Article about: Hello Everyone, I’m a brand new member of these forums, so please be patient with me. I have a WKC police bayonet, and thanks to the help of MAP and AZPhil, I was directed to this forum to
I don't disagree in principle but the pinkish hue is the wrong colour for Iron Oxide and in these pics appears to be an affliction of the plating. Where the plating is missing the natural colour of the steel is apparent but for some darkened spots which, again from these pics, don't seem to amount to full oxidisation of the steel and probably not pitting so a wipe over with soapy water will cause no harm as long as it is fully and properly dried.
I fully agree that soaking heavily rusted steel in water is a very bad idea but I think this is a different scenario. I have used the method I describe above many times with really good results.
If I hadn't I wouldn't suggest it
Regards
Mark
Mark, I've used water to clean the bores of rifles and pistols where the ammunition was or was most likely corrosive with good results, but sometimes I had to do it multiple times to get rid of what would/could have caused rust to form. So where I could find it non-corrosive for me was the way especially if the gun was period and in collectible condition. For the example here I think that it may be the images that is causing a problem in interpretation as they are not as good as 'in hand'. What I am seeing is an oxidized (very roughly 2/3 copper) nickel silver hilt and fittings with a nickel plated blade that is rusting underneath that is causing the nickel plating to lift.
If a fully exposed rifle bore can be hard to clean, imagine what happens when water gets underneath plating and has nowhere else to go??? Attached a couple of slightly enhanced images that I hope offsets to some degree the original imaging. Best Regards, Fred
Hello All, thanks to each of you for the interesting discussion. My apologies for the poor quality of the pictures of the blade. I can try to get some better close up pictures.
In my very inexperienced opinion, it appears that the dark spots are the plating that is coming off, rather than rust. Of course, it is quite possible that there is rust too.
Like I mentioned previously, it has been stored in a very dry environment since I’ve owned it. However, the uncle that gave it to me lived in New Orleans, which is an extremely humid place. So rust is definitely a possibility.
I am concerned about doing more harm than good, so I will be extremely careful to not do anything abrasive. I will start with the most simple suggestions, in a very small area, to see if anything improves. And then proceed from there if possible.
It may be a little while before I have time, but I will definitely post pictures and updates. In the meantime, I welcome additional suggestions or advice. You guys are a great resource, and I’m very happy I found these forums.
The blade is plated, rather than polished which would require a bit more care if cleaning. I would try to clean it up some, if only to improve it's appearance. Simichrome on the scabbard fittings might help, the pommel & crossguard too. Tough to say because of the degree of oxidation but I sense some improvement is possible.
The slotted examples are seen less frequently than the solid pommel ones, maybe 1 in 7 are slotted. Always nice to see these bayonets.
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