Don't you just HATE rust

A

AG

Banned
Joined
Jan 2, 1999
Messages
185
Hi,

Here is our number one enemy - RUST !!!
Don't you just hate it when you discover rust spots starting to form on your newly bought knife ?!

I have just bought a Spyderco Civilian ATS-55 blade 2 weeks ago, wiped the blade with a cloth sprayed with WD-40 and put it in a nylon bag. Look at it and was amazed to find rust spots starting to form near the openning hole. I just got a Tuf-Cloth sample and I decided this is THE time to use it, rubbed it hard against the spots only to remove their brownish color but they are still visible as small black spot....S#!T

1. What do you recommend to do in order to completely remove it ?

2. Will Tuf-Cloth hold for a lot of time ?

3. DO you have any similar experiences with brand new knives that were never used but mysteriously rust ?

thanks
 
Well, Yoda; rust is a real problem ALL OVER the Degoba System, especially on the 'bog planet' where you live.

First; I will send you my ex-wife's address and you can send her your can of WD-40 <eg>.
Congratulations; you have discovered that rust CAN form under an oil film.

So, you need some thin film coating technology. Which you already have. The Tuf-Cloth will work, and the film will penetrate under the rust and corrosion, and bond with the undamaged metal underneath. Just keep wiping the blade down, rubbing firmly, every day for a while.

If you are left with pits in the metal (which is usually the case with stainless when it corrodes), you have to polish them out. Use wet/dry sandpaper in progressively finer grits. Finish with metal polish, or leave satin.

You may wish to consider the Marine Tuf-Cloth, which has better corrosion protection than the regular version. Both available from Discount Knives; see the links section.

Good luck. Walt PS; here is the Corrosion-X URL; it explains the technology well: http://www.corrosionx.com/
 
Here is a post explaining pitting on stainless steel:

IP:

Clay Kesting
Member posted 11 December 1998 03:43 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have a StiffKISS, AUS6 steel, bead blasted blade which shows rust spots if I wear it next to my skin for a day. OTOH my Wegner Jr, ATS34 has shown no staining despite being used every day, peeled heaps of oranges and received only an occasional wipe down. I couldn't understand why the supposedly more stainless AUS6 was rusting more than the ATS34. Yesterday I was preparing some notes on corrosion for my Engineering Science class and there was the answer.
When a drop of electrolyte (aka sweat) forms over a pit caused by bead-blasting, the centre of the drop contains less oxygen than the rim and this difference is sufficient to cause a difference in electrode potential between the inside and outside of the drop. The result is a micro Galvanic cell, current flows and the metal in the centre of the pit is corroded causing rust to be deposited around the rim of the droplet. The smoother the blade, i.e. satin or mirror finish, the less the problem.

****************
Further, here is the Sentry man himself with some info:

IP:

sentry
Junior Member posted 08 December 1998 10:01 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am new to Blade Forums. Edge Design Knives told me I needed to get involved.My company Sentry Solutions makes the TUF-CLOTHs and also a liquid companion called TUF-GLIDE. TUF-GLIDE may be helpful as it is very effective for ensuring 100% coverage and protection. Another benefit is its lubricating properties for any moving parts. Sentry uses no oils in any of our products so there is nothing to attract and hold dirt etc. For more detailed information check out http://www.sentrysolutions.com/knife_care.htm
Hope this helps,
Mark Mrozek
Sentry Solutions Ltd.
------------------
Mark Mrozek
www.sentrysolutions.com

****************

Hope this helps. Walt
 
Thank you Walt for your detailed explainations. I always felt I will be better served with a Marine Tuf-Cloth and I will buy one soon enough. WD-40 is truely a S#!TY anti-rust material. I have had NO bad experiences using BREAK-FREE CLP but I hate the way it attracts dirt and dust to the blade. I have just used Tuf-Cloth for the first time in my life and I hope it will stand up to everything people say about it.


One question though:

After few blade wipings with the Tuf-Cloth it teared up due to contact with the cutting blade of my knives (you can't be that careful with it) - How do you avoid ruining your tuf-cloths from cutting by the knives they wipe clean ??

 
I refer you to the recent thread on the auto forum examaning this subject in detail.

Titled

RUST... AARRRRRGGGGG

You do raise what I see as two new issues here.

ATS-55 may not hold up as well as ATS-34, it is an attempt to produce a less expensive steel with the same performance properties. Sure. (I think they removed the chromium and something else)

The referenced thread deals with bead blasted and coated bead blasted blades.

The related problem here is holes in the blade, whether opening holes or slots (ventilated blades).

If it's hard to deal with rust on bead blasted blade (it is) it's even harder with holes or ventilated slots. Maybe you can get your finger in an opening hole to polish it or whatever, but what about a ventilated slot? What, a Q-tip maybe?

If bead blasted is bad (it is), then ventilated bead blasted is worse.

------------------
Regards,
Ron Knight

Yeah I'm crazy, but what do you want me to do about it
 
RKnight; you had it almost right. The difference between ATS-34 and ATS-55 is that almost all the molybdenum was removed from ATS-34 to make ATS-55. The chromium content is the same, and it was a money saving move.

Check out this website for the composition of common knife steels:

http://www.spyderco.com/spyderco_products.html#alloy

Hope this helps, Walt
 
Hi,

I noticed after using a tuf-cloth that it leaves a dried ugly stuff, how do you remove it and and will it still protects ?

How long will a tuf-cloth complete wiping session last under normal storage condistions ? I used to re-apply Break-Free CLP to my blades every 2-3 month, how often should I wipe my blades with Tuf-Cloth if all they do is sit in a box all day ????
 
AG; it is difficult to answer your questions about storage, as varying conditions require different techniques.

If it is humid and/or salty where you live, I suggest you use the Marine Tuf Cloth, and store your knives in an air tight container; toss one or more silica gel air dryers (the ones that are small perforated aluminum tins) in the container. Regenerate the air dryers as needed (when the inspection window shows pink granules, place in oven as directed, until they are bright blue).

The haze you see on a metal surface after Tuf-Cloth application is excess protectant from the Tuf-Cloth. Take a dry regular cloth, and wipe the haze off. The blade will still be protected. Again, however, if you live in a humid / salty environment, use the Marine Tuf-Cloth, and put up with the haze; it is worth it to protect your knife.

Remove the Tuf-Cloth protectant with dish washing detergent and water or rubbing alcohol before food preparation. Walt
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top