Back when we worked frequently with fabrics, we purchased a pair of Wiss Inlaid 20 industrial shears on impulse. These shears weren’t large enough for cutting fast through long lengths of fabric, instead they seem to suit shorter and more intricate cuts – shapes for instance. We never used them much.
We should have stowed them away in an enclosed and dry environment but we became complacent over time. Leaving them partially exposed to the elements (in a drawer) without any lubricant coating like WD-40 to protect them. Traces of moisture in the ambient environment alone induced small specks of pitting corrosion (rust) on the blades.
We tried to remove the rust using Brasso. Didn’t work.
Tried the cleaner for our pots and pans: Baccarat Stainless Steel Cleaner.
Neither of those products worked on the shears. While the rust remained, the lettering on the blade was successfully removed by the cleaning products. Bravo.
So we decided to Google search for ideas. Apparently vinegar could do the trick. A soak in some vinegar to remove the rust, followed by another soak in bicarb soda to neutralise the vinegar. We tried it and the rust was removed. Unexpectedly, the blades also turned many shades darker, like gun metal. The outcome wasn’t pleasing, but at least the rust was gone.
As it happened, our resident car care expert had some Autosol Metal Polish on hand and suggested we give it a try.
It worked well. In fact, we could have spared ourselves the rigmarole of all the other attempts had we known. The Autosol is a paste, with the consistency of toothpaste and removed the darkened stains with only light polishing.
As for rust, our other shears had small traces on the edges and the Autosol removed it easily. Again with only light rubbing action.
To finish up, a little bit of WD-40 coating on the blades and our shears look almost good as new. 👍
