How To Protect Uncoated Steel?

[Gundog JYD#138]

Looking for food safe recommendations for protecting naked Busse Kin blades from patina & corrosion. I’ve heard of bees wax as a solution but I thought I’d hear from the brain trust here before I do anything.

 

[bellyfulls]

Vaseline/petroleum jelly

 

[snwbrdr202]

Mineral oil has always worked very well in my experience. Inexpensive, no need to even wipe off the extra oil before slicing food, and solid corrosion/patina protection

 

[Gravelface]

Go with Elmax. It’s the easiest most sure way. Otherwise they’ll stain / rust etc.

 

[lmcq784]

Always liked a good quality mineral oil. Food safe. Won’t go rancid as easily as other cooking oils.

 

[lmcq784]

Or you could force a patina on it. That’ll help too.

 

[Zulus]

Any or all available oil will work !
Even used engine oil :^D
Just try not to lick it every time you got knife in hands
Wipe on your (or somebody) shirt or dress first ...

 

[bellyfulls]

Go with Elmax. It’s the easiest most sure way. Otherwise they’ll stain / rust etc.

I like them all dirty looking

 

[Andy the Aussie]

Mineral oil has always very well in my experience. Inexpensive, no need to even wipe off the extra oil before slicing food, and solid corrosion/patina protection

..... this. I bought a new shaving brush and keep it in a bag with mineral oil soaked in the bristles. That way it doe snot dry out at all and then is good for many brush downs before needing more oil.

 

[helobite]

For a knife that will sit in a sheath, clear spray paint. It works surprisingly well in protecting carbon steel, but you still have to check to see if there is under surface corrosion. For outside cutting tools, black spray paint. Use tool, rinse dirt off, wipe dry. Then black spray paint over last paint layer. Works great.

Storage in a leather sheath will not protect a carbon steel blade from corrosion, and I guarantee, will instead, rust the heck out of the blade. An oily blade in a plastic sheath actually does well.

If you want the carbon steel to be instantly useable and pretty, an oily surface is about it. Won't last long, and oil without oxygen blocker additives is not a n effective nor long term rust preventative. I have sprayed blades with various oils, and coated with Cosomoline grease, and wrapped the blade in wax paper or Saran Wrap. I uncorked a sword that was coated in cosomoline and wrapped in wax paper, a decade later, and the grease was still pliable and the surface un rusted.

 

[Gundog JYD#138]

Go with Elmax. It’s the easiest most sure way. Otherwise they’ll stain / rust etc.

My kitchen knives are SYKCO elmax and I even put em in the dish washer they don’t stain!

 

[Gundog JYD#138]

I’m not looking to paint, or patina or change the color of the satin blades but thanks for the ideas! Sounds like I need to grab some mineral oil.

 

[Don't drop it.]

I use Coconut oil, smells great unlike mineral oil. Does not go rancid and is food grade and not expensive.

 

[INFIBlackhole]

Tuf-Cloth, but if you’re going to use your blades for food often, straight mineral oil would be better.

 

[ferider]

This is what I use:

Cheap, effective and food safe. Note that Infi is quite corrosion resistant if you keep your blades clean and dry for storage.

Used to use frog lube, it's just a pain to clean after a while.

 

[Jaxx]

My kitchen knives are SYKCO elmax and I even put em in the dish washer they don’t stain!

I use 2 Busse knives for KP, both INFI, and they've both been through the dishwasher several times. So far, no corrosion, no stains.
Nuclear Muskrat & Cultellus

 

[Gravelface]

My kitchen knives are SYKCO elmax and I even put em in the dish washer they don’t stain!

The big(ger) one is SR77, it’s developed a nice protective patina. I don’t recall the middle one’s steel but it’s rusted, corroded the worst by far. But that elmax looks as good as the day I got it....minus scratches. They all cut like a scolded woman’s tongue, even if they look like pretty rough.

But all of them over the years have been in and out the dishwasher, hand washed, put away wet, neglected by children ...... and possibly me....

I’m sure there’s some folks that will go through the extra effort of maintaining kitchen knives, but that’s not me. So if I wanted some knives that didn’t develop “character”, then go for elmax (in keeping with the OPs busse kin statement) or Infi and you won’t have to worry about oiling blades or spray painting (???) them.

 

[David Brown]

Are you looking to keep your knives nice and new looking ?

Or are you worried about consuming rust ?

Jeff Randall wrote an article in Blade magazine or Tactical Knives many many years ago about the food prep knives in South America
All of them had rust on them.
wet environment and using them as the tools they are they were not kept as rust free as you would think.
I wish I could find the article

I did find this though on the toxicity of rust (there is none)

https://azrust.com/rust-consumption/

As far as keeping INFI from Rusting, I have had some naked info in kydex sheaths for over a decade and no problems.
My NICK that has been through the dishwasher a few times still looks great

 

[tinfoil hat timmy]

Bah. Let it rock and roll naked.

The bar fights leave wicked scars that chicks dig brother.

Have you never seen Roadhouse? (1989 starring Patrick Swayze and Sam Elliot)

 

[FAL'ER]

Olive oil, coconut oil.