alcoons Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Last season, while I awaiting the arrival of an appropriate knife to hang on my PFD, I took along a Swiss Army knife for repairs. It did get wet from time to time but I cleaned it as soon as I got home. I just retrieved it from my gear and either I forgot to clean it last time or we had a very salty snow storm recently. It is now the ultimate safety swiss army knife since nothing open. I assume it is a gonner??? Any cures?AlEddyline NighthawkRed/Over White when upright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Nystrom Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Try soaking it in warm fresh water to dissolve any salt that's left, then hit it with WD 40 to displace the water and loosen up corroded joints. By working the blades and tools, you may be able to free them up to the point of being usable again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard N Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 All may not be lost.If it's a real "Swiss Made" product (Wenger or Victorinox), you should be able to bring it back to like-new condition. If it's a "Made in China" look alike, don't waste your time. Just toss it in the trash.Although the following steps may take a few days, it's worth the effort.1. Don't rush this step. Rinse it in hot water to remove all the water soluble material. It may take a few hours to dissolve the salt..2. Dry thoroughly. A hair dryer might help.3. Soak the knife in WD-40 for a day or two.4. Clean with a stiff nylon brush or hard tooth brush.Take your time. You may need to repeat steps 3 & 4 many times.WD-40, brush, clean, wipe, etc......Slowly but surely, it will come back to life.Be patient.All good things take time.Richard Living to learn.Romany White, Blue trim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 Had the same experience involving fresh mango and the Indian Ocean. Soaked it in a series of penetraging lubricants. It finally was loose enough to open all the gadgets with a pair of pliers but never was really useable.Good thing I lost it shortly thereafter.Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 ever read yankee magazine? they have this old buck (no offense to old buck bucks anywhere - i hope to join the ranks of old buck-dom one day) who can just about identify, fix or answer dang near anything no matter how arcane or obscure.anyways, so don't know if it'd work with your knife but he seems to answer most cleaning questions with either a.) soak it in vinegar or b. soak in a dilute of baking powder and warm water.maybe try either or those first? come on, there HAS to be an alchemist amongst us to comment? jeff casey would be a good one to get the tap on this but most of his answers seem to revolve around duct tape and then some kind of explosion.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Nystrom Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 Since vinegar is an acid, it will react with the salt, which is alkaline. Since baking soda is also alkaline, I don't think that soaking the knife in a baking soda solution would be beneficial. Then again, I'm not a chemist... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 Richard's and Brian's advise works if the knife is not too far gone.If I may offer a couple of (possibly) obvious points: The rust that is holding everything together came from the oxidation of the ferrous components of the knife. Once that material is oxidized there is no force available to mere mortals that will reverse the process and return the surface to the same pre-rust-lump condition. The rusting causes pitting which leads to greater unfinished / unprotected surface which leads to easier oxidation and more rust which leads to even more pitting which leads to . . . and on and on.Since you cannot refinish the sliding surfaces you cannot return the knife to pre-rusted-lump condition but you may be able to return it to some level of serviceability. If you could dismantle and resurface everything then you could return the knife to service but every component would be thinner / weakened by this process (since resurfacing requires the removal of more material.Penetrating oil will lubricate the now rusted mess but until you get the rust out the knife wont be worth much since the blades will operate very roughly. If your the type that likes to save a dime and can live with a less-than-perfect knife then do the soaking thing. If you must have your equipment "just so" then buy a new knife and keep it away from water, salt or otherwise.Good luck,Jed"The ability to defend an opinion with absolute certainty . . .. . . is inversely proportional to one's actual experience." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 When I need to clean gunked up metal I am working for art projects, I use ammonia. I might try soaking it for a few minutes in a small container of ammonia and then use a toothbrush on it.Do not use ammonia on aluminum. Wear gloves.--b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickW Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/rust/ele...c_derusting.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 Nice find Doctor. I assumed from Al's description that he was talking about a lump of rust rather than something with surface rust. This method does indeed work and work well given the limitation relative to surface rust. No. It only operates on the rust in immediate contact with unrusted metal. What's gone is gone. What will it look like when I am done? The surface of rusted metal is left black. Rusted pits are still pits. Shiny unrusted metal is untouched. > >http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/rust/ele...c_derusting.htm Cheers, and please let me know when you find your self north of the mecca of all padde sports. Jed "The ability to defend an opinion with absolute certainty . . . . . . is inversely proportional to one's actual experience." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffcasey Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 Please be careful if you try this at home. Electrolysis can:- spash, so wear safety glasses- release hydrogen gas (explosive), so do in well vented areaThe solution will give a nice low impedance contact to your skin, so you can also electrocute yourself at much lower voltages than you would otherwise imagine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcoons Posted January 23, 2004 Author Share Posted January 23, 2004 > I assumed from Al's description that he was talking about a >lump of rust rather than something with surface rust. This >method does indeed work and work well given the limitation >relative to surface rust. >Thanks for everyone suggestions. Sorry I wasn't clearer...really didn't expect there was a solution. I have soaked it for a while in hot water and much of the external salt crust has come off. Even got the screwdriver out. That is the tool that is least embedded. However, I can still see more salt crust and the other blades are still stuck - not surprising since they are embedded with little room for water to penetrate when they are closed. There is no rust showing at all.So, I will continue to soak in hot water. Will report back about this crucial life-saving matter as progress is made.Note: If I can get 10 responses to a problem with a swiss army knife, I wonder how many I would get when I post a serious problem? If I ever think of seeking professional counseling, maybe I could save big bucks here! Thanks again.Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Lord Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 I had the same problem with my Swiss Army knife. I had it in my lifejacket pocket and it froze up too. I used WD-40 and oil and just kept working it and now it is OK. After examining the knife, I realized that although the blades and tools are made from stainless, the plates in between appear to be aluminim. Neither stainless nor aluminum rust but add salt water and the aluminum plates corrode from electolosis. I am not sure that putting this knife in another electrolosis environment is going to help it. Either way the swiss army knife does not appear to be a good tool for use around salt water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopherG Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 Just because some blade or other says "stainless" does not guarantee it is rustproof -- (a) there is stainless and there is stainless (if you get me?) and ( even manufacturers have been known to tell lies (I know, I know: we're talking about the Swiss here, so that's very unlikely). You are perfectly right about the fitments in between being something else: stainless steel has a tendency to "burr" when working or rubbing against itself, so the manufacturer make the stainless blade operate against some other material. ANY stainless knife I have had on the water (briny) has shown a tendency to corrode until I have protected the article in some form of grease (chain lube, silicone, vaseline, whatever)...the shame is that it is to take precautions beforehand!That's all! (Bonne chance avec le couteau de l'armee suisse, monsieur Bill!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Nystrom Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 I had the same problem with a couple of carbiners that I received along with a used boat I bought. Both were encrusted/corroded to the point that the gates and bodies seemed fused into a single piece. After washing them in hot water, I pushed on the gates until they budged just a bit, then began working them back and forth. Now that the water had a way into the joint, it worked much more effectively. More water, then penetrating oil and eventually the 'biners worked as smoothly as new. I wouldn't trust them for climbing, but they're good enough for hanging a boat in the garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 Pb blaster anybody. Available at most professional auto parts stores. Makes WD 40 look anemic as far as rust dissolving goes!` I am not sure whether it might dissolves the plastic scales on the knife though! Proceed with appropriat caution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcoons Posted January 24, 2004 Author Share Posted January 24, 2004 Update.All blades are now exposed after continuing to apply hot water and a little bit of leverage. Action is stiff. Moving to WD-40 if the WD-40 has not frozen!Stay warm.Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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