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CPM-CRUWEAR Military issues, need help

E

evosbu1

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Feb 20, 2014
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93
Hello all,

I've been an owner of a Manix xl for about a year now, was impressed with by the knife and wanted a military to boot. I'm a complete novice when it comes to knives. I began getting interested in the differences between steels when I noticed that my Manix's S30V has retained a good working edge since I bought it last march and hasn't rusted despite never once being cleaned. I work in an acid plant in BR Louisiana.

I was sad to learn that the CTS-XHP Millie is available only at absurd prices and so bought a CRUWEAR Grey Millie before they too disappeared.

I am aware the CRUWEAR is semi-stainless and needs TLC. The knife came in today. I put some lubricant, rust resisting oil on the blade and these spots immediately came out. What are they and how can they be removed?

http://postimg.org/gallery/8kenjsb4/

This should work
 
The pic links don't work. Better to use an actual photo hosting site like Photobucket for example.
 
Okay those work now. Hard to tell by the pictures but definitely doesn't look like any kind of issue. Do you have any metal polish such as flitz or maas?
 
Thanks...

I don't know what flitz or maas are and so don't currently have them. I was really worried that the CRUWEAR had already begun oxidizing.
 
I don't have any first hand experience, but I hear that Cruwear will stain if you look at it funny. Not what I would consider a semi stainless. But I dig non-stainless so it wouldn't bother me.
 
I would buy a small bottle of Breakfree CLP (Cleans-Lubricates-Protects) from local gun store and give all your knives a good cleaning. It is not expensive and is readily available. A small amount is all you need.

I always lube my guns and knives when new and after any hard use or exposure to elements that could cause oxidation or corrosion.

http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html
 
I don't think it's a problem either. Looks like some film of some sort is on the blade, but it doesn't look like oxidation. Cruwear is supposed to be more stainless than D2, and people with more knowledge than me say it would be more prone to pits than patina.

Flitz and Nevr Dull are very mild polishers. Or even toothpaste could bring it back to bare metal surface, and then add your protective coating. I've used Nevr Dull and then Tuff Glide on my user Cruwear and it still looks like a nice shinny piece of steel.
 
CRUWEAR is fairly corrosion resistant. It's Chromium content is not quite up to D2, but it does not oxidize like Super Blue, O1, or 1095 for example. It will not rust if you look at it funny, in fact you probably would not see rust or oxidation at all. It is said (from reliable sources) that it will pit, not oxidize. I bought a Tuff Cloth when I bought my CRUWEAR Military and wipe it every now and then. No problems at all.

I am not sure what is going on with your knife. I would wash it with soap and water and dry it thoroughly first then try the toothpaste or get some Flitz.
 
Thanks to everyone for the feedback.

I bought some Eezox for daily maintenance. Just to be safe, I'm going to go ahead and wash the knife, apply the Toothpaste, remove the toothpaste and then reapply the current lubricant/rest-removing oil.
 
Polish it up and then apply a protective lube and you should be good to go....I apply Froglube(foodsafe) about once a month and mine looks like stainless.I have read threads where flitz worked for the staining/corrosion for others that had similar issues with the Cruwear Mili .Let us know how the toothpaste works out for you..
 
I seem to remember reading recently that those stains may be just leftover lubricant from assembly at the factory (a type of dry lubricant). Someone remarked that Windex took them off. I am not sure how the ammonia in Windex would react with the Cruwear,so be careful if you try it.

Tom
 
I am happy to report that a certain type of Crest toothpaste indeed removed most of the 'spots' on the blade. I washed the blade wish soap, rinsed and blow-dried the blade. I then did the same with the toothpaste and reapplied the rust-resistant oil.

There is still a little of the stuff near the handle, right along the lettering on the blade near the choil, which makes sense because I didn't rub as hard there. Since the toothpaste removed it so easily, I'm just going to wait until tomorrow to remove the rest.

My i-pad is recharging right now, so I'll post some pictures tomorrow.
 
