Knives Dulling with Time

J

jjcm

Joined
Sep 19, 2021
Messages
15
I kind of want to fact check this. If a knife sits unused for a while, does it dull even without use? If so, about how long does it take to begin dulling?
 
Yes for sure with most steels.

Higher carbon steel edges will rust/dull faster in the atmosphere than stainless.

A ceramic or titanium knife should stay sharp almost indefinitely without physical contact/use…
 
Yup. A few of my knives are wicked sharp when I put them away, and a few days later they feel noticeably less sharp. Not a scientific observation by any means, but the apex does corrode over time - especially with high-carbon blades and highly dependent upon the environment (humidity, salinity, pollution, etc.) as mentioned.
 
gazz98 said:
Do you own a leather strop + compound? Usually, a little stropping can fix the problem.

A little stropping can go a long way in maintaining an edge on a blade.
Click to expand...

^ Very true. Even after some cardboard slaying or similar tasks I can bring most edges back with black and white compound on a strop. I used to oversharpen, then I learned how to properly strop a blade.

If I pull a knife out that hasn't been used in some time I usually run it on a strop a few times ... just to get her fresh again.
 
I've never had it happen to me. I have a few knives that I don't carry very often like the ZT0777. I take it out once in a while to flip it and it's just as sharp as the day when I last sharpened it.
 
Another benefit of stropping is that it will polish the cutting edge, reducing surface imperfections, and thereby increasing the rust resistance of the steel.

A fresh stropping and a careful coat of wax/oil to the edge is good practice before storage…
 
The steel in the knives I'm worried about are stainless, Vg-10 and S30V. Thanks for the tip about stropping. These knives don't see much if any cutting but I do need them to stay razor sharp at all times.
 
John_B said:
Not sure, but saw a katakana in the museum cut paper. Supposedly it hadn't been sharpened in hundred or so years.
Click to expand...
I’d love to see a live katana cutting demo! What museum was this at?
 
jjcm said:
The steel in the knives I'm worried about are stainless, Vg-10 and S30V. Thanks for the tip about stropping. These knives don't see much if any cutting but I do need them to stay razor sharp at all times.
Click to expand...
They sound extra pointy -pics?? :)
 
If it's not kept in a dry environment yes. Consider that the edge is super fine (very thin) and a tiny amount of "patina" or non visible micro rust will knock out an edge significantly. I imagine the finer (sharper) the edge the more prone to degradation that nice super fine edge will be. I suppose the type of steel would also come into play.

I tried sterilizing my straight razors with peroxide, an oxidizer, and every single time the fine shaving grade edge would be INSTANTLY knocked out on every one of them I tried cleaning this way no matter how fast I rinsed and wiped the blade clean. Visibly the blade looked fine to the naked eye but that face shaving edge would be gone and some moderate stropping or honing had to be done.

I am thinking that storage conditions of that Katana had a lot to do with it's edge remaining intact. Correct me if I am wrong but the Japanese people often took very good care of their top quality, expensive and time consuming to make Katanas.
 
If the blade isn't oiled or otherwise treated with a corrosion preventative, then sure, it can "dull" over time if it just sits around. I've definitely noticed this. Usually all it takes is a quick strop or touch up on ceramic (and I mean very minimal) to bring the edge back.
 
Great way to freshen up a knife that's dulled from oxidation: load a strip of denim with metal polish (Flitz or whatever) and strop on that. I've tested my knives and 5 laps on loaded denim can knock off as much as 30-40 points on the BESS tester. Takes less than 30 seconds.
 
I pulled out my s30v’s that have been put up couple months. Still sharp.
One I have had problems doing that is 154cm.
Did little research and seems it has larger carbides that can have tendency to fall out. 🤷🏼‍♂️ But after it was sharpened several times it wasn’t near as bad so thinking edge got overly heated on sander at manufacturer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top