Gerber Gator blade problem

P

papabear

Joined
Dec 24, 2002
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Because I hunt deer in areas where "Chronic Wasting Disease" is a concern, we were told by DNR and butchering experts to soak our cutting tools in a bleach solution for an hour or so to kill the virus. I did this with my Gerber Gator with ATS-34 steel (blade only, of course). The blade came out corroded and pitted on the cutting edge; it is useless now with "notches" and "pits" on the edge. (My Buck Protege with 450 steel came out OK and unharmed, but it won't ever perform as well as the Gerber as far as holding an edge and cutting.) Is this expected? Will Gerber replace blade? Was I an idiot for doing this? This is the only Gerber I ever owned and am not familiar with their customer service or warranty. Thanks for helping this Iowa deer hunter.
 
ATS-34 corrodes fairly easily as far as "stainless" steels go. I have a CRKT blade in ATS-34 which I carried every day for many years, and I would frequently get rust spots on it just from pocket carry. I would not soak any blade in anything for an hour if I could help it. Also, I work in a hospital laboratory, and we are required to sterilize counters, monitors, etc. quite frequently. 30 seconds in diluted (10%) bleach should take care of any virus (it kills Hepatis C, which is a VERY hardy virus). I have a Gerber Gator also, and use it for butchering deer. Where I live, Chronic Wasting Disease is a concern also, but I'm not concerned about it. I just rinse the blade under running water to get the blood off, then just dry it off very well. I've never dealt with Gerber, so I can't comment on their customer service.
 
Thanks folks for the info. I will not soak in bleach in the future, and will clean as you suggest. I will probably send to Gerber, but I believe "notches" rusted out of edge are too deep to regrind or sharpen. I will request blade replacement first.
 
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