Cold Steel Natchez Bowie stains

J

Joe118

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Mar 14, 2018
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5
My wife bought me a beautiful Natchez Bowie for my birthday in January. I’m a big pocket knife collector but have never had a large fighting Bowie like this. It came heavily oiled in a kydex sheath. I have taken the knife out a few times and have cut a few water bottles with it, etc. it has remained in the sheath for a month or so. I took it out recently and noticed some serious dark stains that looked like rust. Could it really be rust? I have reached out to Cold Steel and the first thing they asked was did I clean all the oil off and was it humid where I lived. This is a very expensive knife and I would think that neither of these things would cause these hideous stains. Any ideas?
 
Joe118 said:
My wife bought me a beautiful Natchez Bowie for my birthday in January. I’m a big pocket knife collector but have never had a large fighting Bowie like this. It came heavily oiled in a kydex sheath. I have taken the knife out a few times and have cut a few water bottles with it, etc. it has remained in the sheath for a month or so. I took it out recently and noticed some serious dark stains that looked like rust. Could it really be rust? I have reached out to Cold Steel and the first thing they asked was did I clean all the oil off and was it humid where I lived. This is a very expensive knife and I would think that neither of these things would cause these hideous stains. Any ideas?
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With the uncoated carbon steels that the Natchez bowie is made out of, if it went into the sheath without any oil on it or with any rogue moisture on it and sat for a month, there is a possibility that it could be rust; the price of the knife doesn't dictate how rust-proof it is but rather how you care for it.

most rust comes off with some very light abrasive material like a very fine sandpaper, scotchbrite pad, 0000 steel wool, etc., but those materials tend to tarnish whatever polish a blade may have so using them needs some care if looks are a concern.
 
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KingMC said:
With the uncoated carbon steels that the Natchez bowie is made out of, if it went into the sheath without any oil on it or with any rogue moisture on it and sat for a month, there is a possibility that it could be rust; the price of the knife doesn't dictate how rust-proof it is but rather how you care for it.

most rust comes off with some very light abrasive material like a very fine sandpaper, scotchbrite pad, 0000 steel wool, etc., but those materials tend to tarnish whatever polish a blade may have so using them needs some care if looks are a concern.
Click to expand...

Is there a possibility of removing the rust then polishing the blade with some mother’s, etc?
 
Joe118 said:
Is there a possibility of removing the rust then polishing the blade with some mother’s, etc?
Click to expand...

If it is rust (and the picture isn't clear enough to determine one way or another) then you could always use some very very fine sandpaper to re-polish the metal (grit in the 1000s and higher). Depends on what your goal for the knife is, looks or usefulness; I would care about the polish if you're intending to use it a lot, but if it's meant to look pretty then maybe you may want to re-polish it.
 
sure, some fine sandpaper should take care of it. If the sanded spot is brighter than the rest of the blade, you can sand the whole side of the blade if it bothers you too much, then buff it out with mother's.
 
Could be rust, could be also be patina which is just the nature of carbon steel.

Keeping it in the sheath without a light coat of mineral is a no-go though.
 
Thanks for the advise. Just a little disappointing that this knife beautiful stained up this way. If I am just displaying it as a collector, I assume I am supposed to keep it heavily oiled?
 
Joe118 said:
Thanks for the advise. Just a little disappointing that this knife beautiful stained up this way. If I am just displaying it as a collector, I assume I am supposed to keep it heavily oiled?
Click to expand...

If it is enclosed in its sheath its easier for moisture to collect on the blade and cause rust stains, but if you keep it out in the open away from its sheath then oil isn't as important; still doesn't hurt, though, especially if you're not using it on food stuffs.
 
doesn't have to be heavily oiled. Just wipe it with a rag with some oil, leaving a fine film on it.
 
Don't sandpaper or otherwise abrade that finish at this time. There shouldn't be any need and it will make things worse looking. Refinishing without a buffer will not make the knife look like the way it was shipped from the factory as they used a buffer. Hand finishing takes a tremendous amount of time and looks different.

Remove the oil and with a clean soft cloth paste wax the blade. Not only will it remove those stains but it will help prevent them from reoccurring. Just make sure you have the blade clean of any acidic or salty substances before you wax it and this should take care of most of your problems.....for storage without rust. Using it is another matter as the wax that is protecting it can get rubbed off. That large blade might need a couple of coats. I like rennisance wax. Man does it make knives look good!

Joe
 
I suggest getting your next blade in some type of stainless which should help. Try the San Mai steel in that model it shouldn't rust on you but is more expensive also.
 
Birchwood Casey makes a liquid “Blue & Rust Remover” that comes in a small bottle. Try this on the spots before you use sandpaper which will definitely damage / change the original finish of the knife.
 
I used Mothers Mag polish to restore my CS trail master. Use it with a toothbrush, microfiber, ect. Then wipe down with tuffcloth
 
Flitz is your friend!
IIRC, it removes the stains chemically.
Mother's is abrasive. I use Mother's Mag Polish on my strop.

If the Flitz doesn't work, then go to the Mother's MP.
IF they don't work... well... it might be time for scotch bright and elbow grease.
But it shouldn't get that far...
 
I have a couple knives with sheaths, and I never store them in the sheaths. The sheath can absorb and trap moisture, so it's an invitation to rust.

I live in a humid climate (Seattle), so I also keep a couple desiccant packs in my knife chest. A few bucks will buy you a big pile of them, and they seem to do the trick.
 
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