A2 steel - Proper Care and Feeding

C

Curse

Joined
Dec 28, 2007
Messages
102
Hey, so my first Barkie will be arriving any day, and I just want to make sure I treat 'er right :)

Being my first knife to come in tool steel rather than stainless, I'm curious as to what I need to watch out for - do I need to wipe it down daily with an oil rag to get rid of fingerprints etc? Will the salt and oils of my skin cause pitting?

I live in a relatively dry area (southern Idaho) and know that water = bad, but I'm curious if there's anything else (like fingerprints) that I should watch out for
 
Wipe it down after use, and don`t store it in the leather sheath. If I don`t use a high carbon knife for a long period of time, I wipe it with a oily rag.

John
 
Keeping it in sheath, perhaps on the dresser, etc., for a couple of days is fine, as long as it was clean to begin with. However, like Stomper said, prolonger storage in the sheath will create a surprise for you when you draw it out.

I wash my A2 Barkies (blades) with HOT water, a sponge and dishsoap, and then rinse with HOT water. Then I dry immediately with a clean cloth. THat's all I do. If it's not a regular user, you can put a little mineral oil on the blade and wipe off the excess.
 
With A2--like stretch says--you don't really have to do anything. Just use it. It will develop the petina, but that is about it.
 
I have had a couple of knives with A2 blades develop rust while in the sheath. I've had many others which did not.

The advice Mike Stewart and Sharpshooter on the other forum will give you if you experience corrosion in the sheath is to apply some plain mineral oil on a swab to the interior of the sheath.

I've done this and the problem went away.

I will usually wipe down my carbon steel blades with a rag sprayed with WD40. If it's a knife that might be used for food prep (kitchen knife), I'll scrub the blade and handle with a brush I have for that purpose, liquid dish soap, and hot water. Then I'll rinse the blade with hot water, allowing the blade to get hot. Then I'll wipe the whole knife down with a clean cotton cloth.

Andy
 
A2 is pretty rust resistant. Just store it dry if you're using it, our wipe it down with TuffCloth or BreakFree if you're going to store it a while. I treat my leather sheaths with SnowSeal (inside and out) which inhibits moisture absorption, and have had no problem with storing even high carbon blades in the sheath... but I live in a relatively dry climate.
 
i have found the A2 on my BRAVO to be pretty stain resistant.i wouldnt encourage any pitting or anything like that but i could car less about stains or patinas.

mine was stained after its first weekend.i've had it 2 months and i looks like i've had it 2 years.it makes me happy
 
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