Arclite Sweat Test

Razoredj

Razoredj

Joined
Feb 22, 1999
Messages
3,357
I started wearing my Arclite today, and I'm wondering: how does it hold up (especially with regard to the exposed handle) to wear against the skin? I know there are plenty of substances with which I can treat the handle, and I have plenty of Tuff Glide and Break Free CLP at hand -- I'm just curious if anyone has experienced much in the way of rust with these knives worn under the shirt.
 
Hey Razor,

I wore mine for several days while I was fishing, some of those days were around 100 degrees. The only thing I did when I got back in was spray it off with a hose, and I've noticed no rust as of yet. I plan on seeing how it'll do cleaning and skinning small animals this hunting season, so I will let you know how well it holds up against that sort of abuse.

Chris
 
The intended role for my Camillus ARCLITE is as a neck knife for hiking and backpacking when it would be a better choice than my custom Arc Lite on rust resistance and ease of sharpening. 420HC should be one of the most rust resistant steels available. My Camillus ARCLITE handle is covered with a couple of Kydex scales and cord wrap though. So, I don't know if the knife will rust eventually after days of being bathed in sweat, but to get anything more rust resistant, you have to go for crap steel or talonite I think.
 
Living in Thailand, lots of sweat and humidity. No rust though, none at all. Would really like to put some scales on it like the Dozier Razorback though, it gets slippery.
rad148
 
The longer I wear the Arclite the more I like it. I've gotten used to its minor weight around my neck, too -- I don't even notice it's there anymore. I'm pleased with all the feedback so far -- looks like rust shouldn't be a big issue, even bathed in Razorian perspiration.
 
Looks like I underestimated the power of Razorian Perspiration after all. I took a look at my Arclite today and noticed a few tiny spots of rust beginning to form on the exposed metal of the handle, on the side that touches my skin. This was after five days of constant carry.
 
Hmmm, special Razor-persp eh? Sort of like special D.I. spit for spit-shine boots? Oops, forgot, they are now allowed to use Corafram.
Very humid and hot here in Thailand with the rainy season. Have been having to check my knives weekly for rust [don't have special humidity control cases]. Just checked everthing again after your post and redid all with Marine tuff-cloth [good ventilation is required, whewh..a bit woozy]. The Arclite did have a couple small spots on the handle [possibly due to beer sweat]. All the rest excepting a 1095 tempered were Ok.
Tks for the heads up, I see now that I am going to have to reconsider which steels I can keep and which I will have to sell to someone who lives in an arid climate.

Think the prob with the Arclite may be the finish. Am considering taking it and other blades in to be bead blasted or stone wash finished.
Rad
 
Rad -- I puposely didn't treat the knife, nor clean it off from day to day, becuase I wanted to see how it would hold up. All things considered, it didn't do too badly; I shudder to think how much rust my average knife would have if I wore it next to my skin like that. I'll probably just coat the handle every now and again with Break Free CLP or Tuff Glide.
 
Originally posted by Razoredj

On the middle of my chest? :D
Click to expand...

You could try Marine Tuff Cloth. Just think of it as rust prevention. ;)

Dang,

I sweat a lot and carry a D-2 Carson F-4 next to my skin evenings and weekends with no rust so far. I guess not all sweat is secreted equal. ;)
 
:cool:
Razor; re your post to me.
I figured as much that your test was a "too the max" sort of thing. But who better to do so than you? As a skinny Bastid I know I could not sweat as copiously as you could even if I half tried after two days of drinking beer, so your real time QC was taken much to heart.
Forget about Steves's comments, they obiously don't make any sense. However I have to agree that my Dozier D2 does not evidence any sweat as his D2 Carson does not either.
Hmmm, perhaps all sweat is not created equal as myself and Steve have mentioned in previous posts.
Uh, just wondering. No slight intended. :)
Rad
 
Silly question, Razor:

Rust notwithstanding, what's your take on the handle? I've only handled one once but it seemed a bit slippery.
 
I view the Arclite as a moderate-use there-when-you-need it blade designed for maximum concealment rather than daily-use-comfort, so I'm willing to compromise on the handle for the sake of it remaining as flat and unobtrusive as possible. I find the cutouts in the handle provide just-adequate traction, but being bare metal the handle is indeed a little slick. Obviously this will be a matter of personal preference, but it doesn't bother me enough to want to put scales on it or wrap it with cord.
 
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