M4 dlc rust advice

G

Grantard

Joined
Oct 4, 2014
Messages
188
Does anyone have any thoughts or advice for cleaning some surface rust without removing too much of the dlc in the process? I didn’t expect this to be possible but after some googling I guess it’s relatively common, dlc is actually semi porous and rust can still form over time. It is strange to me the spotting is raised though, like the inverse of pitting id expect to see?B6ED6F3C-6B83-4E17-B35B-BEE1035A88FA.jpeg87B7D66D-E36A-462C-9C26-7110624ECB92.jpegAD5DAB97-10C8-4821-A1C8-49D71AE4EB32.jpeg
I’ve had it since launch, and its been in my pocket 5 days a week as the perfect work user since the day it came from bladehq. Definitely not worried about cosmetics or resell value lol. But im a sweaty guy, who lives and works nearby the ocean in a seasonally pretty humid environment. My Gayle Bradley 2 has the same rust pattern in a day by lunch time working in the summer.. this has been forming for a little while now, and to be fair this was me the day I noticed it was really starting to show red on the dlc, you can see the one dry spot that’s left on my shorts lol.
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Very long story short though, Im not worried about function but don’t want it to get to an unmanageable point.. how much dlc would I potentially lose from lightly sanding the rust with a high grit? Or would it be worth trying to careful dunk the blade in some evaporust or something similar? Definitely gonna start using some kind of oil on the blade going forward too.
 
I also find it interesting that none of the lettering or logos have shown any rust this whole time. The edge gets used enough so it’s fine, but any other brand I’ve used with coated tool/carbon steel the logos always rust first.
But sorry for the novel! 😅 If anyone has any thoughts, input or experience I’m curious to hear it!
 
As rycen rycen says, Flitz. Common mis-conception about DLC .... once you'll flitz the rust off, there will be black pits underneath ... the DLC should hide them though.
 
rycen said:
Flitz polish.
Click to expand...

ferider said:
As rycen rycen says, Flitz. Common mis-conception about DLC .... once you'll flitz the rust off, there will be black pits underneath ... the DLC should hide them though.
Click to expand...

Ok good to know, much appreciated. Lost my bottle in a move but I’ll get some more to experiment with. How abrasive would you say it is to the dlc as a whole? It’s gonna wear off eventually from use either way, just all around curious lol
 
You can use a standard pencil eraser to get the rust off the knife. Then put some oil(knife lube,mineral oil,etc to coat the blade for protection. It’s also a good idea when working with something like m4 or other non stainless materials to clean and oil the blades regularly. I have a ton of m4, Rex 45 and Maxamet blades that I just clean and lube after use. Never had an issue with rust.
 
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If I’m doing something or going somewhere I know water vapor, sweat, salt, etc will be likely, my M4 spyderco stays at home with a coat of oil and a more rust-resistant blade goes.

Flitz and/or a pencil eraser will polish the rust off, unless it’s been allowed to develop too far.
 
Here is a video showing what I would do to semi-fix the problem. Once sure all the rust is gone, I would apply a couple of coats of Breakfree CLP, which was a military cleaner and used primarily to prevent rust on and in M-16s back in the day.

I use Breakfree CLP, (Cleans, Lubricates, and Protects -when not in use), on my guns and knives and have had very little trouble maintaining a newly created finish.

If clean enough you might be able to use a black- blue the knife with a quick bluing solution available at any store that sells guns, or order it from Amazon.

 
A quick soak in the oil of your choice, 3 in 1 is good. Let it sit for a few minutes then rub the loose red rust off with your fingers. Clean it up with rubbing alcohol or Brake Cleaner and a cloth. Re apply the oil in a thicker coat, let it soak in for an hour or so, add more oil and gently rub with 000 fine steel wool. Clean it off as above and you should be good to go.
 
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