Knife Care in the Field

A

AndyM

Joined
Jan 13, 2011
Messages
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Spring is coming, and I am looking forward to hitting the trail. This will be the first season I have carried anything other than stainless folders on my backpacking trips and I am just wondering what do I need to do to keep my ESEE's in good shape while I am on the trail?

Should I bring oil with me? What knife care items do you add to your pack, if any?

I am usually only out two or three days, hiking in the midwest if that makes a difference.

Thanks for your help!
Andy
 
Just wipe it off with a rag and keep it as dry as possible and you should be fine. A little bottle of oil wouldn’t hurt.
 
Hmm.. I've never had an issue with rust after just a couple of days if my blades were being used.

If it is just a couple of days I won't typically bring anything with me other than a rag (as mentioned) to wipe them off. Maybe just pack a Tuf Cloth. I wouldn't worry about it too much though, just keep em dry and you shouldn't have an issue!
 
I have a DC4 stone for quick touch-ups and that's it. It's about the size of a box of tic-tacs. Personally, I would forget the oil. Wipe the blade off after you've finished cutting and forget it. The blade won't melt away.
 
BenchmadeBoy said:
I have a DC4 stone for quick touch-ups and that's it. It's about the size of a box of tic-tacs. Personally, I would forget the oil. Wipe the blade off after you've finished cutting and forget it. The blade won't melt away.
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I agree.

I even washed my knife in water while camping...and didn't oil it up or any of that..just rinse, wipe and resheath. When I get home and crack a beer, that's when I go through my dirty gear and clean stuff up, including my knife.
 
wipe it on you pants and resheath it...3 days....your good bro...just clean it and oil it when you get home befor storing it...
 
I usually just carry a red/green dmt diafold and wipe it down and make sure it's dry before sheathing. I have a tufcloth that I would take if going out for an extended time since it rains here constantly but for 3 days, you should be good to go.
 
DMT Diafolds work great, someone mentioned the red/green set (fine, ex-fine), pair that with a blue/black set (coarse/ex-coarse) and you'd be able to repair a ding out of an edge.

Don't worry about rust.
 
Sweet. Thanks guys. That was my gut, but never having cared for a Carbon Steel blade before I didn't want to learn the hard way.
 
I've had little dots of rust on the logos of my 4 after a three day outing, but nothing that didn't come off when I washed it in the sink upon getting home. No big deal.
 
AndyM said:
Sweet. Thanks guys. That was my gut, but never having cared for a Carbon Steel blade before I didn't want to learn the hard way.
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Nah, the coating is really tough on ESEE knives. The only exposed steel is the edge and the logos. Even without the coating, a carbon blade doesn't evaporate when water touches it. We've been using carbon blades for a lot longer than stainless. They develop a patina with use and that just adds character. Wipe it clean when you're done and touch it up when it gets dull. Simple.:thumbup:
 
I used my RC-3 on different hiking trips. Attached outside at the backpack.
7 days Norway wilderness, 3 days here in Germany with rain the whole day etc.
I never got a problem with rust etc. I took a big salami with me, cut it a few times a day and the blade was protected.
 
It's steel not sugar - a little water won't hurt it.

For field touch-ups, you got a lot of good advice here already - I have a DMT red/blue in my pack. Having a tuff cloth or something in a sealed pouch would be a great idea to keep handy just in case, but shouldn't be needed for such a short duration.
 
Gismo834 said:
I took a big salami with me, cut it a few times a day and the blade was protected.
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I don’t know why I thought this was so funny, but I LOLed. I can just picture someone reaching in their pack and pulling out a 3-foot salami. OP with a new knife you could always hit the logos and edge with some vinegar and put a grey patina on the exposed areas. That would also help prevent red rust. As has been mentioned though, I’d just wipe it off and care for it when you get home.
 
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