Ebay USA 35OT sold as NOS/NIB, but...

M

m1ckDELTA

Joined
Jan 14, 2018
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I'm wondering what these marks mean. I paid twice what a new Chinese stainless steel 8OT would cost so that I could get USA carbon steel. I understand carbon steel can develop a patina but this doesn't strike me as that. Could mold have grown on the blade over the years and left these stains? I'm not experienced enough to truly know.

Seller states, "I've had this knife for almost 20 years now and have never taken it out of the box to use it."


https://flic.kr/s/aHsmcrMGJt

I can't embed images from my Flickr page or upload them from my computer so the above link is the best I can do.
 
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I can see the pics by clicking on the link.
That looks like slight pitting from storage. It looks to be a USA made Old Timer. If it were me I would put a light coat of oil on the blades and throw it in my pocket.
 
Seems to be what is called 'spyderwebs' . AFAIK this are small spots of black rust, which are slightly common on older carbon steel blades. So it can be true, that the seller kept the knife in the box and never took it out. More or less this was the mistake. Carbon steel needs maintenance, that means inspection and a drop of mineral oil on the blades every now and then.
But don´t worry. If you have an eye on the knife in this way, the spots will not increase. Use it and there will be no problem. You can also try to polish the blade, this will minimize the spots, but won´t make them disapear.
 
Yes those are spiderwebs, they are very common on carbon steel knives. The knife certainly looks unused and the edges look factory.

The knife in your picture is a 34ot, not an 8ot.
 
Yes, just rust spots. I would take a Q-tip and some mineral oil and try to rub the rust away. It will leave a mark, but shouldn't corrode any further with the mineral oil on it. A light coating on the whole knife is good prevention.
 
Use a sharpened pencil to 'color' the rust spots till they are smooth, then wipe clean. This wont take off the black patina under the rust, but it will take off the oxide granules. For future reference, Old Timer 8OT knives have an '8OT' stamp on the tang, not a 340T stamp. They are also bigger.
 
Yes, it's a 34OT! And those spots of corrosion are from not oiling/protecting the knife in storage.
 
Thanks for the insight. I'll flag this for changing the title from 8OT to 34OT. I was looking at an 8OT on ebay just before posting this so I still had that knife on my mind. Sorry for any confusion.

I tried the pencil idea but didn't see any difference. Not having any mineral oil at the moment I used some Hoppe's gun oil for now.
 
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1. Email me at I can help you find the 8OT ;) I might, might know a guy...
2. If you want to reduce the spiderweb, you could use some Flitz. Some folks don't like polish applied to a knife, but the Flitz will at least reduce the palpable amount of corrosion. A cotton wheel with some flitz or rouge on a dremel will bring it almost back to silver metal without much risk of damage at all, as that cotton is really soft. If this knife is going to be a user, it won't matter anyway one way or another.
3. Congrats, that's a really nice condition knife. I just sent one of those to black mamba...
 
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black mamba said:
Yes, just rust spots. I would take a Q-tip and some mineral oil and try to rub the rust away. It will leave a mark, but shouldn't corrode any further with the mineral oil on it. A light coating on the whole knife is good prevention.
Click to expand...
Trout Hound said:
Pick up a Super Eraser from the bay and it might rub right out.
Click to expand...
Froglube could also do the job and prevent further spiderwebs. :thumbsup:
 
You may not be able to remove that corrosion without removing blade steel, in my opinion it looks better with the original finish with the spiderwebs than if it were reground and refinished or polished out. However polishing would not fix any pitting that may be present. If there is no active rust I would call it good as is.

To removing active rust without altering the blade finish (which erasers and scotch brite pads alter it) use pencil lead on the rust areas and erase it with a pencil eraser. It works wonderfully, is simple and doesn't alter the original finish any more than it already was with corrosion.
 
Okay, I used the pencil and eraser idea and it made a every so slight difference but, a difference nonetheless. The eraser also removed some of the overall patina so I rubbed the blade down with a little white vinegar, wiped it off, then lightly applied some Hoppe's gun oil to the blade with my finger. I understand an "applied" or naturally occurring patina helps to keep future rust away; along with a drop of oil, of course.

I'll leave it as is and put it in my pocket.

I'm replacing three non-USA made EDCs, 108OT, 34OT (with this one here), and 8OT with USA made carbon versions. I'll keep the stainless steel ones for my car glove box or motorcycle saddlebags, the kitchen catch-all drawer, and by my emergency flashlight (I live where the earth shakes and people speak of "The Big One" that is coming). The I've got two more to go but the 108 might be in my mailbox as I write this.

Traumkommode, you say you "might know a guy"? I'll PM you about said guy.

Thanks everyone for all the replies
 
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