Thread: Vinegar to remove tarnish?

When I was a kid we cleaned pennies with vinegar. They always came out bright and shiny.

I know someone has used Vinegar to clean a blade. Does it work the same or are there problems.?

I didn't know about vinegar but we use hot sauce, ketchup is supposed to work as well, to clean copper.
I think its the acid that does it. I'll have to try the vinegar on an old blade


Bob

Well I just checked it out, white distilled vinegar didn't clean anything off the blade. It did turn the area darker like a patina. The ketchup,(didnt have hot sauce) didn't do anything.
The blade was an old carbon steel Finedge cutlery corp made in solingen.

Vinegar doesn't clean steel very well... This is a blade I soaked in vinegar.

Josh

Originally Posted by JoshEarl

This is a blade I soaked in vinegar.

Does the vinegar give any protection like bluing or is it just a coloration?

Bob

Yes, the etched surface is protected from rust to some extent. It's basically a patina, like you'd see on a well-seasoned vintage blade. It'll still rust, but it's much less rust-prone than a bare surface.

Josh

Just FYI, vinegar alone does not remove tarnish from pennies or any other copper, you have to use vinegar and salt.

Without the salt, the vinegar does nothing. Try it on a penny. Put a few drops of vinegar on a penny, and wait...nothing. Now take a salt shaker and shake it over the penny...Viola!!!

Does not work on steel at all.


Why are you guys bothering with this??????

M*A*A*S Does remove the tarnish and it isn't expensive stuff.

As a kid I used lemon juice to clean up an old Uncle Henry Schrade pocket knife - carbon steel blade.

Citric acid as it may...