JKM-1, two, three, four

Mine *is* differentially hardened...no problem filing the spine at all while the edge is good and hard (upper 50's) according to my file-o-meter.

It would, however, take to salt water like a pickle. I am certaint here would be a generous fuzzing after one nights stay in sea mist.

It's take attention to care to stop it. Don't know about modern protective measures as I don't live near the sea and my dive knives are stainless.
 
Yep, this 5160 steel is a rust magnet. I have to take special care of the khuks and little HI knives that i leave here at the store or the chlorine in the air will rust them like crazy. Drives me nuts. I've tried etching, waxing, etc. They still rust up a bit. Never Dull is my friend.

Jake
 
Harrumph. Pain in the neck, that - I'd thought I'd found a way to tie together my HI and my sailing interests. Otherwise, I'd think that the JKM-1 would be a dandy rigging knife "kit," with just a bit of modification needed.

Oh well.
 
TomFetter said:
Harrumph. Pain in the neck, that - I'd thought I'd found a way to tie together my HI and my sailing interests. Otherwise, I'd think that the JKM-1 would be a dandy rigging knife "kit," with just a bit of modification needed.

Oh well.
Click to expand...

Am learning how to sail.............. :o
 
Sailing ... another addictive passtime. Come visit us at the forums at www.woodenboat.com, and develop another virus that's every bit as pernicious as the one you get here. :D

Folks interested in real (wooden) boats and folks interested in real (hand forged) knives have a lot in common, in terms of their personality and tastes.
 
Ya know, Tom, Tuff Cloth might work OK for you. If you wipe the blade down every day after you're done and maybe coat it with a little 3n1 oil. If it were up to me, if i had to decide between a bullet proof knife and a little bit of rust...i'd take the knife and deal with the rust. Besides, JKMs pop up all the time for about 39 bucks with a fancy handle. They are worth TWICE that. I'd snag one and give it a shot. Heck, you could always keep the blade greased up and stashed away for an emergy on board for that price;)

Jake
 
It shall be the sea....the wind and you only...............

sort of like you........the khuk........and the woods............
 
Wonder how the old time sailors kept their blades from rusting up. Must have taken fastidious maintenance, and generous application of some sort of oil/grease, but what?

Sarge
 
I'll bet the sailors of old used whale oil. From what I understand, it is a great high grade oil, part of why whaling was going on at all.
 
You have a point, Steely. And sailors used carbon steel knives for centuries ... so a bit of rust could be seen as being "traditional." :D

In traditional wooden boatbuilding circles, a lot of store is put in a mixture of linseed oil, turps, beeswax, and a dash of pine tar, applied hot. Used it to waterproof everything from galvanized steel shrouds, to woodwork that wasn't painted. It was also the traditional way to make oilskin rain gear - the original "breathable." I was planning to do the handle with this "boat slush" anyway - saves using a different finish on everything. But rubbing a bit onto the blade wouldn't hurt anything ...

BTW, that mixture is still the hardest-wearing way to waterproof leather boots, and I know folks who work in the logging industry who waterproof their work overalls with it. Makes the cloth heavy, but windproof, waterproof, and nearly bulletproof.

The other "traditional" answer was anhydrous lanolin - grease from sheeps wool. But neither option seems like it would make my sandwiches taste any better, if I used them on my sailing EDC!
 
Steel that's used every day, even at table, would not be a maintanence problem. Gotta figure they had one blade each and used it for everything, slept next to it at night.



munk
 
Could be Bob,
But when I watch a movie like "Master and Commander", what with all the knives, swords, muskets, cannon, and such, it strikes me that the battle against rust must have been truly arduous and time consuming. Be interesting to know if they came up with any special tricks/techniques/compounds back then.

Sarge
 
Dunno about the weapons, but most everything else that was iron was painted, or mopped with hot boat slush, heavy on the Stockholm pine tar.

Steel shrouds would be "wormed, parcelled, and served" first. That is, a bit of rope was unlaid, and the string put between the strands of the wire rope shroud, till it was completely round. Then a piece of tarred canvas was wrapped 'round the shroud, then the whole thing was wrapped in tarred string ("marline"). Then boat slush over the top, twice/year. The linseed oil and tar merged with the hemp string into a primitive form of linoleum, and kept out the water. Shrouds treated this way can be good for 50 years or more, so long as the maintenance is kept up.

But I expect that the weapons mostly got wiped down with anhydrous lanolin, and rubbed with abrasives when the rust started to get out of hand.
 
It is amazing the stuff I've learned here. The Cantina is a unique place. Thread drift is common and nobody cares, because you learn the neatest stuff that way. Thanks all.
 
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