Knives getting dull in storage?

[t1mpani]

Your edge is no different than any other part of the non-stainless steel blade. Even when there is no true rust present, that doesn't mean that it isn't oxidizing. Best thing you can do is clean the blade very well before storage (alcohol, mineral spirits or something similar) and coat it with something like tuff-cloth, Ren Wax, or anything else that will protect it from moisture or other corrosives. If you store your khuk (or any other knife) in its sheath, keep in mind that the sheath can both retain/accumulate moisture depending on the material, and also can wipe the wax coating off of your blade. Mind you, I store ALL of my knives in their sheaths, but it does take some precautionary measures to make this a non-regrettable decision with non-stainless steel. A few licks on a kitchen steel will usually bring you right back up to speed, even after a few years.

 

[Howard Wallace]

... A few licks on a kitchen steel will usually bring you right back up to speed, even after a few years.

Sure enough. I like crock stix even better. They will take off a tiny amount of steel in addition to aligning.

 

[C.S. Graves]

Interesting. My knife becomes dull whenever i force patina it.

Absolutely. Any etchant will accelerate the process. What I typically do if I plan to do an etch is put a rough edge on with a belt grinder (something MOST knives I buy tend to get, just to thin out the profile or get rid of dull spots), apply the etchant, neutralize, clean the blade, then do my final honing after removing and burr still remaining from the grinding.

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.

It would be cool to learn what goes on during that year. Probably something heady and molecular that I won't rightly understand, but still.