Hmm, ESEE,carbon steel..help!

L

Lewisite

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Mar 9, 2011
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I have searched through the forums, but some things are little bit blurry for me.

1095 carbon steel is easy to sharpen, holds edge well and rusts quite easily when compared to ss.

I know that carbon steel must be cleaned and lubricated.
How easily 1095 rusts?
Does surfacerust do harm to blade significantly?
Is the problem more cosmetic?

One thing that I have wondered very much is that why some militaryknives are made of carbon steel with coating. In humid enviroments carbon steel rusts easily... Only thing I think why militaryknives are made of carbonsteel is easy to field sharp and when in the field you have guns that need to be cleaned and lubricated so same time you can oil your knife. Am I right or wrong?

Is carbon steel knife more reliable in hard use than ss ?

I know stainless steel blade chips more easily. Every mora I have had in ss, have chipped. Just little mistake and there we go. That annoys me.
I have heard rumors that ESEE will make ss knife, maybe rc-4? Is that true?

I live in Finland and ss-knife would maybe suite with the climate here better. Or that is what I think. On the other hand finnish militaryknife sissipuukko is made of carbon steel. So I'm bit confused :D
 
Just keep it clean and dry, occasional oil if you like, and you'll be fine. A little surface rust on the edge or on the logo is no big deal, and won't affect function of your knife.

1095 is pretty robust and great for hard use.
 
many factors will add up to an edge that chips.
1. heat treat.
2. blade design/geometry.
3. steel used.

what type of knife are you looking for or is this just a general question about carbon steel?
 
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1095 is tougher than most stainless steels. The corrosion is more cosmetic than anything, but if on the cutting edge then it will need more care/sharpening. Honestly I have never had any trouble with rust with any of my 1095 knives. Just make sure you dry them and clean them after use. If you are really concerned about rust due to a high humidity and high salinity environment, Ontario makes a number of knives in 5160. 5160 is a bit tougher than 1095 and doesn't rust as easily. Also, when it rusts it won't pit like 1095 sometimes does.

You can apply oils to 1095 or 5160 knives and many people regularly do. You can find corrosion resistance oil just about everywhere.

Of course, whether you should get a knife in 1095/5160 or a stainless steel all depends on how you plan on using the knife.
 
really minimal effort to protect 1095 from rust. clean/dry after use and put oil on it as soon as you come home from a trip (takes 1 minute max). just make sure the oil you use is food-safe so you can still butter the bread with your junglas ;)
 
A slight "black" patina can form over the edge, or the entire blade on uncoated carbon steel. But, like said even surface specs of rust can be buffed off, or cleaned with vinegar.
If you just ingnor the knife, it might rust, and would take years to eat up the entire knife.
I just cleaned up an Old Hickory that's been in the bed of a pickup, covered, but in a tool box. The rust was pitting the blade, felt like sandpaper on the steel. 20 minutes of vinegar, and it's mostly gone, except for the pitting. Overall, the knife is still strong and sharp.
 
For field use, tool steels like 1075, 1095, and O1 will rust quickly if not cared for....or at least that's been my experience with them. My ESSE 6 seems to follow that trend. Of the tool steels, A2 is probably my favorite. It seems to have much better corrosion resistance than say 1095 and yet retains those properties of durability and ease of sharpening that high carbon steels are known for. Bark River's A2 is amazing. As far as stainless steels go, I only have experience with VG-10 (Fallkniven F1) under "hard use" conditions . It hasn't let me down so far and corrosion is basically non existent.
 
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