Carbon Steel And Rust.

S

SteelSnob

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Sep 7, 2009
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So I put some Simichrome on my O-1 folder to prevent rust. But how well will that prevent rust and discoloration? And to what degree? Will food prep or cutting steak discolor it? If yes would more Simichrome take it off? Thanks.
 
Simichrome is a polish, not a rust preventative. I suggest mineral oil for your rust protection.
Food prep will discolor 0 1. Simichrome may remove the discoloration, if it is not too deep.
 
You could just use olive oil, or a mineral oil to coat your blade. Olive oil works well because it's thicker than a lot of the other protectants I've used.

Also remember that objects that have a high acidity will discolor a carbon blade. Sometimes I will take a lemon and cut through it to get that process out of the way so I have an even patina.
 
SteelSnob said:
So I put some Simichrome on my O-1 folder to prevent rust. But how well will that prevent rust and discoloration? And to what degree? Will food prep or cutting steak discolor it? If yes would more Simichrome take it off? Thanks.
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As mentioned semichrome is a polish and will do nothing for rust prevention. Even coating the blade with oil, it will get discolored if you cut meat or acidic fruits and don't immediately wash it off.

Because semichrome is a light abrasive it will probably take off any patina that forms depending on how much elbow grease you also put into it. O1 will rust if you look at it wrong and is probably a bad steel to have chose if you want a bright shiny blade forever. Depending on the blade finish it might actually be more prone to red rust if left shiny instead of letting a patina form.
 
Baby oil = mineral oil, and it smells good. Also makes a good honing oil.
 
I use BreakFree to protect my high carbon steel blades. TuffCloth also works pretty well. I like the patina gained from use so I don't worry about it. It adds character to the blade.
 
Put olive oil on one blade and sunflower oil another.
Both are ESEE Izula's, 1095 steel. Gonna try sunflower oil in the future.
 
I clean my 01 after use immediately and use Flitz to polish off stains, then a thin coat of olive oil . This seem to help keep most of it at bay . That steel is tough and takes a fine edge . But it will rust if you look at it wrong, like FlaMtn said . DM
 
basb said:
Put olive oil on one blade and sunflower oil another.
Both are ESEE Izula's, 1095 steel. Gonna try sunflower oil in the future.
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You are better off with more saturated oils than sunflower. Sunflower has lots of polyunsaturated fats, which oxidize into a rancid mess when exposed to air over time. Olive oil is better, and walnut oil is good. Coconut oil is very stable, lasts for years without going rancid as it is fully saturated.

Camellia oil is the traditional steel wipe in Japan, used to prevent rust on saws and chisels. I don't know what was used on katanas, but camellia oil seems likely.
 
Bill1170 said:
Camellia oil is the traditional steel wipe in Japan, used to prevent rust on saws and chisels. I don't know what was used on katanas, but camellia oil seems likely.
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This is true. The oil for my Japanese knives is camellia oil, it has a great viscosity that sticks to the blade, but I find that if evaporates over time too quickly, which is why I like using olive oil a little more than camellia oil.

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(sorry for the clutter in the picture)
 
I practice a form of traditional Japanese sword fighting. After Iai-jutstu we oil our steel swords with Choji oil. I use it on my knives sometimes, works very good and smells nice :)
Choji oil is 99% mineral oil and 1 Clove oil for fragrance, not sure what the ingredients of camellia are.
Most probably i will get a big bottle of choji, the one that is now in sword cleaning kit is rather small.
 
I like to use olive oil on my knives, just for the purpose of food prep. I have been using it for years and never had any problems.
 
SteelSnob said:
So I put some Simichrome on my O-1 folder to prevent rust. But how well will that prevent rust and discoloration? And to what degree? Will food prep or cutting steak discolor it? If yes would more Simichrome take it off? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Others are right; Simichrome is an abrasive polishing paste.

When taken far enough, polishing can reduce or minimize nooks & pores in the steel's surface. That cuts down on the number and size of places for water and other rust-making stuff to collect and cause more rust. A steel surface polished to a mirror will cause water to bead up and roll off; that makes it a bit more obvious, in seeing how polishing can reduce rusting issues.

More often than not, a light application of the Simichrome won't polish enough to make a big difference though. There's usually a lot of sanding/grinding to be done, to prep the surface for a mirrored finish. So, in the short term, simply cleaning and oiling a blade will make a bigger difference. Keeping a blade clean & dry actually accomplishes the most, whether oiled or not.

(...and I'm just now seeing I'm replying to a 3-1/2 year-old thread. Oh well...)


David
 
I know what semichrome is, I have and use it, but for some reason I just read this whole thread reading "semichrome" as "synchromesh" a GM manual transmission oil additive thinking "damn that stuff stinks, why would you put it on a blade" lol.

Obsessed with Edges said:
(...and I'm just now seeing I'm replying to a 3-1/2 year-old thread. Oh well...)
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Don't worry man, it got me too.
 
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