# Bar Keepers Friend... Liquid or Powder?



## Dave Kinogie (Mar 18, 2014)

Have some very light rust on a couple older knives and what might be some on my KS.

I'm. At Home Depot right and they have a liquid and the stanndard powder form, which is better?

Please some help ASAP!


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## Bill13 (Mar 18, 2014)

I like the powder.


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## Stanimal (Mar 18, 2014)

The powder is good(never even seen the liquid), I always scrub with baking soda right after the BKF to neutralize the acid in the BKF and then rinse/dry.


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## Dave Kinogie (Mar 18, 2014)

Should I pick up some sponges and Scotchbrite pads as well?

Which Scotch Brite if so, the green heavy duty or blue non-scratch?


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## Bill13 (Mar 18, 2014)

It work well with a good old fashioned sponge. I've never used baking soda afterwards before, just rinsed well. But hey, I did not even know BKF was an acid


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## mkriggen (Mar 18, 2014)

Stay away from the green scrubbies, they are equivalent to '0' steelwool. The blue are fine but you really don't need it, I just use an old t-shirt.

Be well,
Mikey


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## Cynic2701 (Mar 18, 2014)

Bill13 said:


> It work well with a good old fashioned sponge. I've never used baking soda afterwards before, just rinsed well. But hey, I did not even know BKF was an acid



Yup, oxalic acid:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalic_acid

Note that an LD50 does is said to be in the range of 15 - 30 grams.

If I recall correctly from college, oxalic acid prevents the uptake of vitamins and minerals from food. Foods like spinach (which are already considered pretty healthy) actually don't have all of their nutrients "available" due to the oxalic acid content.


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## Dave Kinogie (Mar 18, 2014)

Thanks guys! 

I picked up the green and blue Scotch Brite pads and yeah both are quite abrasive to the touch so I figured they are a bad idea, at least for my KS, but I have a few old cast iron pans and a dutch oven that I really need to re-season like you wouldn't believe so I guess that's a good start for those. 

Also grabbed some sponges and some baking soda, so I'm set to go.


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## panda (Mar 18, 2014)

Bill13 said:


> I like the powder.



kitchen speak hehehe


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## mhlee (Mar 18, 2014)

I actually always have both. The liquid is really nice to use to clean hard to clean areas of things like pots around the handles, and knives that don't have engraved characters because it's less abrasive than the powder. I use the powder when I want to use something more abrasive. 

And, I never use green Scotchbrite pads, only blue. The green pads are abrasive enough to scratch soft cladding.


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## Dave Kinogie (Mar 18, 2014)

I know this a tad off topic, but the green pads would be good to scrub buildup off cast iron skillets and the such right? Not even rust, just years of buildup so it's uneven and bad seasoning all over them?


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## unkajonet (Mar 18, 2014)

Dave Kinogie said:


> I know this a tad off topic, but the green pads would be good to scrub buildup off cast iron skillets and the such right? Not even rust, just years of buildup so it's uneven and bad seasoning all over them?



Coat the skillets with oven cleaner (the original, not the "no fumes") and put in a plastic garbage bag overnight. Lots of soap and water the next day. Just about everything, including any seasoning, will come off.


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## mhlee (Mar 18, 2014)

Dave Kinogie said:


> I know this a tad off topic, but the green pads would be good to scrub buildup off cast iron skillets and the such right? Not even rust, just years of buildup so it's uneven and bad seasoning all over them?



No way. SOS pads barely work. 

I've never done the oven cleaner method but have read that it definitely works. I've used the pour salt into the pan and cook the crap out of it method. The old seasoning will flake off.


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## EdipisReks (Mar 18, 2014)

If you have a self cleaning oven, you can use that instead and it works very well, but I've used oven cleaner several times, and it works great.


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## Erilyn75 (Mar 19, 2014)

If it's not a heavy (like a bit of sticky oil) build up, liquid BKF works pretty well with one of them big silver coiled wool pads. Use washing gloves and wash wash wash afterwards in hot water. If it's a heavy build up and thick, oven cleaner works well. Here's a great site for cleaning and seasoning. I just finished 11 CI skillets, taking them back to bare and reseasoning using info from this site. 

http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/


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## jamaster14 (Mar 19, 2014)

Bill13 said:


> It work well with a good old fashioned sponge. I've never used baking soda afterwards before, just rinsed well. But hey, I did not even know BKF was an acid



any spongue should do... what has worked best for me is to apply the powder to the area, wet it and just let is sit for like 15 minutes. then some very light scrubbing should remove the rust.


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## Dave Kinogie (Mar 23, 2014)

I feel like this removed all the patina on my Masamoto KS and has now created real deal rust, someone please help!


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## Talim (Mar 23, 2014)

Dave Kinogie said:


> I feel like this removed all the patina on my Masamoto KS and has now created real deal rust, someone please help!



If it's rust then remove it with BKF. If you want patina on your knife don't use BKF.


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## Dave Kinogie (Mar 23, 2014)

Talim said:


> If it's rust then remove it with BKF. If you want patina on your knife don't use BKF.



It had super light rust and a decent patina building. I used BKF on it, now all the patina is gone and it's covered in rust, even in places where there was zero anything at all on it, even patina, like near the spine. 

I'm freaking out here.


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## Talim (Mar 23, 2014)

Dave Kinogie said:


> It had super light rust and a decent patina building. I used BKF on it, now all the patina is gone and it's covered in rust, even in places where there was zero anything at all on it, even patina, like near the spine.
> 
> I'm freaking out here.



No need to freak out. Just clean it up real good again. Make like a slurry of BKF and scrub it with the pad. Then before putting it away make sure you wipe it dry then put a thin coat of mineral oil. You can build up patina again next time you use it.


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## Dave Kinogie (Mar 23, 2014)

Talim said:


> No need to freak out. Just clean it up real good again. Make like a slurry of BKF and scrub it with the pad. Then before putting it away make sure you wipe it dry then put a thin coat of mineral oil. You can build up patina again next time you use it.


Yeah I'm gonna try. I'm not worried about the lost patina, I knew that would come off, I am worried about the rust all over it. 

I already re-BKF'ed it 3 times before I had made this post.


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