Anyone have their ZDP-189 blades rust?

DanR217

DanR217

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I just noticed my Manbug has some surface spots. I have a few other older ZDP-189 blades that I haven't cared for any more or less that show no surface corrosion. Anyone else have their ZDP-189 blades rust?
 
I'm in the middle of testing my new Delica 4 in ZDP-189 by spending a few weeks doing food prep ... will let you know how that goes.
 
I have a delica in zdp 189 that rusted. Zdp will pit, on my knife it just wasn't surface rust. I don't think zdp is much more stain resistant than d2.
 
kurt6652 said:
I have a delica in zdp 189 that rusted. Zdp will pit, on my knife it just wasn't surface rust. I don't think zdp is much more stain resistant than d2.
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I've actually had better luck with cpm d2 being more resistent. Zdp 189 is a fine steel but its not s30 or vg10 when it comes rust resistance.
 
me! me! i've been cutting things with it and often forget to clean afterwards. black crud, left over from cutting food or fruit was left on the steel. eventually they became rust spots that caused some pitting.
 
I"ve given this testimony about my Burgundy ZDP-189 Caly Jr quite a few times now but it certainly bears repeating dealing with the subject of corrosion. About 4 to 5 years ago I was harvesting some great tomatoes that I home grew in several different varieties. I had my ZDP-189 Caly Jr. handy so I used it to slice up several tomatoes that we were going to have for dinner that evening. I put the knife up on the shelf over the basement sink and forgot all about it until the next morning :(

When I got it the next morning I looked at the blade and it was as though termites had eaten into it. It was pitted even worse that some carbon steel blades I had in past years. It was so bad that I ended up sending it back to Spyderco after talking to them on the phone. Well the wonderful lady at Spyderco warranty & repair sharpened it on their professional equipment but they took a considerable amount of stock off of it to salvage the blade.

I'm here to tell you that ZDP-189 does not hold up to food acids at all :( I know it was basically my fault for not rinsing and cleaning it right away but I had no idea that any stainless would be destroyed that bad overnight no less :eek: Don't get me wrong because I love ZDP-189 and the blades I have with it are keepers but anytime you use it on any food item clean and rinse it immeditately!!!! Because it doesn't seem to have hardly any resistance to food acids and those tomatoes were the only thing I had used that knife on all that day. Be Careful with ZDP-189
 
I've never had any surface rust, but like others, I have had some instances of light pitting. I keep my ZDP blades coated with protectant (TufGlide) and it hasn't been a problem. I wouldn't take one to the beach with me, though...

TedP
 
I have some light stain spots on a ZDP Dragonfly, most likely from pumpkin carving last Halloween (detail work ;)). I gave the blade a rinse afterwards, guess I simply wasn't thorough enough.
 
Thanks everyone. Good to know I didn't just get one from a bad batch.
 
looks like the OP has gotten his concern resolved, but just to follow up on my earlier post:

since I received my Delica 4 in ZDP 189, I've been using it almost every day for two weeks now as an EDC knife. about once or twice a day I would use it to cut fruit: papaya, persimmon, pears ... ok that's really weird, I apparently only have fruits in my house that start with the letter p. After each usage, I would wipe down the blade with a napkin or paper towel or quickly rinse and then wipe down.

about a week in, I noticed that the blade was developing a very nice patina, sort of a faint black smudge on the blade. personally, I liked it, and was pretty excited to see the patina, until I also noticed two small rust spots on the blade away from the patina zone and near the tip. I rubbed down the rust spot lightly with steel wool, washed the blade with water and soap, and then very lightly oiled it once I'd dried it off (just used some olive oil or sunflower oil since that was handy in the kitchen and I need something food-safe). since then, I've done the same sort of EDC usage and the blade has not developed any patina or rust spots even though I haven't re-applied any oil yet.

seems like it has maybe marginally better rust resistance than 5160 (comparing to how quickly rust formed on my Buck Thug), which is not saying much. I'll keep mine very lightly oiled in the future, it's too nice of a knife to treat poorly. definitely in stark contrast to a true stainless like my Buck Vantage's 420HC, which I use to process even very citrusy fruits and then just soap and rinse in the sink and then air dry. no patina, no rust, no oil needed.
 
all stainless steels rust. some just take much longer. the fact that zdp belongs to a certain range of rust resistance doesn't make it undesirable in anyway.
 
hank_rearden said:
all stainless steels rust. some just take much longer. the fact that zdp belongs to a certain range of rust resistance doesn't make it undesirable in anyway.
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Hank, absolutely. Wasn't trying to knock the ZDP, just giving a picture of its relative rust resistance in my usage. Still a great steel due to its other properties - edge holding, sharpness, etc.
 
No rust on my Michael Walker. It gets light use, but does get carried 2 or 3 days a week.
 
Definitely. One was completely destroyed by non-careful food prep. The other developed a single nasty pit on the edge from causes unknown. I still like the steel, but I had to undergo a change in mindset where I simply regard it the same as a regular carbon steel -- then it works just fine for me.
 
I had rust on a ManBug around the pivot area in very short order. It can be humid and sweaty here close to the Pacific Ocean. I switched to H-1 ManBug. I've had good luck with laminated ZDP as in Caly CF and William Henry plus DLC coated ZDP as in ZT 0350ZDPCKT and Kershaw 4040.
 
My zdp-189 Endura started to get a little more difficult to open so I took and took it apart and this is what the pivot area looked like. I was able to get rid of a lot of it and its nice and smooth again but I don't carry it as much as I used to.

 
bro5.0 said:
My zdp-189 Endura started to get a little more difficult to open so I took and took it apart and this is what the pivot area looked like. I was able to get rid of a lot of it and its nice and smooth again but I don't carry it as much as I used to.

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That's scary. I never warmed up to ZDP-189 but I do have a Gayle Bradley on the way so I will watch for this.
 
I've carried a william henry with damascus zdp 189 for over 10 yrs now, taken it on many long saltwater fishing trips. and never had a rust problem. stays sharp longer than my other blades also. love it
 
I recall reading before that ZDP-189 has most of the 20% chromium content "tied up" as carbides, so this doesn't leave very much for stain-resistance as it normally would because it is low-alloy.
 
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