Dealing with rust on Zero Tolerance liners

Joined
Oct 20, 2014
Messages
4
Hey guys,

Just registered after being a regular visitor for a few months now. I just got into buying\using knives and I need your help\recommendations on a problem I'm having with Zero Tolerance knives.

So far I've got a ZT 0566, a 0550 and, just last week a stonewashed 0350. I like their design collaborations with Rick Hinderer and Ken Onion, but on every single one of these knives I've encountered issues with rust developing on the liners basically 30 minutes after handling them. Also had a 0560 that also developed the "rust-in-liners" thing. Unfortunately (for me) I have the dreaded bad body chemistry thing (insta-rust touch) and, coupled with where I live (Puerto Rico, with 80-90 degree weather and high humidity all year long), I keep having rust issues with these particular knives.

I also have a Benchmade 581 Barrage with steel liners, but I don't have problems with rust on that knife because the liners are polished to a higher degree than ZT liners. So I took to constantly coating the ZT knives with Marine Tuf-Cloth, but the coating is lost when placed in the pocket due to friction while moving, etc. I disassembled, lightly sanded, painted black and then enamel clear-coated the liners on all these knives (taking care to mask lock faces, ball detents, torsion bar area and phosphor bronze washers contact areas), and while it definitely looked nice, the wear resistance on this combination is not very good.

The finish has scratched just by contact with a titanium ring I use to place my keys, or just by regular use of the knives and placing\removing in pockets. So, I'm debating between removing the paint-enamel coat combo, resanding and polishing the liners to a degree similar to the 581 Barrage liners or sending them in to a service to do the work. I've found several sites that offer Cerakote-Duracoat-polishing services, but I'd appreciate a recommendation on a reputable vendor(s) that accept shipments from Puerto Rico.

Had the same rust issue with a Benchmade 810-1401 M390 Contego... sent it to Benchmade and requested if they could fit the liners and spacers from a regular 810 M4 black Contego, but they respectfully declined stating they don't swap out pieces from different SKUs. They did replace the liners and spacer with new ones, but I found rust as soon as I opened the box, even without first touching it... : )

Basically, I'd like the liners to end up like the black liners from a Spyderco Manix 2 XL (the all-black version), or the all-black Tenacious. I've put those two through the wringer and the finishes on the liners don't show any wear at all. Also, have any of you guys had experience with Zero Tolerance actually doing this type of work if a paid a fee?

Anyway, thanks for reading (if you guys have made it this far) and I'd appreciate any help\pointers\recommendations.

(For those interested, besides the knives listed above, I also use a Cold Steel Code 4 tanto, Kershaw Cryo and Cryo II and a Spyderco ParaMilitary 2 digital camo with satin blade)
 
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Well titanium doesn't rust like steel, so if you're seeing red/orange/brown spots, it's not the titanium oxidizing. Oxidized titanium doesn't look the same as rusty steel.

I think you're fooling yourself.
 
Thanks for the reply; I see now I should have been more specific with the location of the rust. On the 0550 and 0560 the rust appeared on the G10 liner side, not the titanium side. On those models, the G10 side liner is regular stainless steel, not titanium.

On the 0350, a liner lock model, both liners are stainless steel, not titanium. The only models I've had experience with that have G10 side titanium liners are the 0561 and the 0301, besides the full Ti model like the 0800 series.
 
You can have the liner finished with Cerakote. It's a really durable coating. I had surface rust on one of my waterfowl hunting shotgun's barrel. I had it coated around 3 years ago and it still looks like new after constant use and exposure to salt water, etc.
 
Thanks for the reply sir! Did you do the Cerakote yourself or did you send it to a local shop or online vendor? If sent to someone, could you provide the URL?
 
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I sent out my barrels and knife parts to 4Bush Weapons Refinishing.
 
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