An LCC question

USAFSP

USAFSP

Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Messages
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I've been carrying a LCC with Bead Blast for a while, and haven't had any rusting problems. How rust resistant is 154CM? I put a light coating of Militec-1 on the blade once a week. Have any of you had any problems with one of these rusting? Just looking for some rust preventing advise for this wonderful knife.
 
Rinse with water after anything like fruit, food etc. Soap and water is better and soap with hot water is best. Afterwards, I just wipe/coat with mineral oil. If it's a knife that is not going to be used for food, motor oil works fine.

My experience is that if you do not leave offense juices, salts and the like on the blade longer than you absolutely have to, you are way ahead of the game.
 
154CM is just as resistant as ATS 34 since they are essentially the same thing. ATS 34 being a Japanese name and patent designation and 154CM being a US name and patent designation. Only real difference might be in the various processes used to make them by different mfgs. If there is any difference in composition I am unaware of it. I stand to be corrected by someone more in the metallurgical loop than I. Rust is probabaly not going to be a major problem in either of them under normal circumstances. Staining however can occur. remember the term is stainless (emphasis on the less) not stain free.


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This is a slightly complex issue. 154CM is not an especially rust resistant steel. It is a good compromise between edge holding and rust. If you use a good product like Marine Tuf Cloth, you aught to be ok. As an aside, how well does Mil-1 work as a rust inhibitor for you?

Your main problem will be the bead blast finish. It is a major rust magnet. I find that a D2 steel blade with a satin finish will rust about the same as a 440a/6a blade with a bead finish. That is bad considering D2 has 3x the carbon...

Bead blast sucks.

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I've been carrying it for many months without any sign of rust problems. When I get something corrosive on it, it gets washed with hot soappy water and dried.

Basically think of stain resistance as a backup and don't substitute it for good habits. I'm used to carbon steel knives where they remain rust free with similiar treatment. Only difference is with those I oil them once in a while.
 
I figure if I keep after maintainance on the LCC I should be o.k. Militec-1 has been great so far. I have used it on satin blades for a while now with no problems. It's also great in the pivot area since it doesn't attract dirt. Some people don't like it since it's very thick. The trick is only use a small amount. I was just curious about the MT way of bead blasting since it looks to be much finer thatn some other companies.
 
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