Carbon steel.... what are we to do!

tarmix101

tarmix101

Joined
Jun 14, 2005
Messages
2,962
I'm not one to complain about carbon steels..... so I won't;) Memorial day weekend, after some grave site visits on Sunday morning my Brother In-Law and I moved all the heavy furniture out of my Aunt and Uncles house.

Both my Aunt and Uncle have some health problems, and can't do any heavy lifting. Adrian (my Bro In-Law) and I decided we were going to get EVERYTHING heavy into the U Haul on Sunday and unloaded that afternoon/night.

It was HOT. Sunday here in the N.W. was 90 degrees.... and I can tell ya... I was a sweaty mess. And my semi new Soddie was in pocket at the time.

Well the C.V. Soddie took on a little rust. There are so may threads about rust in general stating "BUT WHAT IF MY BLADE RUSTS, WHAT DO I DO THEN!!!!!!". Well a few passes along 1200 grit sandpaper did the trick.

I love my soddie. A little rust is no problem. This might be better suited in general for those that can't get past a carbon blade..... but I like it here better;) :D :cool:

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On a true working knife, where you don't care about scratches (or patina), etc, it's amazing what a steel wool soap pad (SOS, Brillo) will do. It's almost like, well, an abrasive or something... :D

-- Sam
 
ParaGlock said:
On a true working knife, where you don't care about scratches (or patina), -- Sam
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Sam.... your right on the button there my friend.:cool: The knife takes an edge (quickly I might add) like few I have carried. Rust......... no problem.;) :cool:
 
On the carbon steel knives that go in harm's way I've found a vinegar patina to work quite well. Easy to apply, adds character, isn't as dark as bluing.
 
I just gave my CV mini-copperlock the 1200 grit treatment last night. Evidently it didn't like the climate too much on my recent business trip to Florida. Good as new now, and will probably take on a natural patina faster since I've roughed up the blade finish a little.
 
I buy those scotch brite pads for doing the dishes. They work great for making a satin finish and freshening up a blade that starts to rust when you don't want it to.
 
Just dont be too careless, CV has a propensity to pit as well as stain easily, still I wouldn't leave home without one ;)
 
I am also a fan of scotch Brite. As mentioned it strips off mild rust fast, and puts the blade to a satin finish. It also seems to help with patina formation afterwards. fine steel wool 000 or 0000 with cutting fluid or mineral oil to float the fines also works very well. Joe
 
tarmix101 said:
I love my soddie. A little rust is no problem.

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Man, you scared me with that thread title! I thought this was going to be one of those :eek: "Eeek! Specks of icky corrosion have formed on my precious knife bwade!" threads. :jerkit:

You're so right, though. Rust happens. Knock it off with a brillo pad (or thumbnail) and go on.
 
I basically treat carbon steel in one of two ways:

For utility or work blades (won't be used for food prep) - I treat with a cleaner/degreaser (Gunk-Out) and a corrosion inhibitor (WD-40 or gun stock wax).

For food use - I degrease with rubbing alcohol and oil with light mineral or veg. oil.

For getting surface rust spots off of a blade I've found that those green scotch-brite pads (for dishwashing) work very well if you use them with the oil or WD-40 followed by a degreasing and re-oiling. You can also go from the scotch brite straight back to a mirror polish by buffing with a white or pink compound. I've found that a lot of people forget to degrease and clean before oiling. A little bit of maintenance goes a long way - especially on a carbon-steel blade.

Have a good one,
Nathan
 
mnblade said:
Man, you scared me with that thread title! I thought this was going to be one of those :eek: "Eeek! Specks of icky corrosion have formed on my precious knife bwade!" threads.
Click to expand...

I new you guys would get my lame sense of humor;) :D
 
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