It's super sharp and durable and holds an edge for a very long time. I was easily able to touch up the blade. However it's got a lot of dark spots on the steel. They don't affect the function of the knife at all, but cosmetically, they take away from the appearance of the knife.
It's not really 'corrosion' and there is no rust at all. It's simply discoloration of some sort. I tried steel wool and Comet with no success.
Any suggestions?
As I noted (after editing), there are no pock marks, just discoloration.
The dark spots are completely normal on a carbon steel blade, especially if the knife has been used for food prep, or stored in its sheath. It doesn't harm the blade in any way.
I've successfully removed spots from my Randall knife collection using Flitz and a clean chunk of an old rug as a polishing pad.
Alternatively, you can patina the whole blade using lemon, garlic, or mustard so that the spots will no longer be as noticeable. The patina will protect the blade from further corrosion.
In the future, if you store the knife for a long period of time, do so in a completely dry environment with the knife out of the sheath. The ultimate protection for valuable knives is stuff called Renaissance Micro Crystalline Wax Polish. It's used in museums to protect and preserve ancient metal artifacts. I use it on my knife collection and it keeps them looking brand new.
Hope this helps,
Matt
Yes, this knife has been in the sheath for over twenty years since I last used it. Most of those years were also spent in a box in the garage.
Kyle
Matt
Try sprinkling baking powder on the blade, then wide it off with a rag soaked in lemon juice. Then rinse quickly. If the lemon juice stays on too long it will patina the blade.
Matt
When I first took it out, the blade was blackened even more. But a few minutes of rubbing the blade with an SOS pad got rid of that, as well as some of the stains that were already there.
Grey Ghost's Link
Matt
Here's what about 30 seconds with Flitz and a Brillo pad did to an old Schrade knife of mine.
Matt
Matt
There's no rust at all. But just now I put some tarnish remover on it and it looks better yet.
It's not all new-and-shiny looking, but at least it looks respectable now.
Every serious knife collector knows about Flitz. A little tube goes a long way, too. That old Schrade of yours will look brand new after a few minutes with it. Trust me.
It also works wonders on chrome bumpers, grills, and virtually any tarnished metal.
Matt
Never heard of it but I'll check it out.
Thank you.
Sorry, I got busy cleaning up some old blades and missed your post. Here's my modest collection of Randalls. They're all carbon steel except for the survival knife on the left.
Matt
You mean Vaseline?
Can't wait to get it!
I've never had the pleasure to visit the Randall shop, but I hope to someday. I can't imagine having a 5 YEAR backlog of orders. When I bought my first Randall the delivery wait was only a year.
That's a good looking blade your buddy made. What kind of steel is it?
Matt
The CPM steels are my favorite. I have a Spyderco folder in CPM 110V. It takes a little work to put an edge on it, but it stays sharp forever when you do. It's the only blade I've ever used that will skin and quarter an entire elk without needing resharpening.
CPM 10V is another exceptional steel, but it's so hard to work with, very few knife makers will use it. Phil Wilson made me a set that I prize.
I could talk knives all day....;-)
Matt
The first picture here is the knife I was concerned about. The second is another Shrade. It was discolored but not nearly as bad as the first one. OTOH, I did not give the 2nd one the lemon juice treatment.
They both shined up pretty darned well.
