How do you maintain your carbon steel EDC?

mnblade

mnblade

Joined
Feb 7, 2000
Messages
6,676
For the time being, I've put my SS Case peanut back in the drawer and have been toting my carbon steel Old Timer 33OT. This knife has a nice patina from use. It just occurred to me that I never have any problems with rust on this pup. I'm a long way from the salt air of an ocean these days, but it was the same when I carried it while living back home in southeast Florida. I don't really do anything special, just wipe the blade dry after use. Every once in awhile I'll rub the blades down with a Miracle Cloth. But I never oil the blades or keep a light coating of oil on them, like you read so often in those "how to care for your knife" tip sheets (though I do drop a tiny bit of oil on the joints every so often).

So what about you guys? How do you maintain your carbon steel carry knives? Do you battle the rust demon?
 
I find that's it's quite simple, the more you use the knife the better the patina stays.If you stop using it and it languishes in a drawer,then the rusting and discolouration can occur. Motto: Use only one knife. Yeah right....
 
I have an EDC similar to your's, an older 34OT in carbon steel. I don't do anything to it besides sharpen occasionally and use.

For years I carried a carbon Opinel, still keep it in my bag. Again, I've never done anything special to prevent rust.
 
Don't oil mine except the pivots. I think carbon steel rusts a lot less than most people think. Although an unpatinated knife will start spotting up if left moist for a short amount of time.
 
I never oiled my carbon knives either. Just a paper match end with a little oil brushed on the inside corner of the tang. I think people over think the carbon steel thing. It won't rust away on you as fast as some think. If you use the knife everyday, it won't rust at all since it's being wiped down once a day. I think thats all thats really needed, just a wipe down with a dry bandana once a day. Maybe at night if it's been damp.
 
It depends on what you do. I own a lawn/landscape company in Memphis. Memphis is the Mississippi delta region and the humidity is staggaring here from June to the end of August. I will be wet to my underwear by 8am. I carry my yellerhandle sodbuster jr everyday and also medium stockman occassionally. I can take them out every hour and there are lots of small droplets of sweat on them. They will have surface rust on them by lunch on the areas with sweat droplets. The parts of the blades that are farther down in the handle will not have this issue, but the exposed parts of the blades will have the surface rust by lunch if I haven't taken them out and wiped them down.

I usually put a light coat of oil on them in the morning when the summer heat is up. This time of year right now, I never oil them and never have any issues.

In an office environment or lower humidity areas I probably wouldn't have any problems, but 95-100 heat with high humdity will get them. Last year I got tired of fighting it, I bought a Case med stockman SS to carry on those days and pulled out one of my Sodbuster jr SS models to carry.
 
I live in SC and the humidity here is also very bad, I have gotten into the habit of wiping my blade off every time I use it for something wet, and I put a light coat of remoil on the blades at night whe I go to bed (it also helps keep them clean). I don't have too many issues with rust, if I carry my knife all day and don't use it, it may get some spots on it, but I try not to let that happen:).
 
After I have used a carbon knife for an ECD and am not using it for a time.

I have a Q-Tip (cotton bud) damp with mineral oil.
I just pass it over the blades.
And put it away
 
Just keep that harmful rust away wether it sits in a drawer or gets used. All of my slip joints use to be carbon steel, and in the summer I sweat a lot(I hate hot weather!) so I started experienceing some bad rust problems! Since then I have retained some favorites and went back to SS and D2 which I prefer not just for less up keep but I like the way they perform.
 
65hoss said:
It depends on what you do. I own a lawn/landscape company in Memphis. Memphis is the Mississippi delta region and the humidity is staggaring here from June to the end of August. I will be wet to my underwear by 8am. I carry my yellerhandle sodbuster jr everyday and also medium stockman occassionally. I can take them out every hour and there are lots of small droplets of sweat on them. They will have surface rust on them by lunch on the areas with sweat droplets. The parts of the blades that are farther down in the handle will not have this issue, but the exposed parts of the blades will have the surface rust by lunch if I haven't taken them out and wiped them down.

I usually put a light coat of oil on them in the morning when the summer heat is up. This time of year right now, I never oil them and never have any issues.

In an office environment or lower humidity areas I probably wouldn't have any problems, but 95-100 heat with high humdity will get them. Last year I got tired of fighting it, I bought a Case med stockman SS to carry on those days and pulled out one of my Sodbuster jr SS models to carry.
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I just bought a Schrade Old Timer New in the original box. When I started working with it, I discovered those crafty buggers had coated the blade with clear lacquer as part of the manufacturing process. And while there were a couple of spots on the springs, the blade was completely pristine. You might try something similar using clear nail polish or other solvent borne lacquer. (Nail polish these days is pretty much clear acryllic lacquer. ) That should protect the exposed parts of the blade when it is in your pocket.
 
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