Going back to 1084

R

Runthemall

Joined
Jan 25, 2012
Messages
66
I like a good SS knife, but I don’t have a way to heat treat them. It’s a hassle sending them out. So, my 8th knife will be a mirror-polished 1084 blade. But....it’s going to be a gift and I’m afraid it’s going to rust if the person isn’t careful with it. It’ll be primarily used for camping. Any advice on how to keep it nice?
 
Coat it with wax and don't use it. Other than that it will patina or if not cared for ..rust. Just the breaks of carbon steel.
 
Exactly what Marc said...Give them instructions on how to care for a Custom Made Knife it's not that difficult for them to protect the investment if you lay out the simple guide lines. It's a Tool and should be used, but simple cleaning and drying are all that's needed.
 
depends on what you mean by keeping nice.

If its just rust your are worried about just make sure they know the difference between carbon and stainless steels. Tell them after the blade gets wet or is exposed to a lot of moisture to wipe it dry, then apply oil. as for what kind or oil its really up to them, whatever is available will do just fine. Olive or canola oil are food safe, available anywhere, and cheap. I personally prefer to use tallow on my carbon blades because it holds onto the steel so well. you don't have to worry about it being brushed or wiped off. there are a few different brands of tallow you can use, I'd recommend any that have some kind of preservative in them (this way the tallow doesn't go bad). Its like petroleum jelly just more thick and less messy.

If you mean more on the lines of keeping the mirror polish fresh then there isn't too much to do about that. The blade will get scratches eventually, but if they are careful with the blade it wont be so bad. one option is to put a very basic mirror polish on the blade, that way if they feel they want to remove any scratches (or want you to do it) its easy to touch up. I'm not an expert on mirror polished blades so I'm not exactly sure about how you would go about this. When I make simple machete's or beater blades for friends and family I bring the blade to 400 grit then hand brush with a fine scotchbrite pad, this makes it really easy to bring back the finish on the blade if any rust forms from not taking care or scratches and whatnot. I'm not sure if that can apply to mirror finishes, maybe finish the blade with a simple paste like mothers mag. That way if the owner wants it cleaned up its not too hard. 1084 isn't extremely abrasions resistant so removing scratches shouldn't be too hard.

Either way as long as you inform the owner dont worry about it too much, they will love your gift and want to take care of it as much as they can.
 
I don't really care for a mirror finish, especially not on carbon steel. I really like an etched finish on working knives, especially if I left a quench line. Still need to take it to a 600 grit finish, but an etched finish gives a nice color and don't patina as bad as a hand rubbed or polished finish. Another option is the mustard patina, here's one I recently did for a custom order. The advantage to a mustard finish is it's already patinaed up and with minimal care won't get any worse. If it does get a minor scratch or wear mark it just adds to the character, and most scratches or wear marks will be covered by new patina. Still need to do a fairly decent finish before hand though, so it's not much of a short cut.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1311.JPG
    IMG_1311.JPG
    346.8 KB · Views: 38
Will52100 said:
I don't really care for a mirror finish, especially not on carbon steel. I really like an etched finish on working knives, especially if I left a quench line. Still need to take it to a 600 grit finish, but an etched finish gives a nice color and don't patina as bad as a hand rubbed or polished finish. Another option is the mustard patina, here's one I recently did for a custom order. The advantage to a mustard finish is it's already patinaed up and with minimal care won't get any worse. If it does get a minor scratch or wear mark it just adds to the character, and most scratches or wear marks will be covered by new patina. Still need to do a fairly decent finish before hand though, so it's not much of a short cut.
Click to expand...

I like a patina as well. Looks good!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top