Minangkabau(?) keris

A. G. Maisey · 31st July 2016, 01:55 PM

Jean, I've tried stronger vinegar, here they label it as cleaning vinegar.

What I have found is that when the material of the blade is good, dense material, well compacted and with a relatively smooth surface, the stronger vinegar does give a faster result, however, when the material is of lesser quality and not smooth and compacted the stronger vinegar tends to leave the blade looking like a sponge.

The time taken to clean is immaterial to me. In the past , with pineapple juice I would sometimes take 2 weeks or moreto thoroughly clean a blade, and perhaps renew the juice several times during the process, especially in summer. I like the process to proceed slowly because it is easier to control.

The brushes I use are old tooth brushes, hard is better, but I usually use soft brushes, because that's what gets used in the house. I do not use metal brushes, and frankly I consider them unnecessary, because the vinegar --- or whatever is being used --- softens the corrosion to the point where all that is required is relatively gentle brushing to remove the loose residue of the rust.

Yes, I acknowledge that my process is slow, but it is very, very safe.

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31st July 2016, 01:55 PM	#23
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,992	Jean, I've tried stronger vinegar, here they label it as cleaning vinegar. What I have found is that when the material of the blade is good, dense material, well compacted and with a relatively smooth surface, the stronger vinegar does give a faster result, however, when the material is of lesser quality and not smooth and compacted the stronger vinegar tends to leave the blade looking like a sponge. The time taken to clean is immaterial to me. In the past , with pineapple juice I would sometimes take 2 weeks or moreto thoroughly clean a blade, and perhaps renew the juice several times during the process, especially in summer. I like the process to proceed slowly because it is easier to control. The brushes I use are old tooth brushes, hard is better, but I usually use soft brushes, because that's what gets used in the house. I do not use metal brushes, and frankly I consider them unnecessary, because the vinegar --- or whatever is being used --- softens the corrosion to the point where all that is required is relatively gentle brushing to remove the loose residue of the rust. Yes, I acknowledge that my process is slow, but it is very, very safe.