A word on cleaning.
Before soaking the blade it is a very good practice to remove any non-ferrous metals from the blade, the reason being that copper and brass can leave a deposit on the blade, similar to electro-plating, and this can be a bit difficult to remove. With this blade, get rid of the brass or whatever in the gonjo hole, and the pin that is stuck in the fixing hole.
In respect of the fluid used to clean.
For many years I used pineapple juice, but it was juice from fresh pineapples, not recomposed juice made from pineapple concentrate. The juice made from pineapple concentrate will clean a blade, but it is not good. I have stopped using it. I never have liked lemon juice, it seems to be too harsh, and the juice from my lemons makes a blade very dark and too difficult to stain when the cleaning is complete. Lime juice seems to be OK, but limes are very, very expensive.
Citric acid is OK, but the last 20 or 30 blades that I've cleaned I have done with ordinary household white vinegar. This works well and does not damage the blade.
This blade that we are considering at the moment will need daily mechanical cleaning during the cleaning, a small, sharp pointed implement is best used for this. I use a scraper made from a small triangular file that has a radius ground onto it.
It is essential to carry out a proper process.
Each day the blade must be removed from the vinegar and brushed with a stiff brush, rinsed under running water, dried, mechanically cleaned, rinsed, dried, returned to the vinegar.
When the blade has had all the corrosion removed it is rinsed thoroughly, then it is painted with a slurry of bicarbonate of soda which is worked into it well.
Allow the blade to stand for a while, say 15 minutes, rinse thoroughly, wash with dishwash detergent under running water, rinse thoroughly, dry with a clean lint free cloth, dry again with a hair dryer, spray with WD40 and allow to stand overnight. Then paint it with oil (lots of discussion on oils) and wrap in plastic film.
If you want the blade in the white when finished cleaning, steel wool (OO) and powder sink cleaner is effective. Wash thoroughly under running water and with dishwash liquid when the blade is clean of the dark stain. You do this before the drying and oiling.
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