CPM154 blade got some rust?!

Steel130

Steel130

Joined
Sep 17, 2010
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So last night I rinsed off my CPM154 fixed blade and the sheath. I must not have got out all the water from the sheath so when I pulled the knife out this morning it had a few speckles of rust. I thought CPM154 was stainless? I had a VG-10 blade rust as well so what gives?
thanks
Steel
 
Stainless is as it say's stain-less. CPM--154 has the following:
CPM 154 CM
Carbon 1.05%
Chromium 14.00%
Molybdenum 4.00%

Carbon will rust but its needed in this steel to harden the blade.
 
I usually find minor surface discoloration after doing food prep with 154CM/ATS34 steels and their powder variants. Usually I leave a blade that's just been washed to air dry a bit after wiping it down, then I tuf-cloth it and put it in the sheath.
 
CPM 154 has a lot of carbon, and to be fair, leaving water on the blade overnight isn't exactly a walk in the park for most steels. I suspect that would be even more harsh than cutting food, wiping the blade on my shirt, and not cleaning it for a day:thumbup:. Wipe your blade dry, and give anything that might have water trapped inside a good shake. I typically give my folders a good shake to get water out of the pivot after I wash the blade.

Only stainless steels with 3-4% vanadium have decent enough corrosion resistance for my abusive uses. The vanadium frees the chromium to form an oxide layer on the steel surface.
 
I've had the same occur on a blade of ATS-34. It had a bead blast finish. It really helps if the blade is polished and a point higher chrome with its ability to resist stain. DM
 
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