If you need help identifying any of your knives, show us some pictures and someone will no doubt be able to help you.
In the meantime, I'd advise taking a SOFT cloth and some oil and wiping off the knives but not using anything abrasive to try to clean them. Remember, black is beautiful when it comes to an old knife blade.
You don't want to destroy the patina. Very likely the "gunk" will come off with a gentle cleaning.By the way,
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