Let Ketchup Do the Work

I recently acquired what appears to be a John Barber straight, and had unpinned it last night. Today I began the arduous task of rust removal (especially in the knurling). No CLR on hand and the shops are closed, but I saw BSAGuy's thread about cleaning up a Gillette with ketchup. It's the Fourth of July, I GOT ketchup.

It worked great, cleaning out the rust, while leaving the patina this razor has earned. Original grind marks are left intact. Knurling cleaned up fast with a brass brush.



An extra surprise is that it appears the shank was gold washed, and it's still somewhat intact.



Thanks for the tip BSAGuy!

Very nice! Did you just spread ketchup on the metal and let it sit?

Exactly. Then I hit it with a brass brush. Brass is softer than steel, so it won't damage or scratch, but will remove oxidized metal.

This technique is up there with baking soda/aluminum foil cleaning and Q-Tip/9-volt etching as far as household materials go. Try it.

How long did you let it sit before hitting it with the brush?

Five minutes or so. It wouldn't hurt it to leave it in longer.

I'm reminded of how clean the bottom (exposed copper) of a Revere Ware skillet is when cleaning after making pasta sauce.

chongo gordo said:

Five minutes or so. It wouldn't hurt it to leave it in longer.

I'm reminded of how clean the bottom (exposed copper) of a Revere Ware skillet is when cleaning after making pasta sauce.

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A bit longer is ok. But I wouldn't leave it overnight or anything. Ketchup (tomato paste) is mildly corrosive to metals. The finish would probably suffer if you left it for a whole day.

Great tip thanks guys, had no idea, knew about vinigar but that tarnishes.

mrb7 said:

A bit longer is ok. But I wouldn't leave it overnight or anything. Ketchup (tomato paste) is mildly corrosive to metals. The finish would probably suffer if you left it for a whole day.

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Crackers said:

Great tip thanks guys, had no idea, knew about vinigar but that tarnishes.

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If concerned about the use and effect of vinegar, best to avoid ketchup...

Well done, chongo. I don't see any downside to the vinegar as long as you don't let it sit for too long. One can always re-apply. Also, to neutralize, you can use baking soda as an alkali to offset the acid in the vinegar.