I have this nice (was) fighting knife that sometime during its life someone left their fingerprints on. Is there a safe way to remove without causing damage to the blade? I appreciate your help and comments. I am in the middle of applying Ren wax to all my blades.
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I don't believe there is any way to completely remove fingerprints like that on a blade. From what I know, once they've done that type of damage, it's permanent. I think that Semi-Chrome is about the most abrasive type of metal polish that most collectors may use, and even that is unlikely to remove them. The most you might hope for with Semi-Chrome is a slightly diminished appearance, and that's only if you're lucky. However, I sure hope I'm wrong, since I have some I'd like to safely remove from a couple of knives I have. So, I happily invite anyone to counter my opinion with something different.
The only alternative I can imagine is levels of abrasive polishishing and buffing that would definitely do more harm than good.
That's just my opinion.
Chris
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I would totally agree with all Chris' comments.
Sadly, even with semichrome polishing, the fingerprints will not dissappear completely.
Cheers, Ade.Comment
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First of all here is a great example on why we should wear gloves while handleing our collectables. Even though we don't know how long ago this happend it does prove a point. W E A R Y O U R G L O V E S!
Yes, Chris is correct. Be very careful on what you want to use. People claim all sorts of things will take of finger prints of metal. From baking soda very abrasive, window cleaner. DO NOT USE! If you can't find semi-chrome. Another product to use that museums use in the field of conservation is a product called Auto-Sol. It works about the same. I would strongly do a small test area first. Us a Q-tip to try it first.Comment
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cleaning
I want to thank everyone for their advise. I have cleaned the dagger and waxed it. Hopefully no more damage will be done. JimComment
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