Carbon Steel and Rust

Rsmith_77

Rsmith_77

Joined
Jun 4, 2010
Messages
4,250
So, being relatively new to traditionals and very new to carbon steel blades. I picked up a case Sodbuster jr around thanksgiving.

I did my research and cleaned it thoroughly with soap and water. I soaked the blade in white vinegar for an hour AND i noticed some rust so cleaned it again and stuck in in a potato overnight.

I oiled the joint and left a film on the blade (first with 3-in-1 and later with mineral oil). and i noticed rust was still forming on the blade. So i cleaned the rust off thoroughly and re-oiled with mineral oil leaving more or a film on the blade than i did the first time

I live in mississippi, which is humid but it is winter, if i am having trouble with the carbon blade in december/january i cant imagine what it will be like in july/august.

so, am i missing something? Did i miss a step? do i just need to leave more a film on the blade when i oil it?
 
i thought you could stick plain carbon in a tomato and the acid would react with the steel, creating a protection against rust... i heard it from an old spanish guy. i've seen a couple treated like this and it should be noted it does discolor the blade quite a bit.

i use camilla oil on my carbon cutlery... it's the same stuff the samurai would clean and condition their blades with. you can get it at most wood working places.
 
Camelia oil is scented mineral oil.
After some use and cleaning/oiling, the carbon blade should settle in, and rust won't be too much of a problem.
You will always have to clean and oil it, though.
 
Rsmith_77 said:
so, am i missing something? Did i miss a step? do i just need to leave more a film on the blade when i oil it?
Click to expand...

I'm betting there was still some moisture and/or acid underneath your oil on the blade. To keep rust at bay, the blade must be very clean and completely dry before oiling. Otherwise, the oil will just trap whatever's left underneath it.

Wiping down the blade with a solvent, like WD-40 or isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) will help greatly to displace any water from the pores in the steel. And the WD-40 will also leave a little bit of light oil behind, in the absence of the water. If you do use alcohol, make sure to oil the blade immediately after it's dry. Alcohol is great at removing moisture, but it'll also strip away any other oil or rust protection on the blade, leaving it more vulnerable to rust.
 
thanks all

just out of curiosity. how often do you clean/oil your carbon blades?
I went a week since the last clean/oil and i noticed rust... so is this something i need to do every day or every week (i know it depends on use, its just i didnt use it much since christmas morning)
 
OP: I haven't tried it on knives myself, but maybe keep the knife near a desiccant block at night? It does work for my other tools.

i agree that there may be residual moisture... if there is any of it left on the steel in the smallest amount, most regular oil will sit on top of it. do you keep this blade in your pocket?

Bill DeShivs said:
Camelia oil is scented mineral oil.
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Unless petroleum from crude oil and oil from the camellia shrub are the same thing, I would have to disagree. It's kind of like saying tea tree extract is scented alcohol.

From my experience with both on a regular basis, the consistency isn't even the same. maybe someone sold you "camellia" that wasn't.
 
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call me a heritic but all of my carbon steel blades get a wipe down with 90% isopryl alcohol then a wipe with birchwood/casey perma blue [to force a patina] followed by a wash in dish soap in very hot water. then followed by an oiling with mineral oil until the cloth is clean. and wallah, a patina on the blade that is also food safe.
 
Most of the cold blues use copper sulphate as the coloring agent, so basically what you see is tarnished copper plating, not iron oxide.
 
Let the blade develop a patina. This is essentially controlled oxidization that will protect the blade from actual rust. Carbon blades rarely stay shiny; the darker they become (over time), the better protected they are.
 
bkzk100 said:
call me a heritic but all of my carbon steel blades get a wipe down with 90% isopryl alcohol then a wipe with birchwood/casey perma blue [to force a patina] followed by a wash in dish soap in very hot water. then followed by an oiling with mineral oil until the cloth is clean. and wallah, a patina on the blade that is also food safe.
Click to expand...

well,i have to agree...ye are just that.;)lol
just let the blade age naturally and won't it still be food safe?
jd
 
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