don't mean to be nit-picky but if you wash the blade, will it show stains again?

[ChrisR]

I don't mean to be nit-picky but if you wash the blade, will it show stains again?

I just tried it on a few of my older knives. It removed quite a lot of stains and only really failed in areas that were deeply pitted. I gave the knives a wash under luke-warm water afterwards and they still looked fine but the washing will remove the protection from further staining that the polish gives you otherwise :)

[Mr Blonde]

I don't mean to be nit-picky but if you wash the blade, will it show stains again?

In my experience this hasn't happened yet. I have one beater Caly 3 with a ZDP blade that I polished, washed and used regularly around the house for a few weeks. In that period is was washed a few times again. I then tried my best to stain it with all sorts of items in my kitchen, mustard/vinegar/citrus juice etc... No luck, the blade didn't discolor again. In regular EDC my ZDP blades haven't discolored again. To me it seems that the surface becomes smoother on a micro-level, not that a protective layer is added. I could be wrong, but that's what it looks like to me.

BTW keep the suggestions for alternative polishes etc.. coming guys!

Wouter

[tac]

Okay, here's another one. Boms Away metal polish and sealer. I've used this stuff to make heavily oxidized aluminum motorcycle wheels look like they were chrome plated. I just tried it on a couple of blades that were starting to show some staining, and it shined them up like new. Does require washing before food use.

[skunk_2]

i just want to throw it out there that i like the patina on my ZDP D4, id go so far to say i love the patina, it gives it character, like ur granddads knife. i wouldnt force one or anything, but i think i earned those "stains"!

but anyway, great vid! and nice walker!

[SkullBouncer]

Some may be otherwise inclined/opposed, but for the worst of many sorts of 'stains' on high-grade blade and gun alloys, I've settled on and swear by a dual agent application for this topic's purpose, prior to any polishing afterward...

I frequent Army/Navy Surplus for:

* Bottle(s) of Naval Jelly (high-gravity oxide dissolvent) in a BRIEF soak of 5-8 min's;
* Can(s) of Phipps Prod. Co. MIL-C 372B & AM 2 Naptha/Silicone base Rifle Bore Cleaner.
...(product desig: 6850-00-224-6657...) Old unsealed batches have tremendous shelf-life.

This 2nd agent is utilized in a thick 12 fl. oz. 'zip-lok' type bag, filled with around 3-4 fl. ounces for average sized folders; air expelled and sealed for purge and flush of the naval jelly, rolling and kneading the bag and its contents actively for around 10 min's; then duplicating this in a refreshed-agent static soak in similar manner to the above (4 oz. Phipp's RBC immersion in an air-deflated and rolled 'zip-lok') for 3-4 hours or better.

I really like the Phipp's RBC as it is a dual purpose single application for firearms, not corrosive in the way that typical gun shop nitro-solvents tend to be (Sweets/Hoppe's, in example) and leaves behind the silicone polymer in place of (for instance) contemporary gun oils.

Works great in the fashion I employ -- residual excess liquid is blown out with compressed air into a cloth towel, then over the next 48 hours, wiping away seeping residue from the pivot/lock/liners with no damage to most handle materials / Plastic, G-10, etc. ;-)

/ SB

[marcus1]

anyone try CLR?

[Lord Bear]

One possible caveat. (I admit it's probably minor but should be brought up IMHO.) Your beater Caly3 ZDP is not "all" solid ZDP? It's laminated is it not? You mentioned in regular EDC your ZDP "BLADES" (plural) didn't show any stains. Which solid ZDP blades were those? I humbly beg your permission for clarification please?