Rust Removal with Tomato Paste

A. G. Maisey · 17th April 2008, 11:29 AM

Yeah, you're right, pineapple juice is the ducks guts.

I've been recommending it anybody who will listen for about 50 years.

In fact, if I was doing this blade, I'd demount it first, then juice it.

However, TC didn't know how to get the blade off. Personally I think that tomato paste option is pretty smart thinking. OK, its got limited use, but I really do like the idea, and I intend to try it when something suitable falls into my hands.

t_c · 18th April 2008, 03:42 AM

I agree with both of you on using pineapple juice, I have used it on a keris, and it does work really well. I don't have a proper shop right now, so making the PVC tube would entail making a stand for it to hold it upright (I've been working out of my bathroom), but I like the idea. The tomato paste really does have limited uses, and it wasn't my first choice either, but it came in handy in this specific instance.

I'll try using the heat method to remove the handle - I always hesitate to take heat to a tempered blade, but I understand from your description not to overdue it.

thanks, tom

A. G. Maisey · 18th April 2008, 05:00 AM

Heat doesn't hurt a heat treated blade as long as you keep it within the range the blade was drawn to originally. Bearing in mind these low tech blades were probably made from something like spring steel and drawn to a blue, as long as you're within that heat range, you're not doing any harm. There's another thing too:- a lot of these sort of blades were not hardened and drawn all the way up to the tang. If you etch the blade you can see where the hardening has occurred, and more often than not its along the edge, and tapers off completely before it gets up to what would be the ricasso area. In practical use terms, this makes a lot of sense.

An easy stand for an upright soaking container is a box of sand---cardboard box, put some sand into it, or even earth if you don't have sand, and sit the pipe upright in the sand.

Dmitry · 9th July 2009, 05:14 PM

Does the pineapple juice etch the blades, being acidic in its composition?

kahnjar1 · 10th July 2009, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dmitry

Does the pineapple juice etch the blades, being acidic in its composition?

VERY slightly but is easily polished off.
Regards Stuart

M ELEY · 11th July 2009, 02:39 AM

I recently cleaned an old Queen Ann cannon barrel flintlock with the ol' pineapple juice and it worked very well, getting rid of the dull luster without completely removing the old patina. I've used pineapple juice likewise on keris, but because the gun had its grip and I didn't remove the keris hilt, I used tissue paper soaked in the juice to act as a kind of acid paper machet' (spelling!). This is a little messy, but if applied right, works the positive effects of acid etching while allowing cleaning in specific areas. I even wrapped the soaked tissue around the trigger guard without having to involve the trigger itself (which was of another metal and didn't need it). Anyway, my two cents...

17th April 2008, 11:29 AM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	Yeah, you're right, pineapple juice is the ducks guts. I've been recommending it anybody who will listen for about 50 years. In fact, if I was doing this blade, I'd demount it first, then juice it. However, TC didn't know how to get the blade off. Personally I think that tomato paste option is pretty smart thinking. OK, its got limited use, but I really do like the idea, and I intend to try it when something suitable falls into my hands.

18th April 2008, 03:42 AM	#2
t_c Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: ca, usa Posts: 92	I agree with both of you on using pineapple juice, I have used it on a keris, and it does work really well. I don't have a proper shop right now, so making the PVC tube would entail making a stand for it to hold it upright (I've been working out of my bathroom), but I like the idea. The tomato paste really does have limited uses, and it wasn't my first choice either, but it came in handy in this specific instance. I'll try using the heat method to remove the handle - I always hesitate to take heat to a tempered blade, but I understand from your description not to overdue it. thanks, tom

18th April 2008, 05:00 AM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	Heat doesn't hurt a heat treated blade as long as you keep it within the range the blade was drawn to originally. Bearing in mind these low tech blades were probably made from something like spring steel and drawn to a blue, as long as you're within that heat range, you're not doing any harm. There's another thing too:- a lot of these sort of blades were not hardened and drawn all the way up to the tang. If you etch the blade you can see where the hardening has occurred, and more often than not its along the edge, and tapers off completely before it gets up to what would be the ricasso area. In practical use terms, this makes a lot of sense. An easy stand for an upright soaking container is a box of sand---cardboard box, put some sand into it, or even earth if you don't have sand, and sit the pipe upright in the sand.

9th July 2009, 05:14 PM	#4
Dmitry Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 607	Does the pineapple juice etch the blades, being acidic in its composition?

11th July 2009, 02:39 AM	#6
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,158	I recently cleaned an old Queen Ann cannon barrel flintlock with the ol' pineapple juice and it worked very well, getting rid of the dull luster without completely removing the old patina. I've used pineapple juice likewise on keris, but because the gun had its grip and I didn't remove the keris hilt, I used tissue paper soaked in the juice to act as a kind of acid paper machet' (spelling!). This is a little messy, but if applied right, works the positive effects of acid etching while allowing cleaning in specific areas. I even wrapped the soaked tissue around the trigger guard without having to involve the trigger itself (which was of another metal and didn't need it). Anyway, my two cents...