Do you have a rusty old machete and are interested in leaning it back to brand new? Worry less; there are many ways to clean a rusty machete and restore it to newness. The question is, which is the best method to achieve this?
In this article, we will discuss various ways to clean a rusty machete at home so that you can avoid rust and restore your machete for future use. In most cases, you can use a mixture of dish soap and water since it is affordable, easy to find and does not include harsh chemicals that can be harmful.
However, there are many other methods you can try and still achieve great results. So, let us hop into the article sp that we can get you working on your rusty machete as soon as possible.
How Do You Prevent Rust From Forming On A Machete Blade?
If you are a machete owner, you probably have frequently dealt with rust issues on your blade. Unfortunately, when you fail to clean your rusty blade, the rust ends up taking over and ruins the aesthetics of your blade.
In addition, your blade may end up being useless, so have g the skills on how to clean a rusty machete will keep your machete beautifully new and maintain its working conditions.
Prevention is better than cure; if your machete does not have rust build-up yet, you need to take good care of it so that rust does not form. It would be best to wipe off your machete with a dry cloth before storing it to keep off the water, which may encourage rust.
Rust is commonly known to build up when you leave your machete in water or other liquids for a long period. If you leave it in water for a long period, the easiest solution would be to clean it with dish soap and water, then dry it thoroughly before you store it. If you do not have dish soap, you can opt for sandpaper to help you scrub rust stains.
Another preventive measure is oiling your blade. Try cleaning your blade using vegetable oil or motor oil soon as you finish using it. Motor oil or vegetable oil help protect your machete from surf rust and corrosion y forming a protective barrier on the surface of the machete blade.
It is worth noting that using a machete without cleaning it is a major cause of rust, so you should always clean your machete thoroughly before storage.
Ways On How To Remove Rust From A Machete
There are different ways that you can use to achieve a rust-free machete. However, if you want to achieve the best results, the importance of the task is to be into detail about cleaning your blade by putting in too much effort and time.
This article highlights some of the methods you can use to achieve great results in removing rust from your machete.
- Using sandpaper or carbon steel to remove rust spots
- Washing your machete using a mixture of dish soap and water.
- Use baking soda paste, vinegar or WD-40.
- Applying vegetable oil or motor oil on the blade and let it sit for hours before wiping out the excess.
- Using Naval jelly.
These methods are the easiest and will take less time to restore your blade to new.
1. Using Baking Soda
You will need to assemble the following materials before starting the cleaning process: baking soda, water, a toothbrush, steel wool or a slightly abrasive sponge and dry cloth.
The first thing to do is to clean the machete blade thoroughly since the dirt can hinder the rust removal procedure. In addition, you should avoid cleaning it with water since water is the main cause of rust. Instead, you can use a cleaning solution to wipe your blade down with a cloth.
Create A Baking Soda Paste
You can create a baking soda paste by pouring a sizeable amount of baking powder into a bowl, adding either water or lemon juice, and then stirring to form a paste.
Scrub the machete blade using a toothbrush. Apply a toothbrush to the blade and spread it all across the blade. This procedure is most successful when the rust has not set in the blade. But if you have older rust stains, you can use steel wool or an abrasive sponge.
Although steel wool is highly recommended, it can mess up your blade if you scrub too hard. Also, using an abrasive sponge can be harmful if you scrub the blade too hard, as it can ruin the blade's finish. Ensure you are gentle enough while scrubbing.
Finish off by cleaning the blade with a cloth to remove the excess baking powder. However, if you want to maintain it further, you can apply some mineral oil to lubricate it and prevent it from attracting rust in the future.
2. Cleaning Using Vinegar
For this method, you will assemble a pan or a cup half-filled with white vinegar, a sponge and a cloth. Be sure that you are using white vinegar since it has a substance called acetic acid which attacks rust; If you use other types of vinegar, it may leave stains on your blade.
The next step is to soak your machete blade in the vinegar solution. If you cannot keep the whole machete blade in the vinegar cup, as in this case, you can soak some paper towels in the vinegar and wrap them around the blade.
Leave them wrapped for about five minutes to avoid damaging your blade. If the soaking time elapses, it is time to wipe your blade. If you still notice some rust stains even after using vinegar, you can use the WD-40 or baking soda paste to remove the rust stains further. Remember to finish off by applying some mineral oil to give the blade a protective barrier.
3. Cleaning Using WD-40
If you want to remove rust from your machete, especially a machete that you don't use in food preparation, WD-40 is the best option since it has harmful chemicals that you should not ingest. WD-40 is a quick and effective method for rust removal, but you should not use it as a lubricant.
Start y spraying WD-40 on the blade; you can spray a spritz of WD-40 on the affected parts of the blade before you start scrubbing the blade gently with fine sandpaper. While scrubbing your blade, avoid touching the edge of your blade to prevent messing it up.
Wipe off the excess WD-40, but if you still notice some rust stains, you can repeat using the above two methods. Again, if you prep any food with the blade, you should avoid using the WD-40 method.
4. Using Naval Jelly
If you are going remove just from a large object like a machete, you can turn it into a heavy-duty solution like aval jelly. Spray or paint the solution on the rusted machete to use naval jelly. The rust will dissolve in 5-10 minutes. Naval jelly is only applicable to objects with thick metals. It would be best if you never used thin metals or stainless steel machete blades.
Natural Methods Of Removing Rust From A Machete
If you do not have the materials mentioned above at your disposal, you can opt for natural methods of rust removal.
1. Using Potato And Salt
Did you know that potatoes could remove rust? Well, now you know. Potatoes contain oxalic acid, a key ingredient in many cleaning products. The oxalic acid in the potato dissolves rust, but if the rust is too deep, you can go in with some dish soap and scrub using the potato. Slice the potato into two halves and spread some dish soap on top before sprinkling some salt. The salt will work as a mild abrasive to help you scrape the rust off as it dissolves. Rub the affected area with the potato and rinse off, then dry.
2. Using The Dirt Method
Another natural way of removing rust from your machete is to plunge your blade into rich soil and wipe it clean.
3. Using Citric Acid
You can find citric acid in most health food stores or the baking aisle in most supermarkets. In addition, citric acid removes rust and other paintings and coatings. So if you are experiencing these problems, it can be an all-around fit.
For this method, add two tablespoons of citric acid to a bowl filled with hot water and submerge your rusty knife. Please leave it in the solution overnight and scrub off the freshly dissolved rust the next day. Finally, Pat, dry your knife and store it.
