Knives Dulling with Time

Depends on the steel and how they're stored. My Military in S110Vn never seems to lose its edge even after sitting for a couple of months. I have had a few knives blunted because of badly fitted Kydex sheathes. I wipe down my carbon steel blades with BreakFree CLP before putting them away and they keep their edges OK.
 
I didn't believe it could happen until it did, & to a stainless steel blade. Not a big deal at all though, like others have said, some light stropping or honing would get it back to shaving sharp, provided it was that sharp when stored.
 
I’m surprised so many folks notice dulling. I keep my favorites in a safe in the original boxes, with the silica packets and I can’t notice any rusting or dulling whatsoever. I have a few older knives (from 2007-2010) in S30V and 154CM with factory edges that are still shave sharp.
 
Bob Denman said:
Buy a gun cloth, and give your knives a quick wipe-down...
They will remain sharp!
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You can also wipe them down with mineral oil: the cheap, non-toxic, ordinary mineral oil from the pharmacy. Whenever I clean, strop, or sharpen a blade, I hit it with a little mineral oil. I dab a little on the surface with a Q-tip and buff it in with a bit of rag, a cotton ball, a bore patch, or whatever I have handy. Especially with D2, I'll run that Q-Tip along each side of the edge in a similar motion to how I strop. Stainless or not, it can help.
 
I have a hard time believing it. My Gerber Gator 650 with 154CM steel still had the factory edge on it and it made my dad whistle when he checked the sharpness. It was several years old at the time. But I do take care of my stuff and keep my knives oiled. I have a Damascus Bowie knife that was made in Pakistan. I've owned it for around 10 years and there's not a speck of rust on the blade.
 
000Robert said:
I have a hard time believing it.
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AntDog said:
It’s happened to lots of my knives. The edges oxidize. It’s most noticeable if you put one away razor sharp. Pick it up in a few weeks and sometimes they’ve lost that light saber feel.
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Yeah, it’s really only noticeable in the short term on VERY sharp knives. Think razors, sushi knives, etc.

If the edge didn’t start out whittling hairs you aren’t likely to see a big difference in cutting performance in months/years. A thin oxidized edge will still cut paper just fine.

Try leaving a carbon straight razor on your sink for a year, then take it for a shave without a fresh stropping and you’ll become a believer. ;)
 
scdub said:
Yeah, it’s really only noticeable in the short term on VERY sharp knives. Think razors, sushi knives, etc.

If the edge didn’t start out whittling hairs you aren’t likely to see a big difference in cutting performance in months/years. A thin oxidized edge will still cut paper just fine.

Try leaving a carbon straight razor on your sink for a year, then take it for a shave without a fresh stropping and you’ll become a believer. ;)
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Maybe it's just that I keep my edges oiled?
 
It should be easy to quantify if you have a BESS tester. Just check the sharpness every month for 10 years and see if there is a trend.
 
000Robert said:
Maybe it's just that I keep my edges oiled?
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Yeah I recon so - goes a long way to keeping them fresh - I just tend to get lazy with the edges of my users so I notice this dulling every so often…
 
tiguy7 said:
It should be easy to quantify if you have a BESS tester. Just check the sharpness every month for 10 years and see if there is a trend.
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That would be interesting - especially if done comparatively with a variety of steels set up the same way.

No question it happens though. Unprotected steel rusts in the atmosphere. Thin steel edges rust too by extension.
 
scdub said:
Yeah I recon so - goes a long way to keeping them fresh - I just tend to get lazy with the edges of my users so I notice this dulling every so often…
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Not me - I enjoy oiling my knives. I EDC my Carothers DEK1 in D3V steel and I usually oil her every couple of weeks or after the edge gets wet. I haven't seen any rust so far and she stays sharp.
 
scdub said:
That would be interesting - especially if done comparatively with a variety of steels set up the same way.

No question it happens though. Unprotected steel rusts in the atmosphere. Thin steel edges rust too by extension.
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You would probably see more degradation near the ocean, with non-stainless knives, and/or at higher temperatures.
 
tiguy7 said:
You would probably see more degradation near the ocean, with non-stainless knives, and/or at higher temperatures.
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I live about a 5 minute walk from the Pacific Ocean so that almost certainly has an influence on why I notice this phenomena.

I’ve had perfectly clean knives develop rust spots from literally just a walk on the beach without any use at all…

By the same token I’m not afraid of rust. It’s a small price to pay for the extraordinary performance and value of carbon steel blades - the vast majority of my fixed blade collection.
 
jjcm said:
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?
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;) If you store them in a pyramid , they'll get sharper ...or so they say ! o_O
 
tiguy7 said:
You would probably see more degradation near the ocean, with non-stainless knives, and/or at higher temperatures.
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All kinds of weird chemical things can happen on the surface. It could be condensation, adsorption, or absorption (particles of dust, pollen, and all sorts of other things can deposit on the blade and then interact with atmospheric moisture). Salt water droplets can be in the air in some places. Residues can be visually overlooked when on the edge itself, including a tiny cross section of a finger print containing salt. The chemistry is fascinating but the reality is annoying. So I stick with stainless, oil, and hope.
 
Yup it definitely can and will happen unless you keep your blades well oiled and with a silica packet or other dehumidifier nearby. As someone else said, most people wouldn't really notice it and I usually don't really unless I have mine sitting around for months or years. I recently pulled my Ritter Grip out of a box that was sitting for a few years and although the edge is polished up and looks amazing, it's pretty dull. What I do is keep all the little silica packets I find and throw them in the box/drawer with my knives. I also put them in with my plastic bag of batteries. I should also do it with my flashlights.

I have a thing where I hate putting any sort of oil on my folder blades because I keep all of them around me easily accessible and play with them often. I don't like getting oil on my hands every time I pick up a different knife, so I just keep my blades super clean and give them a stropping now and then.
 
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.
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I take it you think you need this for SD knives then? If so, you must decide how committed you are to this idea. I mean, the edge will start to degrade the moment you stop sharpening so maybe just walk around touching up the edge all day long. What about when you sleep? That edge is dulling!

I kid, sort of. The idea stands, how extreme you take it is up to you. Decide how much dullness is reasonably acceptable and touch up the edge accordingly. If it were me, and I wanted the least amount of edge degradation possible, a touch up at the beginning of the day seems reasonable. Like run the edge once or twice on a ceramic rod or whatever your favorite touch up method is.

While I don't in any way do the above because I don't care that much, I will touch up the edge on a kitchen knife before I use it, some knives nearly every day right before use. No low drag spec ops here, just like a sharp knife in the kitchen and I cook every single day.
 
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