New eBay aquisition, first SE, need some advice

Soooo, I've been wet shaving for more than a year, started with vintage Gillettes (Ball End Tech, SuperSpeed, Slim, Black Beauty). About 9 months ago, I dipped my foot into the straight razor waters, and have been hoooked (last count was 11 SR's). I love vintage razors, enjoy the history of them, love the idea that I'm shaving with something that's 50, 75, 100, 150 years old. Decided out of nowhere to look into SE shaving, and won a Damaskeene yesterday on eBay Gem Damaskeene. Got what I think is a good deal. The seller didn't list it as a Damaskeene, and there's some active rust on the handle (see the pics on the page). I ordered an SE sampler from Tryablade, so I'm stoked to try my first SE shave (head and face). my question is this: how would y'all recommend removing the rust on the handle? I've cleaned up a few SR's using W/D sandpaper, steel wool, or a utility knife blade, and I know that a combination of those 3 tends to work pretty well. Would I be doing the same thing with the Damaskeene handle? I only wonder because of the cylindrical shape as opposed to the flat (in comparison) shape of a straight razor blade.

It's not only cylindrical, it's knurled. I'd use a small wire brush or a wire wheel on a Dremel tool and try to limit it as much as possible to the rusted area so as not to further damage the plating.

The good news is that the steel handle on the Damaskeenes is not typical of SE's - most other handles are plated brass, same as the heads, so they don't rust.

--Bob

A small wire brush sounds like a good idea, or possible a chemical rust removal treatment... I would avoid sandpaper in order to avoid damaging the knurling.

Try soaking in water with Dawn, then use a small brass brush. I got mine at Lowe's.

Take a pencil and sharpen to match the checkering depth and width. You can gently scribe the rust areas. The graphite acts as a mild abrasive.
this is an old gunsmithing trick.