SMF

I have a Remington RB44 pocketknife made 1920-1920 and owned by my wife's fraternal grandfather. The blades are carbon steel. The hinge, bolster and interior of the knife are probably iron but I can't say for sure. Blades are sharp. The large blade has no rust, and the small blade has a smalll amount of rust. The interior part of the knife (the part into which the blade folds) is grungy. I'd appreciate any guidance as to how to give the knife a good cleaning. Thank you.

A riveted folding knife can only be cleaned in the obvious ways, with a rag and toothbrush or similar (pipecleaners are good for getting between the scales). Spray in solvents, using the red nozzle tube, are helpful, and you could use brake cleaner if the scales will not be damaged (don't use with oiled wood, bone, ivory etc) and the knife is full of old black dried oil and dirt, but then swap to WD-40. The latter is not an adequate lubricant, so after cleaning do apply some proper oil at the end of the process, and that can vary according to taste from 20W-50 all the way to camellia oil.

PS I combined your two threads into one.

Thanks for the advice.

I posted in two forums because I thought I may get answers in "Straight Razors" that may not appear in "General."