3V Blade Maintenance

dvldog5811

dvldog5811

Joined
Sep 25, 2020
Messages
359
Mornin' BFers!
Hope everyone is well and has a great weekend ahead.
I just got ahold of a Medford Midi with a vulcanized 3V blade. I absolutely love the matte finish but concerned about the "non stainless" aspect of the steel. I've read that 3V is not as bad as other tool steels as far as care especially with a good heat treat which I know Medford has.
I'm just wanting to make sure I do everything possible to keep it in as good of shape as possible and being a newbie, once again, I'm coming to you all for advice.
I may not reply right away but certainly appreciate any advice you can offer.
Thanks All, be safe and have a great weekend!!
 
A thin layer of oil keeps my 3V blades in a perfect condition. Just be careful what kind of lube /oil you use, depending on what you are going to cut with your knife. If you are preparing food with it, use stuff that is food safe.
 
Is it going to sit around or be carried and used? Also what's the blade finish (as in satin, blasted, tumbled)? Both of those make a big difference towards any recommendations. If it's a user and by matte finish you mean sand blasted, it's going to be a pita to keep from rusting if you're in a less dry/more humid area, as that's basically the worst possible finish for corrosion resistance.

Also, it's "Vulcan" rather than "vulcanized", and Vulcan is just their term for heat application to change the color or not putting a finish at all after heat treat (it's given its own unique name to make something common appear proprietary).
 
Just clean the knife and put some oil on it if necessary. I have a Carothers 3V field knife attached to my waterfowl pack and I haven't had a problem with rust. I went sea duck hunting in Massachusetts in January. It poured rain the second day and it was exposed to salt water spray, etc (40 mph gusts). When I got back to the house, I forgot to wipe down the blade and check it. When I grabbed my back for hunting the next day, I took it out of the sheath and wiped it down. A lot more sand than I thought would be there, but there was not even a speck of rust.
 
3V (and D3V) can rust. I just cleaned an FK2 that I bought used, with quite a bit of rust under the scales.

But if you keep the blade dry and clean for storage, you'll be fine. And maybe use another knife to cut citrus fruit. For fixed blades, I use Froglube under the scales, and sometimes mineral oil on the blade, but the latter is not really needed.
 
kreole said:
Is it going to sit around or be carried and used? Also what's the blade finish (as in satin, blasted, tumbled)? Both of those make a big difference towards any recommendations. If it's a user and by matte finish you mean sand blasted, it's going to be a pita to keep from rusting if you're in a less dry/more humid area, as that's basically the worst possible finish for corrosion resistance.

Also, it's "Vulcan" rather than "vulcanized", and Vulcan is just their term for heat application to change the color or not putting a finish at all after heat treat (it's given its own unique name to make something common appear proprietary).
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It's more of a blasted finish and I will be using it for EDC. It sounds like I could've chosen a better finish if going the 3v route in your experience. I guess my best bet is to keep it clean and oiled on a fairly regular basis and go from there. Thanks for the input brother. Be safe
 
I really appreciate everyone's input. I won't be using for food prep and to be honest, my uses won't be for anything real strenuous for the knife. I'm guessing that I'm overthinking the whole issue but it's my first experience with v3 so figured some input would be helpful.
 
Just dry it off if it gets wet and it should be fine. I've got a stonewash 3v blade from Demko and it shows no signs of corrosion. Haven't oiled it or anything.
 
3D Anvil said:
Just dry it off if it gets wet and it should be fine. I've got a stonewash 3v blade from Demko and it shows no signs of corrosion. Haven't oiled it or anything.
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That's what I'm thinking, with a little light maintenance it'll be fine. I'm still thinking about listing it though...I think since I'm pretty novice maybe s35 would be a better choice. Thanks for taking the time for the info!
 
Do not be afraid of carbon knives. I have lots of them in SK75, 1095, 01, A2, 3V, 4V, ZMAX, CPM CruWear and 52100. Some of them getting used in kitchen frequently (52100 and ZMax) and some stored in leather sheath some sit in drawer, but yet none of the rusted on me. Just put keep them clean, dry and oiled when not in used. After a while you actually start to like the process. I use Camilla oil on my knives if you prefer the dry look rather than shiny oily look on blade, you can try EDCi. However, EDCi creates a coat on the blade (and on the edge itself) and I found that the blades I apply EDCi lost their bite due to the coat on the edge. But I am pretty picky about sharpness, so the loss of sharpness might not be as significant to other users.
 
murat1983 said:
Do not be afraid of carbon knives. I have lots of them in SK75, 1095, 01, A2, 3V, 4V, ZMAX, CPM CruWear and 52100. Some of them getting used in kitchen frequently (52100 and ZMax) and some stored in leather sheath some sit in drawer, but yet none of the rusted on me. Just put keep them clean, dry and oiled when not in used. After a while you actually start to like the process. I use Camilla oil on my knives if you prefer the dry look rather than shiny oily look on blade, you can try EDCi. However, EDCi creates a coat on the blade (and on the edge itself) and I found that the blades I apply EDCi lost their bite due to the coat on the edge. But I am pretty picky about sharpness, so the loss of sharpness might not be as significant to other users.
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Thanks for the input. Seems like I'm getting a lot more positive input than negative ref the 3V. Really appreciate the help. Have a great weekend!
 
It's hot and humid here in the summer time. My 3V knives haven't been a problem as far as rust goes. They're also fixed blades and not being carried like you would a folder. Given what I've seen in my little rust experiment, I'd use frog lube. Probably what I'll do going forward.
3V is a great knife steel imo.
 
kane22 said:
It's hot and humid here in the summer time. My 3V knives haven't been a problem as far as rust goes. They're also fixed blades and not being carried like you would a folder. Given what I've seen in my little rust experiment, I'd use frog lube. Probably what I'll do going forward.
3V is a great knife steel imo.
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love you're advice although I've still decided to list it. I guess I'm just more comfortable with a "stainless" blade that might hold it's edge better. I'm really novice and kinda like a woman when it comes to making up my mind!! LMAO!!
 
dvldog5811 said:
love you're advice although I've still decided to list it. I guess I'm just more comfortable with a "stainless" blade that might hold it's edge better. I'm really novice and kinda like a woman when it comes to making up my mind!! LMAO!!
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Every steel has its strong points. 3V excels in toughness, while still holding a good edge, not too hard to sharpen, and while not stainless it does an ok job when it comes to corrosion.
 
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