Maintenance on H1 blades

C

CAguy

Joined
Nov 10, 2018
Messages
26
Like many I keep my blades oiled to avoid moisture which inevitably leads to rust. But what about H1 steel which is rust proof. Is there a point in keeping it oil or even dry for the matter?
 
Last edited:
Yes because it's a good habit. Moisture also aids in nasty growth so I still wash my H1 blades since I use it for alot of fish/food cutting. Actually, I treat it pretty much like my kitchen knives after each trip. I dont oil folding knives unless Im gifting them or their action gets gritty.

What's H2?
 
There is no such thing as rust proof steel. It may be stainLESS, but can still corrode/oxidize under the right conditions. A light coating of good quality lube is good prevention if you are storing the knife for extended periods of time.
 
David Mary said:
Shane have you actually owned H1?
Click to expand...

Yes, I had a couple Spyderco Dragonfly Salts a few years ago, but sold one and gifted another.

I do realize that H1 is highly impervious to most oxidizers, but it is still not 100% "rust" proof. It won't rust in the sense that a high carbon steel blade will (no iron oxide formation as H1 has nitrogen instead of carbon), but repeated contact with anything highly acidic will still corrode the blade over time.

Any metal can oxidize under the right conditions. Aluminum is a good example. While it doesn't rust in the sense of iron oxides (again, no carbon), it still oxidizes and forms a microns-deep hazy coating of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) with exposure to air. Titanium is similar in that it doesn't "rust", but it still can/will corrode and form titanium oxide (TiO2).

All those years of chemical engineering in my previous life are finally paying off, lol.
 
Last edited:
My H1 Spyderco Aqua Salt went missing for 4 years, just found it, not a speck of rust. It is coated though.

Unless you are keeping it in a salt heavy environment say like the gulf coast then I wouldn't worry too much

However, if it's a folding knife, the internals are usually not H1, so occasional care would be needed in corrosive environments.
 
H1 may be the one steel that has almost zero chance of corrosion unless you dump it into a vat of acid. People have left their H1 knives on saltwater kayaks unwashed and uncared for for years without having a single spec of rust on them. It's probably the most rust proof "production" knife steel available on the market. Even more rust proof than stuff like vanax, lc200n, nitrobe 77 and magnacut.
 
TheArab said:
I don't know man, everything here with our dry climate seems to be rust proof, haha.

Even a messy drawer full of decades old utensils, no rust whatsoever.. I guess it really depends on the climate.
Click to expand...

True, however climate is not much of a factor with regards to H1. H1 is about as "climate resistant" as it gets, but contact with highly acidic substances can still cause pitting or corrosion on H1.
 
I don't scruple over calling H1 "rustproof", or LC200N for that matter, in the sense that water alone will never cause it to oxidize, and even with the addition of some of the more corrosive or caustic chemicals, it still won't happen. There's probably a certain acid, or family of acids out there that will do it (you would presumably know which ones better than I would), but to me that is not "rust" in the common usage of the term. And I also feel comfortable calling MagnaCut "virtually" or "practically" rustroof.
 
David Mary said:
I don't scruple over calling H1 "rustproof", or LC200N for that matter, in the sense that water alone will never cause it to oxidize, and even with the addition of some of the more corrosive or caustic chemicals, it still won't happen. There's probably a certain acid, or family of acids out there that will do it (you would presumably know which ones better than I would), but to me that is not "rust" in the common usage of the term. And I also feel comfortable calling MagnaCut "virtually" or "practically" rustroof.
Click to expand...
Over on the Spyderco forums, Lance Clinton has done a lot of real world testing of the steels considered to be in the "highly stainless" category (vanax, magnacut, H1 and lc200n). He found that all of those steels held up with zero corrosion even after weeks of constant saltwater exposure. However, all except H1 were susceptible to pitting when other (less corrosion resistant) metals were used in the construction of the knife. Something about being exposed to corrosion from other steels causes these steels to "pit" when they would be untouchable by salt water otherwise. H1 as far as I know would be the one steel where there's absolutely zero maintenance required for 99% of people. Now if your work involved frequent contact with highly acidic chemicals that's a different story...
 
David Mary said:
I don't scruple over calling H1 "rustproof", or LC200N for that matter, in the sense that water alone will never cause it to oxidize, and even with the addition of some of the more corrosive or caustic chemicals, it still won't happen. There's probably a certain acid, or family of acids out there that will do it (you would presumably know which ones better than I would), but to me that is not "rust" in the common usage of the term. And I also feel comfortable calling MagnaCut "virtually" or "practically" rustroof.
Click to expand...

Indeed.

However, per my post above, people with aluminum siding on their homes certainly don't have "rust" on their houses in the classic sense of the definition, but their houses are still corroded/oxidized none-the-less. And that corrosion is slowly eating away at their homes, every second of every day. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there. :) "Rust never sleeps" - Neil Young.

I concede that for all practical intents and purposes, H1 is about as maintenance-free as it gets for most people doing most things.
 
Last edited:
nattynarwhal said:
Over on the Spyderco forums, Lance Clinton has done a lot of real world testing of the steels considered to be in the "highly stainless" category (vanax, magnacut, H1 and lc200n). He found that all of those steels held up with zero corrosion even after weeks of constant saltwater exposure. However, all except H1 were susceptible to pitting when other (less corrosion resistant) metals were used in the construction of the knife. Something about being exposed to corrosion from other steels causes these steels to "pit" when they would be untouchable by salt water otherwise. H1 as far as I know would be the one steel where there's absolutely zero maintenance required for 99% of people. Now if your work involved frequent contact with highly acidic chemicals that's a different story...
Click to expand...
I think he just got rust specks from other steel left on the knife grinding equipment, no actual pitting. Btw, my Pacific salt as in the Atlantic and the Pacific repeatedly last month. No corrosion whatsoever, despite my lack of cleaning.
 
Just think of what the sodium in you sweat might do to a blade...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top