While cleaning my Kevin Cashen sword last week, I noticed what looked like dirt or oil on the edge. I tried cleaning it with denatured alcohol, then MetalGLo polishing paste. No avail. When I held the edge to the light I noticed some pitting. To my horror I think I have some kid of corrosion going on :\ It is only happening on one spot along the edge and is about as large as a grain of powder. I sent Kevin Cashen the photos posted below and he agrees that it is some aggrssive corrosion. I am at a loss. I rarely cut with this sword and clean it at least once a month. It stays with a good coating of mineral oil. The only two things I can figure is that either someone has been fingering the edge or the cleaning lady sprayed it with something. Anyone have any ideas? Kevin graciously told me to send the blade back to him and he'd see what he could do about getting it out. Kevin is a great guy like that. But I would like to figure out what caused this in the first place. Any clues guys? The blade material is Crucible L6. As you can imagine I am worried about this problem as this is a one-of-a-kind blade.

Joel

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A full shot of Anduril

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The pitting from the enemy!

I don't claim to be any authority on corrosion, Joel; but that doesn't look like a 'natural' kind of pitting - at least not any I've seen. Without pointing fingers at your cleaning lady, I'd say the blade has come into contact with some kind of chemical. What that might be, or what you might do about it, I do not know. In the meantime, I'd examine the area around which you display the sword to see if a likely scenario of explanation presents itself - for example, one in which the sword is accidentally exposed to an aerosol. Even deodorant spray can damage certain materials like you wouldn't believe.

Just a little speculation - I hope some more knowledgeable people are better able to shed some light on your problem.

By the way, I have to add that Anduril is a stunner! I remember when she was just a twinkle in your eye and a project on Kevin's waiting list - I've only recently seen the finished piece. Incredible sword - I have no doubt you're very proud of her.

Has the sword been in the same room as people opening cans of any sort of soda? I know that the phosphoric acid in most of the 'dark drinks' is relatively potent.

Of course, it is not any worse than what you might get by smashing the helm of an Orc ...

Oops - that is more of an off topic post.

How is the sword displayed? Is it in contact with anything or does it "hang free"?
I tend to keep the swords that have scabbards in them, and then get them out once a week or so and wipe them down with a silicon cloth. I figure the additional safety and protection is worth the slight risk that moisture will form inside the scabbard in that length of time. I would be very interested to know what the culprit was if you discover it.

Gordon

L6 corrodes a bit like 5160, ie it ussually corrodes on the surface. Pitting ussually means that some chemical, natural or synthetic, has come into contact with the blade........

But the good news is that Kevin will be able to get it out with just a touch up of the edge {I'm pretty sure}........

You know, if its the cleaning lady, it might have been some overspray several feet away. Its possible that you'll never know for sure.......

You may wind up cleaning and reoiling more often..........

Auld Dawg