I was hoping it would be some kind of factory lubricant, but the thing is that those spots were not visible before I applied the oil.

The oil I used is called '3-in-one' multi-purpose oil. It supposedly penetrates rust, lubricates and cleans generally. Good for rusty locks, hinges, tools, bicycles, steel in general apparently. Contains petroleum distillates.
 
3-in-1 is a good light oil but it will gum up over time, unlike synthetic lubes like Breakfree CLP or EEzox which provide not only protection, but cleaning and lubrication without ever gumming up (sort of like Mobile 1 engine oil compared to a 100% percent petroleum motor oil).

I hear lots of good things about EEzox and Frog Lube also but never tried it.

I would be very careful about rubbing any abrasive on the blades/knives as you might cause more scratching and corrosion.

I started using Breakfree CLP (the military version) back in the 1960's on my M16 rifle. I have used it ever since on expensive competition shotguns and my HK USP pistols and all my collectible knives, some of which have been stored for many years in ziplock bags without any corrosion issues.

I'm trying to help by giving my two cents of what has worked for me. I think the Breakfree stuff might help you with your expensive knives and tools, etc. It is one of those products that really does do what it claims to do.
 
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Cruwear is definitely not stainless or semi stainless. It needs taking care of to not rust. There are several ways to take care of what looks to be mild discoloration. One to consider is to clean and dry the blade with alcohol. Apply a high quality paste wax like "rennisance wax" or "renn wax" as we call it here. Rub it on with a clean, soft cloth. It will micropolish the steel and remove the surface oxidation if it isn't too bad. It will then seal the steel and help prevent, or slow down oxidizing. If it doesn't remove the problem and make it look new again than it's time for something like Flitz. Good luck
 
The Mastiff said:
Cruwear is definitely not stainless or semi stainless. It needs taking care of to not rust. There are several ways to take care of what looks to be mild discoloration. One to consider is to clean and dry the blade with alcohol. Apply a high quality paste wax like "rennisance wax" or "renn wax" as we call it here. Rub it on with a clean, soft cloth. It will micropolish the steel and remove the surface oxidation if it isn't too bad. It will then seal the steel and help prevent, or slow down oxidizing. If it doesn't remove the problem and make it look new again than it's time for something like Flitz. Good luck
Click to expand...

I have read about Renn Wax but have never used it. How do you get in into the guts of the knife for protection? It would seem to me you would have to disassemble the knife and treat each part individually.

CPM-Cru-wear is 7.5% Chrome, stainless is usually a minimum of 10.5%. It is somewhat corrosion resistant but still would need attention like any tool steel would.

http://crucibleservice.com/eselector/prodbyapp/tooldie/cruweart.html
 
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I have read about Renn Wax but have never used it. How do you get in into the guts of the knife for protection? It would seem to me you would have to disassemble the knife and treat each part individually
Click to expand...

I don't wax the internals. I only use it on the blade to

1) polish the steel very, very mildly

2) wax and seal the cleaned, and dried blades before storing them for a few weeks. Longer with periodic inspections.

When I buy a knife I always treat it with tuff glide and similar products which help the steel resist rust to an extent. I insure not to get acidic or corrosive stuff in areas I can't clean them out of too, which helps. Nothing is perfect and everything takes work, and follow up.

CPM-Cru-wear is 7.5% Chrome, stainless is usually a minimum of 10.5%. It is somewhat corrosion resistant but still would need attention like any tool steel would.
Click to expand...

The amount of Chrome in the composition isn't what determines how stainless a particular steel is. It's the "free chrome" that isn't locked up in carbides etc. Carbon content, and heat treat are two of the things that help determine this. This is also one of the reasons that the same batch of steel cut into two matching pieces can have different levels of corrosion resistance, toughness, wear resistance, etc. The heat treat info gives you recommendations for max wear resistance, etc and recommends temps and times, and tempers. Check out some Data sheets. http://www.nsm-ny.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.display&page_id=35
 
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