blade maintenance

Rover-Friskey

Rover-Friskey

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2023
Messages
146
I have 3 new case pocket knives. One has chrome vanadium steel blades, one stainless steel, the other carbon steel. I plan to display them and never use or ever touch the blades. Do I need top apply something like 3 in 1 oil or renwax to the blades, or will they be fine as is. The humidity is always less than 54%.
Thanks,
Billy
 
I have used renwax, mineral oil, and 3 in 1 on other knives. When seen under a 10x magnifier they seem to leave micro scratches or marks. If a new knife remains untouched in a good environment will they rust or corrode or whatever?
Thanks,
Billy
 
Rover-Friskey said:
I have used renwax, mineral oil, and 3 in 1 on other knives. When seen under a 10x magnifier they seem to leave micro scratches or marks. If a new knife remains untouched in a good environment will they rust or corrode or whatever?
Thanks,
Billy
Click to expand...
Renwax, mineral oil, and 3 in 1 cannot possibly be leaving microscratches. What are you applying them with? FWIW, paper towels can leave such marks.

As for whether they can corrode without protection: sure they can, given time. Especially if there is humidity around.
 
I have been using these "Soft and durable: made of microfiber, these double-sided polishing cloths are soft to touch and durable to use, not easy to get broken, which won't scratch your jewelry or watches during polishing process, making your jewelry look more shiny and much brighter". Have I screwed up? What should I be using?
 
Rover-Friskey said:
I have been using these "Soft and durable: made of microfiber, these double-sided polishing cloths are soft to touch and durable to use, not easy to get broken, which won't scratch your jewelry or watches during polishing process, making your jewelry look more shiny and much brighter". Have I screwed up? What should I be using?
Click to expand...
I don't know. I think you need input from the collectors among us. I have never tried to keep a knife at the kind of appearance standard under which visible scratches at 10X magnification would be a problem, so I don't know what that calls for.

My guess would be a soft cotton cloth or pad, but a guess is not good enough for what you are seeking.

I should also point out that polishing is generally, but not always in common usage, a process that creates scratches, by design. No seller of a "polishing cloth" would be likely to make claims about what the result would look like at 10X, and a claim of not scratching is likely to be an appeal to the conventional use of that word (visible scratching) , not a technical claim.
 
UncleBoots,
Thank you for your kind response. I use a lighted 10x magnifier partially due to my eyesight and partially due to my desire to see small details.. My polishing is pretty much limited to removing fingerprints and oil residue. I may be making a mountain out of a molehill. It is a natural tendency of mine, one that has been with my about all of my 71 years. It's a part of my personality that makes me, for example, have a pocket knife (traditional) database for all my 150+ pocket knives that has 165 fields and getting larger! I expect it will be ~200 fields before I am finished. I have a desire to record and understand every facet of my knives. I am new to the hobby [6 months or less] and anxious to try to learn all there is to know. I am an Industrial Engineer, a profession that fits my personality!
Thanks again!
Billy
 
Mineral oil is always a good choice - I like Ballistol, which is mostly mineral oil. I apply a thin coat, wait a few minutes, wipe off the excess with light pressure using a clean cloth to avoid micro scratches. Works like a dream.
 
Rover-Friskey said:
UncleBoots,
Thank you for your kind response. I use a lighted 10x magnifier partially due to my eyesight and partially due to my desire to see small details.. My polishing is pretty much limited to removing fingerprints and oil residue. I may be making a mountain out of a molehill. It is a natural tendency of mine, one that has been with my about all of my 71 years. It's a part of my personality that makes me, for example, have a pocket knife (traditional) database for all my 150+ pocket knives that has 165 fields and getting larger! I expect it will be ~200 fields before I am finished. I have a desire to record and understand every facet of my knives. I am new to the hobby [6 months or less] and anxious to try to learn all there is to know. I am an Industrial Engineer, a profession that fits my personality!
Thanks again!
Billy
Click to expand...
Billy, you fit right in here! Many of us track the interesting features of our knives using a database. Dimensions, type of steel, handle material, Rockwell hardness, year purchased, where they are stored, etc, etc. I only have 42 fields in my Access database, seems you track many more details than me - that's excellent, enjoy!
 
OTOH, some of us just use our knives and don’t worry about scratches. In fact, some of us make our own knives, and leave an as-forged surface on them so scratches don’t show.

But welcome to the forum anyway, it takes all kinds. Us hillbilly heat-n-beaters could probably learn a useful thing or two from an industrial engineer.

Parker
 
Thanks to all for the welcome! I learn a lot from these forums, including the term "heat-n-beaters! My database can accommodate up to a 6 blade pocket knife [the most i actually have is 5 blades knives] abd there are 20 fields/blade. so that leaves 45 fields for the knife make/model/handles/bolsters/cost/date purchased, etc.
Billy
 
I like using Renaissance Wax for long term protection, or silicone. Applied with a microfiber cloth. I'm assuming that you're displaying them in some sort of enclosed case with a clear cover? You could stick a dessicant pack in there, and/or a VCI strip, something like these https://www.zerust.com/products/vci-emitters-diffusers/ They are available at at lot of hardware stores or online. A couple of the 1x2 inch flat strips would likely be more than enough.
 
Slice-and-dice said:
Billy, you fit right in here! Many of us track the interesting features of our knives using a database. Dimensions, type of steel, handle material, Rockwell hardness, year purchased, where they are stored, etc, etc. I only have 42 fields in my Access database, seems you track many more details than me - that's excellent, enjoy!
Click to expand...
Slice-and-dice,
I am adding Rockwell hardness to my Excel database. Thanks for the tip!:)
Billy
P.S - adding Storage Location also!
 
Rover-Friskey said:
Slice-and-dice,
I am adding Rockwell hardness to my Excel database. Thanks for the tip!:)
Billy
P.S - adding Storage Location also!
Click to expand...
It's funny, many of us have so many blades that finding them all can be a problem! I personally keep a half dozen knives on my desk to choose an EDC from. These six rotate occasionally. Everything else is in safe#1, desk#1, desk#2, bookcase, truck, backpack, etc. At least that way I can find a particular knife when I want to use it. ;):)
 
I only carry a Victorinox Tinker, in a pouch to help keep it from slipping put my pocket when I an sitting. Have lost many knives this way. I store mine in my bedroom in a locked Harbor Freight U.S. GENERAL 26 in. Single Bank Top Chest (yellow). Got it on sale for $14 and wish i had bought 2, as i am out of room!! Hoping they will get some more, as these are generation 2 and now they have generation 3, which are not anywhere as nice. I bought online a.... Sit on my desk with a few knives and knife maintenance supplies.

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CORRECTION....I bought my Harbor Freight U.S. GENERAL 26 in. Single Bank Top Chest (yellow) for $149, NOT $14. Still a great deal at 149!
Billy
 
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