finish for 1095 steel?

[Viking69]

I have a 1095 carbon steel knife that originally had an epoxy coating. The coating became very worn after use so I removed it using a spray epoxy remover. I then bead-blasted the knife and used a cold blue solution and steel wool to get a dark look that I am very happy with. However, I just took the knife on a river trip where it was wetted repeatedly for several hours before I had the chance to dry it off. In this short period of time rust formed on the blade. It was easily removed and I have since oiled the blade but I'm wondering what I can do to make the blade more resistant to rust as it is my woods\working knife. Should I polish the blade then apply cold blue? can I create a patina with citric acid? or other? Thanks for any suggestions/recomendations ( I prefer the blued look).

 

[ZOO]

Perhaps tuff cloth or militech might help..

Zoo

 

[rdg]

I know some guys use wax (like for cars I think) on their blued guns. I'll be interested in seeing what ideas come up on this thread 'cause I really like non stainless blades.
Bob

 

[collecter]

Keep the knife oiled and dry it after it gets wet. It needs attention but 1095 is an excellent steel. If it shows a little rust, use some 1200 grit wet snadpaper and it should clean it up.

A lot of people think they need stainless but look at all the non-stanless knives that have been around for so long.

Just use it and keep it lightly oiled!

Collecter

 

[knifetester]

For an outdoor use knife, personally I just use a satin finish and really don't care if it rusts. On a simple steel usally only see surface dust, not pitting like on stainless steels. So it is just cosmetic and not functional.

Wipr the knife down when not it ise with any food grade oil. Use the knife a lot and the edge will not rust unless you are in a pretty harsh climate.

However, after a few months of use a patina will develop that will quite protect your blade. You can accelerate this by dipping the knife in anything acidic, vinegar, lemon juice, stab it into an apple, even a potato. Try adding some lemon juice to mayonaise and spreading it on, leave out overnight then wash with soapy water.

 

[brownshoe]

Most knifemakers say a bead blast surface is worse for rust. It creates a lot of tiny pits for moisture to start oxidation. A brushed finished is better and a polished finish is supposedly best. Carbon steel will develop a patina that will protect the blade. I use a few carbon steel fixed blades for camping. I polished them up good and now all I do is rub them down with mineral. I do wipe the blade off after use, taking care to wipe the edge. After a camping, I clean the blade, dry it good and reapply mineral oil for storage. If you care about your knife's appearance, repeated dunking on a river trip pretty much demands stainless if you want a good looking shiny blade. However, don't forget that even though water won't hurt the carbon steel too bad, long term ducnking can be hard on handle materials and sheaths. Water logged leather sheaths can get loose, drop out knives, plus snaps can rust shut.

 

[Chiro75]

Getting a Concealex sheath made up would help, too. If your sheath gets waterlogged your knife will be a mess, but with Concealex if it's made with screws instead of rivets, you can prop it open a little and dry it out easily.