BK 24 Questions

Chalet

Chalet

Joined
Aug 23, 2013
Messages
486
Hey everyone,

I described some rust on my BK24 in this thread:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1114379-So-you-ve-got-a-14-and-a-24/page2

I wanted to post some pictures and see if this is normal. I have only handled it a little. About six weeks ago I oiled it up and put it in my closet and the other day I brought it out and it had some light rust spots on the top and bottom of the handle area. I've never carried this one (yet) so I was kind of surprised to see this. I'm not worried or upset about it considering that I do plan to use this knife a bit, and some discoloration is to be expected. I'm just curious about it because some of you seem to carry these without any rust forming, and mine wasn't carried or exposed to sweat, and I also saw that Moose sprayed his with salt water and it didn't rust.

Anyways, I may or may not clean it off. There isn't any on the blade. These pictures make it look a little bit worse than it is.








These things are photogenic.

 
Last edited:
Chalet said:
About six weeks ago I oiled it up and put it in my closet and the other day I brought it out
Click to expand...

This right here is the problem! These knives are made to work! You've upset the blade! You must use it now to appease it.

Ok, for real, I wouldn't worry about it. It isn't a full stainless steel but it is highly rust resistant. A little discoloration isn't gonna kill it.
 
No worries, it's called stainLESS for a reason. All stainless steels contain a small amount of carbon in the make-up and carbon, when exposed to air in the presence of moisture, will begin to oxidize (i.e. rust). The BK-24 is made from D2 stainless which is an air hardened tool steel containing 1.5 - 1.6% carbon and for stainless, is considered a relatively high amount. Carbon is your friend.
 
Hey did you clean the knife with water, then dry it, then put oil on it? If the knife wasn't thoroughly dry when you put the oil on then perhaps the oil trapped the moisture on the surface of the knife, thereby causing a bit of discoloration over time. (I'm not really sure if this is even possible)

I just pose this observation because moisture appears to be making it to the surface of the knife in some way.
 
I actually carried it today at work for the first time. The more I look at the pattern the more I like it, and it isn't even that noticeable...I've been thinking of it more as character. I don't think I'm going to clean it off - it's kind of neat. I think my BK14 is going to get a vacation from being carried for a while.

Thank you for the feedback.
 
3 seconds with a scotch bright and that should come off.

that kind of rust i'm never worried about.

weirdly, i had to practically soak mine in blood for days to get that
 
Yes, scotchbrite may work, but watch the logos, which are just a surface pigment I suspect via photo etching....it will disappear with minor surface scrubbing.
 
Perfectly reasonable for D2, which is a semi-stainless. Knock it off with steel wool or Scotchbrite and go cut something.
 
Bladite said:
3 seconds with a scotch bright and that should come off.

that kind of rust i'm never worried about.

weirdly, i had to practically soak mine in blood for days to get that
Click to expand...

I'd like to hear the story about the blood....

And in other news, since the spots are only on the spine, it shouldn't be a big deal to scrub it off. Or leave it on but make sure to oil it to prevent more. May want to check under the scales as well to make sure they aren't rusting a bit either. I've not tried it yet on knives, but I've had really good luck with Ren Wax as it's called on the Colt Forums. The folks there all recommend it for protecting old Colt pistols. It can be used on metal, wood and leather. It was developed by the British Museum, and supposedly used on the Crown Jewels. I'm thinking it might work well as a protective coating under the scales. Anybody here ever used it for that?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Wax
 
Bon ami also works for removing some surface imperfections, and is less abrasive than scotchbrite. But you usually use it with water....so you'd want to dry it carefully before you oil it again.
 
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