Miltec for Rust-Protection?

L

LukeC

Joined
Oct 28, 2005
Messages
163
Is there a consensus on the the best oil for rust protection? I recieved the advice that I should use miltec- heat the knife up first with a blow dryer or whatever, and that's what I've been doing- is this the best way? Thanks in advance for any info!
 
There are a lot of threads on this, I mean a lot.

I recommend you do a search.

I personally like Tuf-Glide (Tuf-Cloth) better than Militec as a corrosion inhibitor.
 
I received a free sample of Militec from the company, and put it to the test by accident. I lost my CRKT M16 for about a year (just found it last week in fact), but had treated it (and several guns) as reccommended by the heat and treat method. I thought I had lost the knife on an outing with the kids in a mesquite patch and had mourned it's passing. Last week while digging in my gun cleaning tackle box for something, I discovered that a bottle of gun blue had leaked in the bottom of the box. Everything floating around loose in the bottom was rusty from the acid fumes of the blue, EXCEPT, my CRKT which had apparently fallen back behind some stuff while cutting cleaning patches. Ther were a few tiny freckles on the back of the blade, but that was all. I am a firm believer now in the Militec and will order more and wipe down everything I can find. ed
 
Greetings to LukeC and to everyone else!

I recommend Tuf-Cloth on the blade to prevent rust. Militec is a great lubricant. It will deter rust also, but I like the piece of mind that Tuf-Cloth creates a dry barrier against the elements.
I use Militec or Blue Lube on the pivot point of the knife.

Stay sharp!
D.H.
 
As a further barrier to keep water off of steel (especially non-stainless steels), you can coat it with Renaissance Wax. However, this is not recommended for knives that may come in contact with food.
 
JMHO but preventing rust on knives isn't so much a matter of choosing the right product, but just understanding the problem and following common sense procedures.

The real problem is that no product is going to stay on a blade when it's used ..... doesn't matter if it's whatever light oil was cheapest at Walmart, or a coating of Militec-1 you carefully applied and "baked" on with a heat gun according to Militec's directions. Even common, easy-cutting materials like paper and cardboard are abrasive enough to quickly remove the protective coating of whatever you've used and expose bare metal.

And on the other hand, if a knife isn't being used (and isn't sitting in a sheath soaked in salt water or something like that) almost any light oil, wax, etc. will keep it from rusting.

I don't see any need to buy a special rust preventing product .... though I do often use Break-Free because I have plenty of it around for other things, and it's a very good rust preventative anyway. On knives that will be used on food I use mineral oil. In the field, even a coat of bacon grease will work, and is a lot more handy than carrying Militec and a heat gun. :)

The trick is, just clean and oil your knives as soon as possible after using them. And use common sense.
 
Dog of War makes a good point.

If you have a blow dryer, you can use rather than going and purchasing a heat gun. Theoretically, you are suppose to heat the portion you are going to apply Militec-1 to I believe 140 degrees. If you want, use a cooking thermometer and place the tip on the metal that you are heating to get an accurate temp. I don't feel all of that is necessary. When I was applying Militec, I just heated the metal until it was hot to touch and then applied.
 
Confession ..... my heat gun is a "Vidal Sassoon" or some similar brand. :)

I do like Militec for some things, especially lubricating parts where you don't want any dust- or grit-holding oily residue. This is where the heating really comes into play, leaves a nice, dry, lubricating film. However I've found Militec doesn't behave the same on all materials and even behaves differently on different steels and steel finishes.

Something else .... a lot of times especially when cutting green wood or vegetation you get sappy or gummy stuff on a blade that's not always easy to wipe off and can cause some nasty discoloration or corrosion. BreakFree or even WD40 can be particularly effective in those cases because of their penetrating and solvent properties.
 
I'm not trying to sell Militec 1, just got the sample for the AR15 because of good things I'd heard from friends at Ft. Sill who'd been to Iraq. They said the breakfree collected dust like a mop and gummed real bad. They had tried Militec and swore by it for the desert, and after using for a while, they said cleaning was a snap. If it will endure full auto fire and dust, I'm sold. The "accidental" test in the cleaning kit was impressive too. The tiny freckles cleaned up fine.
 
Sorry for the late reply, but thanks a whole lot for all the info guys. I think I'll keep using the miltec, and try to keep all the common sense tips as well. Thanks again for answering.
 
I've used the Tuff Cloth without the heat treatment, and have had good success with this method. I typically apply the Tuff Cloth Marine (I reccomend the Marine version the most) and normally apply it once, let it dry, then apply it a second time, and put the knife up. You can also adjust the "Wetness" of the Tuff Cloth, and allegedly alter the "level of protection"
 
Militec is more of a lubricant that a rust protectant from what i understand, but I have also heard that it works good for both.

Just to through out another option, AG Russell sells some stuff called Rust Free, that I have used to great success on my knives. It will collect some dust, so I don't know if it is the best for everyday use in dirt filled places, but it works great for protecting knives for storage.

Rem-Oil is pretty good tuff too.
 
'ProLink' bicycle chain oil is the best i've used. It penetrates, adheres and lubricates like no other oil I've seen - through water, mud, etc.

Water won't displace it and it won't evaporate. It's the most tenacious lubricant/protectant I've found.

Get it at bike stores or mail order.

Hope this helps!
 
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