Busse underwater, is it a bad idea?

A

alex.neves

Joined
Aug 4, 2011
Messages
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Hello Hogs,

I live in Brazil, and I got used to use my Busse knives in fishing trips, both freshwater and saltwater, down here the humidity is also high, but corrosion never was an issue.
I also do spearfishing and scuba diving, which means keep the knife underwater for several hours, and without cleaning for a long time. In the last years I have been using a Mission MPK (Titaniun), it is tough as nails, but don’t have the “soul” of a Busse. So I'm wondering if i can try it using a piece of INFI. :confused:
Does anyone have experience with something like this?

Cheers

Alex
 
My guess is, that you would be ok in freshwater, but saltwater would blacken your blade pretty quick... At least you will have to rinse off your knife right after getting out of the water.
I do spearfishing myself, and the saltwater will corrode even blades which are supposed to be stainless.
I use a Katz Avenger Dive knife, which doesn't show any signs of corrosion.

Rasmus
 
I can't complain of my Mission MPK, it is a remarkable piece of equipment. I tried several kinds of knives made for spearfishing, but most of then are very thin, like a dagger, only to kill the fish. I like bigger blades, that can e also used for food preparation, cut wood (to make some fire on the beach), and other camping tasks. Years ago I used a next gen Ka-Bar, and it showed severe corrosion spots apart after 6 hours in the water. Then I tried Extrema Ratio models, and the last was the Mission.
 
If you clean it off and oil it on occasion. Take care of any rust that does crop up I am sure it will be more then fine.
 
I have used a Busse SAR 8 as a dive knife in salt water which I coated in silicone spray ( extreme ratio do a good one for their Ultramarine dive knife ) and then silicone grease ...

No problems at all so far ....

I wash the knife and sheath with warm soapy water after each dive and re-apply the grease ... make sure the grease is applied thickly in the tube rivets and the talon hole ...

I have used the knife for 3 dives so far ... but I think the key to being able to use the knife with no problem is the fast turn around on maintainance ...

I usually hose down my dive kit in my kit crate with fresh water as soon as we get in to the harbour and change ... then put it in the bath at home with warm soapy water as soon as I get in ... then dry it all off the same day and re-lube the knife ...

Editted to add ... after reading Cliff Stamp's salt water tests on M-Infi I am pretty sure you could use Infi as a diving knife as much as you wanted if you applied the right silicon protection. Those tests were the equivalent of a lot of "neglect" compared to how you need to look after your gear ...
 
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INFI loves water :D;);)

P7030036.jpg
 
Hey,

Will York, thanks for sharing!

PeterPHWS is your SAR8 coated? Right now I only have INFI in satin finish. It seems to me that the blade used in the tests is coated. Right now I'm thinking to order a TG to use as a dive knife.
 
Satin is usually okay, it's the blades with worn out coating and the older competition finish knives with the heat treating scale left on that have rust issues. Satin/Bead Blasted/polished infi is very corrosion resistant. After use in saltwater give it a good rinse with fresh water, including the sheath and you shouldn't have anything other than cosmetic rust that will wipe off with a bit of flitz or other polish.
 
In my experience, satin is significantly more rust resistant than double-cut/bead-blasted. This is typical steel behavior. "Rougher" finishes offer oxidation an easier platform to grab hold than smoother surfaces, meaning the higher grit finish is less prone to rust. I think satin would offer the best rust resistance among the standard factory non-coated finishes (something like Tinbasher's mirror finish would be even better), and by flushing the blade with fresh water after saltwater immersion, drying thoroughly and then applying silicone or oil you should be good to go.

One other thing--the Busse warranty doesn't say anything about guaranteeing the knife against major damage unless you immerse it in salt water. :)
 
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Interesting! I spearfish myself since I was around 8 and over the years salt water has killed many of my knives! Now I use "salt away" to clean my blades and Speargun trigger mech. Then use" corrosion block "as a protective oil. Now I had no problems for several years with rust!
 
alex.neves said:
Hey,

Will York, thanks for sharing!

PeterPHWS is your SAR8 coated? Right now I only have INFI in satin finish. It seems to me that the blade used in the tests is coated. Right now I'm thinking to order a TG to use as a dive knife.
Click to expand...

My SAR8 is a satin finish on a fully convexed edge ... Will's answer covered my thoughts on selection ... any sign of discolouration and I can easily polish up the fully convex edge on a belt sander using linishing belts. These will remove any issues and also helps keep the edge nice and sharp. They don't remove much metal either so the life span of the knife is not badly affected.
 
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