Cleaning without removing blade etching?

Schrade Cutlery Company was founded in 1904 by George Schrade, and his brothers Jacob and William Schrade. In 1946 Imperial Knife Associated Companies, (IKAC; an association of Ulster Knife Co and Imperial Knife Co) purchased controlling interest in Schrade Cut Co and changed the name to Schrade Walden Cutlery. In 1973 the name was changed to Schrade Cutlery. In 2004 Schrade closed due to bankruptcy.

This forum is dedicated to the knives that are the legacy of this company. This forum is not the place to discuss the replica knives currently being imported using the Schrade name.
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Anon
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Cleaning without removing blade etching?

Post by Anon »

Hey all,
A while back I received a gift of an old Schrade Copenhagen Snuff promo knife, which is in need of a deep clean and blade restoration.
I'm hesitatent however as the main blade is etched with the Copenhagen logo, and I'd like to preserve this as much as possible.
Any ideas?
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tongueriver
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Re: Cleaning without removing blade etching?

Post by tongueriver »

You might wish to peruse this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=37&t=65598
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Anon
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Re: Cleaning without removing blade etching?

Post by Anon »

Thank you kindly, much appreciated.
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cody6268
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Re: Cleaning without removing blade etching?

Post by cody6268 »

It's patina/tarnish; and not really rust. It will help to prevent from rust. My 34OT is exposed to a lot of potentially corrosive things (especially fruit); and actually rusts less (even when I forget to wipe the blade down with oil) than a 420HC stainless Leatherman. Doesn't really need cleaning. To get gunk out, I use extra-strength dish detergent and an old toothb rush.
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Anon
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Re: Cleaning without removing blade etching?

Post by Anon »

Oh yes, I know it's only patina - but there's also a bit of muck on there. Inside the scales is also caked with dirt.
I've just never had an etched blade before, and wasn't sure what I could and could not do in terms of cleaning.

Thanks so much for your reply! :D
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espn77
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Re: Cleaning without removing blade etching?

Post by espn77 »

First you need to decide if it's an etch or ink. That will determine what you can or cant do
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Anon
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Re: Cleaning without removing blade etching?

Post by Anon »

espn77 wrote: Tue Feb 18, 2020 11:15 pm First you need to decide if it's an etch or ink. That will determine what you can or cant do
I am not knowledgable enough to discern the difference unfortunately. Looks like I've got some research to do. Thank you!
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herbva
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Re: Cleaning without removing blade etching?

Post by herbva »

I use WD40. It dissolves or at least loosens all kinds of dirt, gunk, surface rust, etc. I've never had it damage blade etch, But, if what you are concerned about preserving is something that is painted on (not etched), then you might need to be very cautious. ::hmm::
"Better to do something imperfectly, than to do nothing flawlessly." ~ Robert H. Schuller

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1967redrider
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Re: Cleaning without removing blade etching?

Post by 1967redrider »

::hmm:: I wonder if this would remove the tarnish but not the etch/ink?
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ea42
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Re: Cleaning without removing blade etching?

Post by ea42 »

That's an etch. Just don't use anything abrasive. Even something mildly abrasive will remove the darker parts of the etch and you'll be left with just a shallow imprint of the etch that's the same color as the steel.

Eric
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rea1eye
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Re: Cleaning without removing blade etching?

Post by rea1eye »

ea42 wrote: Wed Feb 19, 2020 1:19 am That's an etch. Just don't use anything abrasive. Even something mildly abrasive will remove the darker parts of the etch and you'll be left with just a shallow imprint of the etch that's the same color as the steel.

Eric
I agree. I have a knife that had a blade etch and had a bad pitted blade. I cleaned up the blade slightly by light sanding
but the etch got a little lighter.

Bob
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