m2 steel care and maintenance

B

Brazos

Joined
Feb 14, 2005
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Does anyone have tips for caring for m2 tool steel. I have heard that the steel can rust underneath the protective coating. I would like to make sure this doesn't happen to me. Thanks in advance.
 
HAHAHAHAHA.

I doubt that's true. If steel could rust underneath the protective coating, why even put a protective coating on it?

Unless the usage environment is humid (and salty, if near the sea), you probably don't need to worry about it. Never leave anything on the blade (and with it coated, I mostly mean the edge and the tang). Keep it clean; keep it dry. That will cover 99% of the protection needed.
 
I keep my BM710 with M2 steel clean and dry. I wipe it with a Tuf Cloth from time to time. It's been my EDC for many years now, about 4-5, and I haven't had any problems. When I reprofiled it I put a mirror finish on the new bevel which will help prevent rust from forming. If you leave a rough finish, deeper scratches, it can increase the chances of rust.
 
M2 requires minimal care compared to regular high-carbon steels. It isn't nearly as rust resistant as ATS 34, but as long as it's coated and occasionally wiped down it shouldn't be a problem.
 
If it were rusting under the coating I am sure the coating would begin to flake off, bubble up, crack etc. Just think of a car where the body is rusting under the paint and you will get the idea.
 
Buy a cheap knife made from pure carbon. Boker offers some in C75 (nothing more than 0.75% carbon) and look how fast it rusts and if so how much of a problem this would be for you.

I was surpriced at how little that problem is even in the kitchen.

I forgot about stainless after seeing what staining means in my enviroment: Nothing.
 
yoda4561 said:
M2 requires minimal care compared to regular high-carbon steels. It isn't nearly as rust resistant as ATS 34, but as long as it's coated and occasionally wiped down it shouldn't be a problem.
Click to expand...

Are you sure? It has almost twice the percentage of Chromium as ATS-34.
 
Actually M2 has less than 1/3 the amount of chromium ATS-34 does. Check your info.
 
I have posted this before when someone mentioned M2 and rusting. There is one thing that I know will make M2 rust. Trim your wife's Ficus tree and get the sap on the uncoated part. If you put it up without washing and drying it the sap will rust it pretty quickly. I made this mistake once when my wife wanted me to help her trim up several of them, got through and hurried up to do something else. By the time I got through with that I forgot about the knife until the next morning. Won't do that again. Actually I don't have any M2 anymore, my sons have them.
 
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