D2, will it rust?

It'll rust if you get it dirty and don't clean it, but it's not going to rust due to air exposure.

I have CPM-D2 on my Leek, and I treat it just like any other steel (well.) I have had no problems with it.
 
I think it would be hard to get it to rust under normal use but most steels even most stainless ones can rust. My bro. got 440c to rust by opening bags of road salt with it one night and not rinsing it off.
 
Just rinsing it with soap and water, drying it and applying a small coat of Rem oil after each use should prevent any rusting.
 
Steel FAQ Sticky said:
D-2
D-2 is sometimes called a "semi-stainless". It has a fairly high
chrome content (12%), but not high enough to classify it as stainless.
It is more stain resistant than the carbon steels mentioned above,
however. It has excellent wear resistance. D-2 is much tougher than
the premium stainless steels like ATS-34, but not as tough as many of
the other non-stainless steels mentioned here. The combination of
great wear resistance, almost-stainlessness, and good toughness make
it a great choice for a number of knife styles. Bob Dozier is one
maker who uses D-2. Benchmade has begun using D-2 in its Axis AFCK.
Click to expand...

Just keep it dry and it should do pretty well. Oil it if you're going to store it in a confined area like a sheath or a box for long periods of time.

As far as I know 12% is pretty high on the chromium levels.
 
It would depend on heat treat and blade finish. The D2 on my Speedform has some faint spots of rust on the beadblasted blade after a few days of use. The D2 on my Dozier Buffalo River Hunter which I smoothed out to a near mirror finish doesn't have so much as a patina after months of food processing use.
 
My Dozier had a couple small rust spots over night after I left some hog blood on it by accident. I cleaned that off pretty easy, and have had no problems since (over 5 years). I don't oil it, just keep it dry, no problem.

So yes, it will rust if you abuse it, otherwise, no problem.
 
If you use it regulary, you won't have problems.
But it's wise to oil it a bit if you plan to store it for some time.

Regards,

Andre Tiba - Brazil
 
I oil my D2 blades...if anything out of habit. It will definitely develop rust if you don't take care of it....but not near as much as other types of steel.
 
It takes a lot of neglect to get it to rust, but it will rust, I know I forgot my D2 BM710 in a pair of wet pants for a couple of days:o. It cleaned up with no pitting or staining though.
Being that giving it a light coat of oil doesn't take much time, why not give it a wipe any time you sharpen it just to make sure. Besides that 5 second to wipe it down with some oil each sharpening will never add up to the time and effort it would take to get rid of rust from neglect.
 
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