Losing my hope in CV:(

Spoutz

Spoutz

Joined
Sep 19, 2010
Messages
204
I am getting really discouraged and kinda sad over my knife. I have a case peanut that I bought the middle of march with CV blades. I have a rag with 3in1 oil soaked into it that gets a wipedown EVERY night wether it cut or not. It was holding up great and I had a very decent patina starting, but in the last few days, the nail nicks have rust in them, and the chrome part of the pen blade is peeling off. I really like this knife alot but I am probably going to have to get a tru-sharp. Am i doing something wrong, could I have just killer sweat or so? Any reccomendations on what may be happening or how to stop it?
 
Do you have any photos? The "chrome part peeling off" part is a bit confusing and sounds a bit bizarre, since the blades aren't chromed. Rust in the nail nicks probably aren't a concern - usually it's just surface rust with a patina developed under it - wipe it off and it should be okay. But the peeling off part doesn't sound okay.

Don't give up on CV - it's great stuff. You may have a defective blade. Even if CV rusts, unless you've been negligent for a long time, it's usually fixable and will leave some more "history" and character on your blade.
 
Yes, the chrome (and the vanadium for that matter) is IN the steel, not on it. If the blades were chromed, there wouldn't be any patina forming.
 
i am working on a picture right now. there was a raised spot on the blade and I used my nail to scratch it off (thought something was stuck to it) and it popped off and left a big black spot. Pics coming now.
 
I was mistaken guys. I used a touch of nevr-dull on the spot and it showed me it was not my first fear. There was something to that got stuck to it and when i popped it off it left a really dark spot of patina. when i polished it a bit i can see that the blade is intact under it.

silly me and my false alarms.

Am I doing something wrong with my knives though that I keep getting really small black, rough spots on the blades?
 
My prescription is to lay off the oil for a week. Just keep the blades clean and dry. Don't fret the small spots etc. In time a patina will cover all those.

-- Mark
 
I'd just give it some time eventualy the blades will get dark but you could go the quick and less natural route and force a patina.
 
Another approach is to not wipe down with oil, but a rub down with a scourer/Scotchbrite type of thing. This gives the blade a good matte appearance and helps to avoid spotting etc.
 
If it is not completely dry before you oil it, you could be trapping water against the blade. That would tend to make it rust and eventually pit. Otherwise, I can't think of a reason for it, my Case CV blades don't behave anything like that.
 
I'm wondering if there's more of the 'something' stuck to the blade. You found the one spot of stuff with the darker patina underneath. If it's coated with something (a new knife shouldn't be, but you never know), it might be trapping some moisture on the blade, resulting in the spots. Might be worth giving the whole blade a thorough polish, clean & re-lube. Then watch it, to see if the spots reappear.

Another thought. You mentioned using a 'rag with 3-in-1 oil soaked into it'. Is the rag CLEAN? If there's anything else on that rag (dirt/dust/etc.), that might be contributing to the problem. Dust particles, lint, etc. can hold & trap moisture & salt (I see you're in Florida). The moist particles & other contaminants get stuck on the blade, with the oil, and spots might show up, wherever the particles are. Might be worth applying the oil directly from the can, then wiping down with a clean, dry paper towel.
 
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David. That second paragraph makes sense. The rag was new and clean when I made it my devoted oil rag, but it has been for some time. I will change the rag for paper towels.

for the first paragraph. The something stuck to my blade was some crap that was in my pocket. It was a piece the size of the bb, and it did not come with the knife. pulled it off the first time i noticed it.

I am beginning to think that maybe I just have really acidic sweat? is that possible. Im a big guy and I do tend to sweat a bit above average.
 
Spoutz said:
David. That second paragraph makes sense. The rag was new and clean when I made it my devoted oil rag, but it has been for some time. I will change the rag for paper towels.

for the first paragraph. The something stuck to my blade was some crap that was in my pocket. It was a piece the size of the bb, and it did not come with the knife. pulled it off the first time i noticed it.

I am beginning to think that maybe I just have really acidic sweat? is that possible. Im a big guy and I do tend to sweat a bit above average.
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OK. It occurred to me, when you'd mentioned the patina underneath the 'blob' on the blade, that anything stuck to the blade could trap moisture against the steel. That's what got me thinking about the dirt & such.

