Damascus Care & Protection

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sam45colt

Joined
Jun 12, 2004
Messages
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:confused: I've started collecting a few Damascus knives and was wondering what the best treatments were for working knives and display knives? I have both skinners and display knives now and would like to know what best is suited for each use. Thanks
 
spyken said:
btw, is break-free food safe?
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That's a good point.
I went to their website to see if it's food safe and it says it has low toxicity. However, I'm not sure.
I've been using it for years on my knives and have never gotten sick but that doesn't prove anything with respect to food safe.

I would play it safe and assume it is not.
 
Trace Rinaldi recommended MD Labs XF7 to me, but I don't think it's food safe. A lot of guys use mineral oil to coat their blades, very inexpensive.

Camelia oil is used for japanese swords.
 
Some good info here. Next time I get my damascus blade, I will put the advice to good use. :)
 
Marine Tuff Glide. Dries without an oily feel. I use it on guns and knife blades also pivot areas of folders. It's not food grade.
Scott
 
Any wax, such as ren wax or tuff glide will wear off. The same thing can be said about oil. In my exprerience, for a using knife, the waxes wear off too soon and in a spotty manner.

Mineral oil is dirt cheap and seems to last longer for me on using knives. It's easy to apply and safe to eat. Carbon steel, whether damscus or not, will develop a grey coloring, or patina, which helps protect the steel. In my experience with mineral oil, this patina develops, lasts and doesn't move to rust very easily.
 
I've always wondered how mineral oil is derived... is it plant based? if it's petroleum based, can it be food-safe?
 
I've started using parafin on my carbon blades myself. It doesn't rub off nearly as easily as oils or grease, and it doesn't stain leather and wood like oils do. The nice thing is even if some wears off a portion of the blade, you can use your finger to smear it around again for full coverage. Since it's used to seal jars of canned food, I'm betting it's pretty safe. Damascus should work even better in this regard, since the oil/wax/grease doesn't get wiped out from the valleys as easily, and you can just rub the blade to spread it over the surface again. edit: I should mention that's what I do with my using blades, but it's very thick and will obscure the finish on a nice dispay knife. Any oils or grease will hide a good polish, but my old roommate used to use one of those silicone impregnated rags on his shotguns, and I swear it made them look brand new again. Doesn't seem to leave much of a residue behind, so ya don't even need to wipe the blade clean in order to study the polish.


As a side note, kudos for using your damascus blades. Some people get worried about messing them up, but I personally think they age/wear much more gracefully than plain carbon steels. The pattern hides scuffs and minor scratches in the finish, and they already have that dark patina to start with, so ya don't have to worry about stains. While cutting, the ridges in the pattern get worn smoother & brighter, while the valleys collect gunk and oxidize quicker (once you've used it enough to wipe out all of the protective coating)- which only creates more contrast and beauty in the pattern.
 
Pure Carnuba wax is the hardest wax there is and is food safe. It is extracted from the leaves of Carnuba palm trees in Brazil. It works well on both wood and steel.
 
For display, Renaissance Wax. It's what every major museum in the world uses.

Ren Wax is also good for longer-term storage. For example, if you have a knife that you use only for hunting, Ren Wax it at the end of the season and it'll be just fine 'till next year.

Ren Wax can be removed, by the way, with Windex (weak Ammonia solution) if you're then worried about food preparation. But, don't be. Wax is a common food additive, especially in candies. The tiny amount of wax that might get from a blade into your food will be entirely tasteless and harmless.

For a day-to-day working knife, just keep 'em clean and dry.
 
what is used to oil those carbon steel japanese kitchen knives? maybe you could check with Fred of Knifeoutlet (over at KFC)? I figure that should work for damascus which will see food prep action....
 
I only have a few damascus blades, one for carry, and they've all held up to rust a lot better than my carbon steel blades! O1 seems to be the worst culprit :)
 
Believe it or not XF-7 is actually edible... It may effect the taste of your food, but it wont make you sick.. Mineral oil would probably be best for something you want to cook dinner with...
 
Mineral oil is probably the best for food use knives, but be careful not to ingest to much as it is an intestinal lubricant :D
Scott
 
I believe Mineral oil is a petroleum product of relatively high purity. It's been used as a laxative and stool softener for over 100 years.

Not every museum uses Ren Wax. The American Military Edge Weapons Museum in Intercourse PA uses Butcher's Bowling Alley Wax. He's got hundreds of knives and swords with no rust.
 
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