Best rust inhibitor?

J

James Falor

Joined
Nov 11, 2003
Messages
618
Does anyone out there have a favorite way to protect carbon-steel blades from rusting? My non-using knives are in a gun-safe and I have lots of those mil-spec dessicant packets in there but I recently discovered teeny, tiny little specks of rust (although it's not rust-colored) on an Ed Fowler blade. I have the Tuf-Cloth and oil from Sentry Solutions, and FP10 which one guy told me was his police department's favorite but I'm just wondering how you all protect your blades. I don't store mine in their sheaths, and I TRY to wipe them down after every handling and every month--handled or not. I live in a really crappy, (weather-wise at least) humid area (Central Ohio) and am just looking for any tips anyone might be willing to share. Thanks and I hope everyone had a happy Easter weekend. Jim Falor SEMPER FI
 
Marine Tuf-Cloth, and Tuf-Glide. I put it on all my guns and knives. It's great. My CQD MK1 Auto fell out of my pocket this winter and was laying in the driveway for 3 days with salt/snow all over it and it had very minimal rust. It still works great, and I can't even tell it ever had any rust on it. I suggest Marine Tuf-Cloth to everyone
 
I clean the blade thoroughly, then wipe it down with tuf cloth (which is probably unnecessary) then when totally dry I apply Renaissance Wax If you do that it should be fine until you use it again.
 
Thanks both of you. I have a Marine Tuf-Cloth myself (and some of the Ren. Wax) so I guess I'm just not hitting them as often as I should be. BTW, USRanger--were you in in 1985? I started my USMC "career" in 85. I was offered a slot at sniper-school and, had I accepted it, I would have had to go through Ranger School too. I have this VERY real phobia of jumping out of airplanes though so I turned-down the "offer." ;-) Jim SEMPER FI
 
http://www.break-free.com/

This is the stuff you want. Works on everything ! and works great :cool: Why buy 2 or 3 seperate items when this does all you want and need. Ive used it for going on 4 years now and IMO it is the stuff!!
Used it on firearms , reels , truck , general handyman work , knives you name it.(we even use it at work on high dollar POS printers)
Everyone has thier preference though so youll get 10 different answers. Check the wbesite out , not only is it cost effective it works Great!!
and no , I dont work for them hehe. :)
 
James Falor said:
Does anyone out there have a favorite way to protect carbon-steel blades from rusting? My non-using knives are in a gun-safe and I have lots of those mil-spec dessicant packets in there but I recently discovered teeny, tiny little specks of rust (although it's not rust-colored) on an Ed Fowler blade.
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Some years ago, there was a post on rec.knifes (not the website, but the Usenet News group) about a fellow who went on extended travel for a year or so. He packed up all his stuff into one of those storage locker things. And he packed his valuable knife collections (some original Randals, Loveless, that sort of thing) into a military surplus ammo can and added some dessicant packs. When he got home and opened that sealed ammo can he found his whole collection hopelessly ruined by rust. The conclusion of the experts gathered there is that the culprit was the dessicant packs.

They are not magic. They don't make water go way. They're sort of like a sponge. They absorb water and hold it. But, under the right conditions, they can re-release it especially if they've become saturated.

Most safes derrive their fire resistance from gypsum. The walls are lined with gypsum. Gypsum absorbs water and holds it and then, when temperatures rise high, it releases that water which cools the area around it. This is one reason why the inside of the safe can stay a thousand degrees below the surroundings for several hours. But, when you put dessicants inside your safe, they can pull water out of the walls of the safe reducing its fire resistance.

For knives that are being stored long-term, the best solution by far is Ren Wax.

By the way, that speck on your Fowler will come off harmlessly with a dab of a non-abrasive polish such as Flitz. Put it on, rub with a soft cloth or your finger to get the polish into the surface texture of the metal, let it sit for a minute or two to dissolve the oxide, and then buff it off with a soft cloth.
 
BreakFree works for me for guns, knives, or any place a lube/corrosion protector is needed. Good stuff.
 
Is wiping with a film of Militec good for preventing conditions such as this?
 
Please by all means check out S-L-I Liquid Gunsmith.

Developed for NASA, it penetrates the metal and dries.

www.angelfire.com/biz/sli/

I learned about it some years ago from the BPCR crowd. If it will prevent black powder corrosion, nothing else stands a chance. Does much, much more, but the site will fill you in.

I keep my guns and knives in an unheated safe in S. FL and have had ZERO problems with rust. I recently checked out a Browning Superposed that I put this stuff on over 6 years ago. No nuttin on it. Also prevents corrosion from fingerprints, so I'm just so so about wiping them down after handling.

Just check out the site. This stuff does everything it claims. Pricey, but you only need a couple of drops spread on with your fingers.

Rob
 
MarkMM said:
Is wiping with a film of Militec good for preventing conditions such as this?
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I would think coating metal with anything would work. Anything being TuffCloth, Militech, WD40, plain old oil. I mean yeah, some of those will wear away after awhile but if you use them religiously well no worries I think. I've never had a problem with rust, I use both plain oil and Militech oil/grease.
 
How about cosmoline, like all the old surplus rifles were packed in. Some of these guns have been stuck in the stuff for over 50 years and after a (very) thorough cleaning are as good as when they were coated.

I like the wax idea, but also one could consider liquid/oil rust preventatives such as ones used on cars in Canada, like Krown and Rust check.
 
On militec, yeah, I think it'll be better than nothing, but I'd sooner use plain mineral oil for protection. Breakfree is an excellent storage preservative, and any hard paste wax, and especially Renwax because it's non-staining work great as long as you take care to get an even coat on the whole blade.
 
I used to use Break Free and bunch others. Tasted horrible though. :( I now use mineral oil. That way I don't have to worry if I want to use that former collector to slice a sandwich. ;)
 
I use CLP/Break Free, too. Works on everything from my knives to my concealed carry Walther PPK, to my truck to tools.

WYK
 
James Falor said:
USRanger--were you in in 1985? I started my USMC "career" in 85. I was offered a slot at sniper-school and, had I accepted it, I would have had to go through Ranger School too. I have this VERY real phobia of jumping out of airplanes though so I turned-down the "offer." ;-) Jim SEMPER FI
Click to expand...

Actually, I'm not even in the military. That's my name for everything on the internet. I support the Rangers though, never could of been one.
 
I use Renn Wax, but even in a dry environment (my humidor hygrometer said the room was 30%) you will get microspecks if you do not dust and polish regularly. Eezox gun works well on my Himalayan Imports (RIP, Uncle Bill) blades but didn't help squat on my 1095 swords. On stubborn knives I put Renn Wax on and don't wipe it off. It's important to put Renn Wax on with a cloth, not your fingers, as the oils mix in.
My Randall Sasquatch and Burt Foster Bowie (see avatar) have held up very well with several coats of Rennaissance Wax- so maybe the answer is multiple coats.
 
Mr.BadExample said:
I use Renn Wax, but even in a dry environment (my humidor hygrometer said the room was 30%) you will get microspecks if you do not dust and polish regularly. Eezox gun works well on my Himalayan Imports (RIP, Uncle Bill) blades but didn't help squat on my 1095 swords. On stubborn knives I put Renn Wax on and don't wipe it off. It's important to put Renn Wax on with a cloth, not your fingers, as the oils mix in.
My Randall Sasquatch and Burt Foster Bowie (see avatar) have held up very well with several coats of Rennaissance Wax- so maybe the answer is multiple coats.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you need some MD Labs XF-7 for your blades. You could make the room 200%(if that was possible) and you wouldn't have any rust. ;)
 
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