Carbon steel in wet climates.

humblerodent

humblerodent

Joined
May 28, 2011
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I'm looking to get a new custom belt knife made for me and am agonizing over the steel choice. One of the most well regarded steels is O1, which in my experience lives up to it's billing. I'm extremely impressed with how easily it takes a very fine edge. Ease of sharpening is a big plus for me for a woods knife. However, I had a bad experience with O1. I live and spend my outdoor time in the southern Appalachian Mountains, parts of which are classified as temperate rain forests. I went on a quick overnight backpacking trip and took my Enzo Trapper O1 with me. In just a few hours overnight (heavy, dense fog all night), my knife was pretty devastated by oxidation in morning. ~25% of the blade was completely black. When I got home I immediately went to work to restore it. I was able to remove most of the rust, but there was some substantial pitting left behind. All that from a simple overnight trip.

So, how do you all in wetter climates deal with this. Do you just own all stainless? Is there a way I can love O1 again. I want to love it, I am just afraid to invest in a custom knife that I can't take into the backcountry with me for fear of oxidation and pitting.
 
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INFI is good for stuff like this

you could cerakote it which would keep it good as new and it comes in clear or a number of colors.
 
I live on the West coast of Canada IN a rain forest on the shore line. You can't get much worse than this. I use a O2 blade all the time... and I never have rust problems. Granted, I keep an oily rag with me most of the time to wipe it down, and it does have a very good patina.

AEB-L is a sweet sweet steel for customs. Easy to sharpen, fine grain structure and corrosion resistant. It was designed for razors.
 
timbit said:
I live on the West coast of Canada IN a rain forest on the shore line. You can't get much worse than this. I use a O2 blade all the time... and I never have rust problems. Granted, I keep an oily rag with me most of the time to wipe it down, and it does have a very good patina.

AEB-L is a sweet sweet steel for customs. Easy to sharpen, fine grain structure and corrosion resistant. It was designed for razors.
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I was hoping to hear from the Pacific Northwest. I'm glad to hear that it is possible to maintain a carbon blade in that environment. I'm all for a working patina, I just want to avoid the pitting disaster that I experienced.

I wonder why AEB-L isn't more widely used? I only know it as one of the components in my Devin Thomas Damascus Sebenza.
 
What kind of leather is the sheath made from, O1will rust but it shoulden't pit that quickly unless you have some type of chemical reaction
going on with the damp air and the chemicals in the sheath?
 
TwinStick said:
Carbon steel is fine for any environment. Fluid Film is it's friend in wet/corrosive environments. Read about it. Learn about it. http://www.fluid-film.com/
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Thanks, I'll look into that.

MIKE MACINTOSH said:
What kind of leather is the sheath made from, O1will rust but it shoulden't pit that quickly unless you have some type of chemical reaction going on with the damp air and the chemicals in the sheath?
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The sheath was made custom for me by Dan at JRE Industries. Part of the problem was the air was so wet overnight that part of the sheath became very saturated. I doubt I would have had as much of a problem if the knife had been out of the sheath, which is how I plan to store my knife overnight from now on.
 
Well, one easy solution is to hit the blade with some clear spray lacquer. Another is to force a patina on it. I know a lot of folks like to use vinegar but I find the results to be kind of "loose" and easily sloughed off. Smear the blade with a piece of potato or (even better) leave the blade embedded in one overnight. The slower action gives, in my experience, a more durable oxide layer. It'll still be able to rust, but will be much less prone to it.
 
A dark patina is the way to go. I've tried coated blades and they don't work as well. Every scratch through the coating exposes bare steel that will then rust. Patinas seem to hold up better and will darken with wood juices on them IME. An oily rag and kydex will also mitigate the rust as well. I live in OR and don't use any stainless. In fact I flipped a canoe this summer and spent about an hour in the water bailing the canoe out. The whole time my stripped and patina'd Izula was submerged. When I got to land I pulled it out and it had a few flecks on the edge where there was no patina. The rest of the blade looked the same as when I put it on that morning. Another alternative if you want the blade to look fancy is to have the maker do a mirror polish. I have no experience with it personally but have heard that mirror polished blades are less rust prone.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Well, one easy solution is to hit the blade with some clear spray lacquer. Another is to force a patina on it. I know a lot of folks like to use vinegar but I find the results to be kind of "loose" and easily sloughed off. Smear the blade with a piece of potato or (even better) leave the blade embedded in one overnight. The slower action gives, in my experience, a more durable oxide layer. It'll still be able to rust, but will be much less prone to it.
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I've had good luck with apple cider vinegar but then I soak the knives for several hours. Overnight usually.
 
