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carbon steel question
- Thread starter steampunk
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2009
- Messages
- 2,696
there's nothing magic about preventing rust. as long as it creates a protective layer over the steel keeping moisture/salts/acids from interacting with the steel it should work. some things stay on the blade a little better than others, but I can't speak on that.
when I first got carbon steel blades I had read so much on the forums and I was too paranoid to leave home without oil or something on the blade. then I found out if I actually use the knife, the stuff usually gets scraped or wiped off anyways. worse yet, if you cut up some cardboard, leaving some bare patches, then cut something wet, chances are you'll get that moisture locked under the oil where it can't evaporate. so if you had a bare blade this moisture might be gone before it can rust, but with an oiled blade it can sit and sit and rust... so basically you needed to take just as much time throughout your day (a few seconds) to keep it clean, whether you treated the blade or not.
now I never use anything on my blades, and I get no rust problems. wipe it off on your jeans after you use it and you should be good. if you are in a rally humid area you might look into the new tech stuff everyone uses which apparently stays on the blade better, I forget the name and have never had a need for it.
when I first got carbon steel blades I had read so much on the forums and I was too paranoid to leave home without oil or something on the blade. then I found out if I actually use the knife, the stuff usually gets scraped or wiped off anyways. worse yet, if you cut up some cardboard, leaving some bare patches, then cut something wet, chances are you'll get that moisture locked under the oil where it can't evaporate. so if you had a bare blade this moisture might be gone before it can rust, but with an oiled blade it can sit and sit and rust... so basically you needed to take just as much time throughout your day (a few seconds) to keep it clean, whether you treated the blade or not.
now I never use anything on my blades, and I get no rust problems. wipe it off on your jeans after you use it and you should be good. if you are in a rally humid area you might look into the new tech stuff everyone uses which apparently stays on the blade better, I forget the name and have never had a need for it.
