Recommendation? Carbone Opinel N08 is it Rusted?

[Phantomparasite]

I bought my opinel like 2 3 years ago and I forced a patina on the blade with hot vinegar and it works well exept that it was not possible to put a patina on the pivot area and now it is sort of yellow orange. I think it is rust but not sure. My plan if it is rust is to take it appart (hope that I would be able to do so as it I already tried it today and failed miserably) take the rust off and force a patina to the part I was not able to do so for it not to happen again and reassemble. So 2 questions. Is it rust? how could someone without tools but screwdrivers a hammer and basic stuff disassemble and reassemble the pivot? I manage to take the locking mechanism with a victorinox bottle opener, saw a video on youtube is way easier than the other methods lol. THANKS IN ADVANCE!!

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Oil it.

 

[davek14]

That's just the beginnings of rust. I wasn't even convinced it was until I saw the very close up. As Bill says, you could just oil it.
You could also possibly drop some vinegar on it first. There's so little there that it might not take much time or anything.
Remember, patina is also "rust". The only difference is that red rust gets bigger when it forms and thus opens things up for further rust whereas patina does not and forms a (somewhat) protective coating. So, oiling that little coating you have there would work fine.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

That's similar to what some of mine did when I patinated them by dipping & holding in a hot water & vinegar mix. Where the air, water and vinegar meet at the surface of the liquid mixture, the steel will rust a bit.

I scrubbed the blade with some baking soda to remove the loosely-attached red rust and also some loosely-attached black oxide, leaving an even gray patina. The baking soda will also neutralize any of the acid left behind. You'll see the baking soda discolor to red/brown/black, which shows how much of the oxide is coming off. Then, as Bill said earlier, oil the blade. And as mentioned by davek14 above, the black oxide won't harm the steel.

 

[Olumin]

If you're so worried about rust, maybe you should've bought the stainless version. This is nothing, put some oil on it & live with it.

 

[Phantomparasite]

thanks all I guess I am too worried. It is my first carbon still knife so I am a bit paranoid. I may scrub it a bit with baking soda and oil it. The only reason why I never oil it is because of the wood handle that it may swell a bit because of the oil. I live on a humid place average 80% and the forced patina have manain the blade perfectly.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

thanks all I guess I am too worried. It is my first carbon still knife so I am a bit paranoid. I may scrub it a bit with baking soda and oil it. The only reason why I never oil it is because of the wood handle that it may swell a bit because of the oil. I live on a humid place average 80% and the forced patina have manain the blade perfectly.

Just a light, thin coat of oil on the blade alone will do. One or two drops on your fingers, then rub that on the blade. Wipe off the excess with a rag. Shouldn't be enough to cause the handle to swell. Since you're already living in a humid location, chances are the handle is already about as swollen as it'll get. Swelling is more a response to water moisture, instead of any oil you might add.

I live in a typically very dry environment in the desert southwest of the USA. This time of year, daytime humidity is usually below 20% and sometimes down to single digits - like 5% at times. For perspective about the oil, I've sometimes oiled the end grain on my Opinels' handles to minimize the absorption of moisture, so the handle's pivot won't swell too much when the humidity rises to 30-40% in our so-called 'monsoon season' of July & August. The oil doesn't cause much, if any swelling, on its own. Instead, it helps to seal the pores & grain of the wood, so moisture won't get in and cause it to swell.

 

[davek14]

thanks all I guess I am too worried. It is my first carbon still knife so I am a bit paranoid. I may scrub it a bit with baking soda and oil it. The only reason why I never oil it is because of the wood handle that it may swell a bit because of the oil. I live on a humid place average 80% and the forced patina have manain the blade perfectly.

Leave it in a hot car or on a sunny windowsill till it's a bit on the loose side. Then put vaseline in the pivot and melt in with a hair drier.
Or soak the pivot in oil.
Or, my favorite, toss the whole knife in mineral oil for a while

 

[Drop bear]

Mineral oil is also for wood.

 

[Alberta Ed]

No need to disassemble. Melt some wax (Johnson Floor Wax works well) into the handle groove with a heat gun or hair dryer (check with your SO first ). That will lube the pivot and prevent rust, as well as sealing the wooden handle against moisture absorption to prevent swelling that can bind the blade.