Best CARBON STEEL for HUMID area????

J

J.Davey

Joined
Feb 10, 2004
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I live in a relatively humid (80-95% in the summer) area, but I want to start getting into carbon knives. In all honesty, my knives spend a lot of time in a sheath (no need to chop down trees alot on long hikes, and my TSEK takes care of food cutting chores...but hey, better safe than sorry) or on my custom screw-on wall hangers (don't ask; they're lame...function before fashion). Needles to say, I need some carbon with a modicum of rust resistance. I know of INFI, and when the new Battle Mistress is released, I'll own some. I know of D2, but I'm looking for a little more impact resistance. So, what do you all recommend? I'm looking to my fellow knife knuts for advice! ;)
 
Whatever you want, just clean it up/wipe it dry when you're done with it and oil it every once in awhile. The steel will darken with use--this is like bluing the metal and is actually a form of corrosion but this doesn't really damage it and will actually give it a small amount protection from further corrosion/serious rust. Unless faced with complete neglect, carbon steels do just fine.

Or, you can always go for blade coatings--really the only way to truly have a humid-friendly carbon blade.
 
I live about 4-5 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, right beside a river that dumps into it... I work a couple days a week about 100 yards from the Gulf. Salt air and humidity are not a big deal to me. I carry A2 and 1095 knives with no problems. 0-1 also isn't a big deal, just use a little rem-oil or tuff-cloth and go on with life. The whole corrision resistance thing is mostly hype unless you are in the military or another field that requires you to use a blade for a long period of time with minimal to no maintainence. Just take care of your steel and whatever you have will treat you just fine.
 
Like the others said, keep'em clean and oiled once and a while. They will last without any problems.

Lived most of my life in NY, just outside of Long Island. Plenty of salt water and air to go around. Never had problems with my knives rusting.

Now, I live in Colorado. It's so dry here they took rust out of the dictionaries.
 
Like the other guys said, no big deal with any of the carbon steels if you just keep them dry after use. Been using them for thirty years with no corrosion problems.
 
How about Chris Reeve One Piece Range? They are A2.Coated with Kalgard.You could also go with a traditional KA-Bar. That covers both ends of spectrum money wise.
 
Another option with A2 is to have it acid etched by the maker. I have an A2 Wharncliffe trapper with that treatment, and it gives it a nice old look and helps protect it against moisture.
 
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