A friend of mine asked me to sharpen one of his knives, a while back. It was a limited-run, Lone Wolf 'Prankster' with S30V blade and rosewood scales. I'd actually referred him to it, because I had one just like it, and he was interested in finding one. I noticed, when he gave me the knife, the scales had faded substantially, and there were some rust spots on the blade. Nothing major, but it surprised me to see it on that blade. He was in the habit of carrying it frequently, and it became clear that his sweat was affecting that knife much more severely than anything I've ever carried in my pocket. He wasn't a big guy, but he was wheelchair-bound, and movement of just about any significant amount required a lot of exertion for him. I'm sure he sweated quite a bit, especially where we were at the time (central TX). People are different, so it doesn't surprise me that their 'chemistry' is different too. That might be part of this equation, too.
 
CV is great blade steel, but it certainly isn't rustproof. If you sweat a lot, that could be the whole thing. Sweat is very unfriendly to carbon steel knife blades regardless of whose sweat it is. You very well may be better served with a Tru-sharp blade in your working environment. For all the praises sung of CV steel (and it is good, I've already said that), Tru-sharp really doesn't give a lot away to the CV in my personal experience. Give that a try and see if it isn't a better balance for your uses. - Ed J

Another thought is that you might want to wash the knife thoroughly, blowing it dry if you can, then a WD-40 treatment to chase out any hidden water, then finally oiling the blades and the joints. That's a bit of trouble, but may cure your problem because oil will not remove the salts from the sweat like good ole soap and water. And lastly you might want to use Break Free on the knife, if you're not going to use the blades with food.
 
spoutz, first thing is to stop wiping it down with the oil cloth every night.

You want to get a nice dark patina to form on the blade to protect the blade from rust. This works the same way as going to a tanning place to get a base tan before going on a trip to the beach. The basic tan will keep you from getting too bad a sunburn vs going to the beach the first time out with a lily white complexion. The patina is a tan for your blade. Doing the oily rag every night is foiling the natural process of the carbon steel getting a protective layer. Just let it happen, and restrain yourself from interfering with it. Just wipe the blade down once every morning, and once at night with a clean DRY bandanna, and that's it. Darkening with time is a natural thing for carbon steel blades, so just live it.

The old timers when I was growing up, stuck a new knife in a potato over night just to force a protective finish on the blade. Contrary to some thinking, a carbon steel knife will not rust on you in the course of a day. Before the 20th century, there was no such thing as stainless steel. Yet somehow, from the Roman legions to the Vikings traveling the sea in open boats, to the mountain men of the 1800's with Hawken rifles and Green River skinning knives, they didn't have their tool and weapons rust away on the over night.

Let it stain. Your knife will thank you for it.

Carl.
 
jackknife said:
spoutz, first thing is to stop wiping it down with the oil cloth every night. ... Just wipe the blade down once every morning, and once at night with a clean DRY bandanna, and that's it. Darkening with time is a natural thing for carbon steel blades, so just live it.
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Excellent advice! :thumbup: Granted, I live in a land-locked country, not next to the sea like Spoutz, but I've been carrying this cv Case peanut every day since Nov. 3, 2010 and haven't oiled the blades once!

NUTfsuhat.jpg


jackknife said:
Before the 20th century, there was no such thing as stainless steel. Yet somehow, from the Roman legions to the Vikings traveling the sea in open boats, to the mountain men of the 1800's with Hawken rifles and Green River skinning knives, they didn't have their tool and weapons rust away on the over night.
Click to expand...

My grandad wasn't a Roman Legionaire or Viking (I think), but he did run a glass company in Miami for many years, carrying a carbon steel knife the entire time.

-- Mark
 
Carl nailed it, but my .02. Unless it is for long term storage, I don't do anything to the blade except wipe it dry. Oil the joints, yeah, but the blade needs the patina. The sunburn analogy is a good one.
 
Hey guys. I have slowly put a patina on it since I read your posts. I have been putting mustard extremely thin on it for a short time through out the week. Someone said it was like painting, lots of thin coats instead of one thick one. It is turning blue and grey now and I think I have made it pretty much rust proof/ extremely resistant. I will still wipe it down each night but I dont think I am going to oil it anymore. Thanks for the help. I knew it needed one, but I wanted a natural patina; not a big deal. I forced it but now I can carry it without it rusting to dust in my pocket. Thanks again!
 
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