Dozier Knives

W

Will.223

Joined
Mar 1, 2000
Messages
459
Hi Guys,
I was just looking at pictures of these beauties and the ones I looked at all had D2 steel blades. How "rust resistant" is D2? Kentucky is SO hot in the summer that my pockets are ALWAYS wet. Anything but stainless rusts like crazy in my pockets.

Thanks,
Will
 
Will - Dozier makes some fine stuff. I own several of his knives and love them all. I can understand your concern about the rust because I live in Tennessee and we get almost as much hunidity as y'all do in KY.
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D2 is not stainless BUT I have found that with a coating of just about any good protectant Bob's knives have no problem with rust or staining. Personally what I do is clean the knife and then apply a coating of Renaissance Wax on all exposed metal. I have had almost no trouble at all. The only time that I did see some staining was when I was trimming some Goat Hooves and got blood on my blade. Five minutes later there were some noticable stains but with a little polishing compound (Metal-Glo or Simichrome Polish) and some elbow grease the stains come right off.

Overall, I think what you get in Bob's D2 (amazing Edge Holding, Tough as Nails edge, ease of sharpening) more than make up for D2's slight lack of Stain resistance! You really can't go wrong with one of Bob's knives.


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Green Acres is the Place To Be, Hard Livin is the Life For Me.
 
Will

As far as I know, Bob Dozier uses D-2 exclusively.

I was talking to Bob at the March ECCK Show in NYC and I questioned him about your precise issue.

D-2 is about 11 to 13% chromium so is sort of at the lower level as far as "stainless" steels go. The secret seems to be in the heat treatment which Bob does himself.

He took one of his own folders out of his pocket and told me that he uses it in his kitchen to cut up all sorts of foods that would normally stain like crazy. It was totally free of stains.

Later, during the show, I actually saw him out in the lobby using the same folder to eat a meal he had apparently order in.

Bottom line, it seems to do the job, at least the way he handles the steel.

I am personally getting very close to ordering one of his new folding hunters.

Hope this helps you out.

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Dick

AKTI Member # A001365
 
When I am not carrying it outdoors, mine stays clipped to my seatbelt in my vehicle.
Georgia may even get a little more humid than KY and I know it is more humid than TN (since I grew up there).

Following Hillbillenigma's lead I use Renaissance Wax (butcher's wax works too) and have not had a problem.

I also agree that Bob's D2 knives might just the best (or at least in the top 5 of the best) bargains in custom knives. I know I got much more knife than I paid for for exactly the same reasons Hillbillenigma stated. If you need a good user, I would strongly consider his work. For a hunting knife, you may want to ask him about checkering the micarta for a better purchase on the handle.

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" The real art of living is to keep alive the longing in human beings to become greater versions of themselves." Laurens Van der Post in memory of James Mattis
 
Here in the southern foothills of North Carolina it gets as humid as anyplace already mentioned. The Buckhunter folder I carry has shown no signs of having problems with rust. I wore it the other day cutting grass. Cut grass for 3 hours and was soaking wet from head to toe. Left the knife in my clothes downstairs in the basement until the next day, so the knife was exposed to a wet, humid enviroment for close to 24 hours with no staining on the blade.

That Bukhunter folder is something else!

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Art Sigmon
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"
Php. 4:13

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword"
Heb. 4:12
 
Here in the southern foothills of North Carolina it gets as humid as anyplace already mentioned. The Buckhunter folder I carry has shown no signs of having problems with rust. I wore it the other day cutting grass. Cut grass for 3 hours and was soaking wet from head to toe. Left the knife in my clothes downstairs in the basement until the next day, so the knife was exposed to a wet, humid enviroment for close to 24 hours with no staining on the blade.

That Bukhunter folder is something else!

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Art Sigmon
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"
Php. 4:13

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword"
Heb. 4:12
 
Wow!
Guys! I really apprciate the quick replies! I took advantage of Russell's free sample offer and got some of their "Rust Free". It comes in a little squeeze bottle. The ingridients aren't listed. The only thing that the label says is, "Protects the metal in knives from rust or tarnish while stored". I put some on a non-stainless blade that I have beside me here on the end table (so I can keep an eye on it) and so far, no rust. But, I haven't carried the knife yet since the bottle says "while stored". Has anyone tried this stuff on a non-stainless "carry knife"? I really don't care about some stains on the blade. A dark blade looks good sometimes. The thing is that, with this Kentucky heat, non-stainless blades RUST in my pocket. I hate the look of rust.

