Rust, Patina & Knife Care

0:00What actually makes board wax pasty?

The short answer is beeswax, a lump of solid wax that needs oil to loosen it into a paste. The mineral (paraffin) oil is the liquid part, it soaks right down into the timber, and the beeswax is what stays on the surface to protect it from daily use and give it that shine. I add a bit of coconut oil to the mix as well, for the warmth and the creamy feel — the classic combination the French polishing guys use. Stick with 100% natural beeswax though, because as far as I know the cheap candle wax is good for burning, yes, but we don't know what's actually in it.

4:21Melting it on the cooktop

Equal thirds — one part mineral oil, one part beeswax, one part coconut oil — melted together in an old pan on a portable induction cooktop. Don't put it on full power, that's how the whole thing boils away before you know it; and cut the beeswax into smaller pieces first, which I forgot to do, so I ended up stirring around one stubborn chunk while everything else melted. If you don't want the stovetop setup at all, I reckon you can just throw everything in the oven.

6:04The secret ingredient

Once the mix is off the heat and has settled, a few drops of vitamin E oil goes in and it all gets stirred through. I call it basically a cosmetic cream, and sure enough the instructions that follow are: do not give it to your wife. Give it to your mother-in-law, tell her it's some fancy organic thing from a trusty source, and she will love you. Don't ask how I know that. I've done it.

essentially all we need to do is put a bit more. A few drops of this vitamin E oil, and that is basically a cosmetic cream

7:58Does the DIY version actually work?

Give it a couple of hours and the oily mix sets into a solid, buttery paste. I wipe a thin layer onto an untreated saya and hold it next to a plain one, and the difference is plain to see, or more honestly, to feel — more figure, more colour, more warmth, which is very hard to show on camera. A single batch works out to about one and a half litres of this board butter. That's saya and cutting boards covered for a long while, and because you made it yourself you know it's the top ingredients going into it.

you can see it has a lot more visible figure now

0:00What do you do when a carbon knife ends up rusty and patinated?

A carbon steel knife can end up with patina plus rust plus a bit of everything. Many people buy a rust eraser and just start rubbing; the video demonstrates cleaning with oil of the kind used to protect the knife from rust, plus a supermarket cleaning cloth.

Yes, it's patina plus rust plus a bit of everything.

0:27How do you clean surface rust with oil and a cleaning cloth?

The cloth has a coarse side and a fine side, and it is fine if it only has a coarse side. A bit of oil gives lubrication, and the cloth is rubbed gently in one direction; the video warns not to use it on a mirror polished knife.

And please don't use it with the mirror, mirror polish knife.

2:23Does a cleaning cloth remove all the rust?

The cloth works quickly on a lot of the surface rust and patina, and the video calls it a free or cheap way of cleaning surface rust. A bit of a stubborn spot can remain, which a bit of sharpening will remove, and the difference between before and after is large.

So, yes, this is my recommended free or cheap way of cleaning surface rust.