Shotgun said:
Another alternative if you want the blade to look fancy is to have the maker do a mirror polish. I have no experience with it personally but have heard that mirror polished blades are less rust prone.
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Truth. Mirror polishing diminishes surface area, leading to less incidence of rust. Bead blasting has the opposite effect, which is why so many bead blasted stainless knives still rust like crazy. :)
 
Chapstick.

No, I'm not kidding. I live in Maryland, land of the Chesapeake Bay and a salty high humidity atmosphere in summer. In addition, I spend a lot of time on boats from spring through late fall. I carry mostly carbon steel bladed knives, and have had very little rust problems. I wipe down my blades with a dry bandana, and if they get wet, I dry them. If I'm going camping or boating, I rub a little Chapstick on the blades. A very thin film will stay put well, is very moisture resistant, and is non toxic. A tube of Chapstick is small and cheap, goes unnoticed in a pocket or day pack. If your knife has a good patina built up, so much the better.

Remember, stainless steel was not around before the 20th century. Those old sailors and soldiers, crusaders and explorers somehow kept their knives from rusting away. All it takes is a little more care than a stainless blade. I suspect something is going on with the leather your sheath is made from. Dry the sheath out well, and coat the blade well with Chapstick, put the blade in the sheath, and move it around a bit. Try to rub some Chapstick into the leather where it contacts the blade. Some kinds of tanning processes leave more of an acidic property in the leather than other kinds of tanning.
 
I like those Mission Titanium knives. You can store them in battery acid.
 
They used animal fat & animal oil to keep thier blades from rusting. Fluid Film is made from sheeps wool oil. They compress the sheered wool under very high loads & extract the oil. It is called Lanolin---the same thing that is in your wifes/GF make-up. Safe for use around food. You can even use it on/inside your leather sheath/boots. Educate yourself. Fluid Film !!!
 
jackknife said:
Chapstick.

No, I'm not kidding. I live in Maryland, land of the Chesapeake Bay and a salty high humidity atmosphere in summer. In addition, I spend a lot of time on boats from spring through late fall. I carry mostly carbon steel bladed knives, and have had very little rust problems. I wipe down my blades with a dry bandana, and if they get wet, I dry them. If I'm going camping or boating, I rub a little Chapstick on the blades. A very thin film will stay put well, is very moisture resistant, and is non toxic. A tube of Chapstick is small and cheap, goes unnoticed in a pocket or day pack. If your knife has a good patina built up, so much the better.

Remember, stainless steel was not around before the 20th century. Those old sailors and soldiers, crusaders and explorers somehow kept their knives from rusting away. All it takes is a little more care than a stainless blade. I suspect something is going on with the leather your sheath is made from. Dry the sheath out well, and coat the blade well with Chapstick, put the blade in the sheath, and move it around a bit. Try to rub some Chapstick into the leather where it contacts the blade. Some kinds of tanning processes leave more of an acidic property in the leather than other kinds of tanning.
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Butcher's block wax or paraffin wax would be cheaper than chapstick. :D
 
Sounds like you need to force a patina, and keep it out of the leather sheath at night.
I use oranges, apples, and a potatoe. I only use the potatoe for a short period(about an hour) before I use the fruits again.

Then just keep it oiled. Take one of those small marine cloths out with you.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Butcher's block wax or paraffin wax would be cheaper than chapstick. :D
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But nearly as convenient or easy to carry or get anywhere at any roadside stop. Plus the Chapstick can be used to lube stuff like a sticky zipper, or as a fire starter on a piece of cotton, or to sooth that sore nose when you have a cold and have been sneezing and blowing your nose a lot. The Chapstick is a very wide use item. :)
 
With paraffin you could carry a candle, but valid points! The little tubes of petroleum jelly lip balm are nice and convenient too.
 
If you want it shiny at all times go for stainless.
Or have carbon steel and let the patina to form. I am not a fan of forced patina though: do not see the point. Just let it happen over time: very short time if judjing by your story.
Having carbon steel blade and keeping it all clean and shiny is not worth it in my opinion.
 
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