Will
 
Using it makes a difference too. I've got a Dozier K-1, just about the nicest generic sort of utility knife you ever want to have. Its become my constant companion around my 2.4 acre homestead (repleat with foul, and livestock) where it does lots of cutting every day.

Because it is going from food to animal or other maintenance chores and back again many times each day, it is being rinsed down with water quite often, and just dropped back in its sheath (which does have a drain hole in the bottom). Its been about a month now of use like this. The knife still has its original edge, and there is no sign of rust or stain.

Now the problem is this... Since I am using the Dozier almost all the time, many other knives now sit in drawers and are hardly used at all, and these include some other really nice users!
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Matthew

Hopefully all your "other" knives are not turning to rust!
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Dick

AKTI Member # A001365
 
Another vote for the Dozier D-2.

I use mine a lot, and living in Israel, and wearing a neck knife - in near 100% humidity climate – with temp reaching 110 F – I think this is the ultimate challenge for rust resistance...it works. Simple as that.

 
Sort of surprised that nobody jumped in here to sing the praises of TufGlide/TufCloth etc. Usually somebody does, but I haven't noticed whether such folk are from "da South" or not. Shoot guys, even northern Illinois, from whence I long ago escaped, frequently was in the area of 98% humidity.

Is there some problem with the Sentry products where its really moist -- not counting certain portions of VG's anatomy?

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Asi es la vida

Bugs
 
I live in humidity and salt air. Tuff-Cloth does work 154CM bead blast, if frequently applied on a user. It does even better on D2. D2 is a great steel, unless you want to spend the extra $ on Talonite.

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Aloha
 
Doziers are simply the best value for a handmade using fix blade. Excellent customer service and great personalities to match.
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Their excellent functioning horizontal kydex sheaths are as easy and convenient to use as a folder from the pocket.

I' ve had no rust problems with any of Bobs blades. I put a generous amount of Flitz polish on them from time to time. It buffs up dry and clean. I' ve found this to the "best" method for me as I do not use them too often on organic substance. Well maybe a good steak or a chocolate cake once in a while!
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Ditto on what Gus G. said. If you are going to order a fix from Bob, at least request for a rough blast finish on the micarta scales. And CHECKERING is definitely the way to go! Polished finish scales when wet are like the proverbial slippery bar of soap.

In the end though you will appreciate a Dozier fix blade. Money well spent.

Nakano
 
I love Dozier's stuff. I own 7 of them.

The prior posts have done a good job of singing the praises, which I echo ... excellent edge holding performance, good designs, and great kydex sheaths for very reasonable prices. Lots of bang divided by buck.

Let's not dance around the issue though. D2 will develop stains and small spots of rust much more readily than any of the following:
420V
440V
440C/B/A
420 anything
AUS-6/8/10
VG-10
ATS-34/154CM
12C27
...and of course Titanium and Talonite/Stellite are more stain resistant than anything listed above them in this post.

D2 isn't truly stainless, but neither is it like A2 or O1 or worse, 1095, 5160, 52100 in terms of propensity to rust. You get the idea. D2 is closer to stainless than it is to a carbon steel.

D2 has a lot of carbon, and the chrome appears to be tied up in carbide form (along with vanadium, which aid edge retention), and there isn't much free chrome left to form chromium oxide which IS the rust-resistant surface film layer of most any stainless steel.

Part of the issue w/ Dozier's knives, quite bluntly, is that his fixed blades are left with a 300-something grit finish on the hollow grinds. This is a bit coarse. This is also a concession to keep prices down. However, it leaves scratches/grooves that are deep enough to trap "stuff" that can slowly but surely induce iron oxide/rust to form. You must clean your Dozier knife after you finish using it on anything wet or acidic or bloody or basic or sappy, etc... and I find that means more than a quick swish under running water, that means hit it with soap & warm water and give it a good bath when you can. Use around saltwater? Bathe it pronto.

I have a 3" Dozier folder that appears to have a 400 something grit hollow grind finish, maybe near 500 grit, and that helps a great deal. I wish he finished all of his blades to 600 grit range, personally.

High performance + moderate price = high value... you just have to take a bit more care than with other knife steels.
 
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