Knives getting dull in storage?

A

alexs

Joined
Nov 26, 2009
Messages
516
Hi guys,
Does that happen to you at all? Is it normal? Any way to avoid it?
I think all my HI knives have that problem and despite the humid environment, there is no rust to speak of at all, just the edge loses its keenness. It happens to both knives covered in Renn wax and in Mineral oil.

Thanks!
 
Maybe your memory of how sharp they were before storage is a little skewed ?
Not an insult - just wondering.......
"I coulda sworn that thing was sharp as a scalpel !!":confused:
 
I seem to recall this coming up before in another thread. I can't remember the outcome of that thread.
 
I had read once that carbon steel, if it has a really sharp, fine edge, can experience, for lack of a better term, "micro-corrosion"... a minute amount of oxidation just enough to effect that fine fine edge.
 
C.S. Graves said:
I had read once that carbon steel, if it has a really sharp, fine edge, can experience, for lack of a better term, "micro-corrosion"... a minute amount of oxidation just enough to effect that fine fine edge.
Click to expand...

Aha! Thanks for the lead. I did a little digging and found this:

"One thing that's bugged my about Carbon V. A bunch of years ago my buddy and I both bought SRKs. We tried them both out of the box, both were razor sharp. Neither of us actually used our knives that year. The following year he calls me and asks why I let him buy a butterknife-dull knife. I tell him he's crazy, that SRK is razor sharp. So I go get mine, and it's dull too. The edge just micro-rusted away in storage. There was no other physical sign of rust, no orange patches anywhere on the edge, but the edge was just gone. I'm pretty sure I had at least Flitz'ed the edge before putting the knife away (my buddy likely put nothing on the edge)."

by Joe Talmadge from Post #3 in this thread:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/130767-VG-10-Vs-Carbon-V
 
That's interesting.
Did you know the first year after a knife is made the steel gets better?
 
There goes this myth about sharpening blades (maybe the opposite is true, making blades blunt):

"blade is placed in earth's magnetic field under a hollow pyramid made of dielectric material such as hard paper... , leaving its side edges as well as its longitudina l axis oriented in North South direction.... After the blade is properly placed it is covered with the pyramid in such a way that its side walls face north, south, east, and west, while its edges point in north-west, south-west, south-east, and north-east direction.''
 
I find I have this problem with some of my knives, including my khuks. I do think that this micro corrosion that CS Graves mentioned is to blame. But a few swipes of the chamak or a fine stone brings it back to hair shaving form in no time.
 
Thank you all for helping out; at least now I don't think I am entirely crazy or paranoid. I have noticed even rust-proof H1 steel getting dull albeit only when exposed to extreme conditions that would destroy any high-carbon blade. But at least H1 is a breeze to sharpen. I am not sure about N680 steel yet as I don't have enough experience with it (less than 6mo), and I have tried X15TN for less than 2 months only but I don't have high hopes for it. I can't wait to "fall in love with" and be able to afford a knife in M390 to test it out fully.

My kuks are some of the most rust-prone knives I have (especially in tge leather sheaths), second only to the ridiculouss Chinese 8Cr13Mov joke, and about equal to Carbon 5 or AUS 8A.

Living on the Pacific Ocean beach has its downsides for knife collectors after all... Not many though :D

One of these days, I will be able to get my own climate-controlled storage/display room... Yeah, one of these days...
 
I've noticed this as well. Maybe my perception of how sharp my knives are is skewed, but my knives definitely seem to dull in storage. One in particular dulls so noticeably that I found myself wondering if the edge is somehow contacting the sheath.

+1 on chakmak quickly restoring kukri edges
 
I believe that is true.

I've experienced it not only on khuks but on carbon steel blades in general. D2 and 3V seem to not do it but 01, 1095 yes.
 
Iron in steel has a propensity towards reacting with oxygen to form iron oxide. The iron oxide product is larger than the original steel material and thus you get a swollen edge. Short of blocking all the oxygen, there's not a good way to avoid this process.

Same oxidation reaction is a multi-billion dollar problem in the building industry and nothing has been found to easily stop it. So unless you have a tank of inert gas like argon to supply an oxygen free place to store the blade, they will get dull.
 
I read this about forged knives. The article said that the steel continues to change for the better in the first year. The writer claimed he waited a year before finally judging the blade. If I can find the piece I will post it.
 
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jeverettk said:
Anybody know if a dessicant pack would help at all?
Click to expand...

I use a hermetically sealed jar with 4-5 dessicant packs for my folders made of inferior steel, but I haven't figured out how to fit a large kuk (or 30 of them! :confused:) in a similar contraption.
 
alexs said:
I use a hermetically sealed jar with 4-5 dessicant packs for my folders made of inferior steel, but I haven't figured out how to fit a large kuk (or 30 of them! :confused:) in a similar contraption.
Click to expand...

5 gallon buckets.
Gamma Seal lids.
Dri-Z-Air moisture absorbers.
And maybe a few Oxygen Absorber packets for kicks.:D
 
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