Naked Rats?

Boats

Boats

Joined
Aug 7, 2003
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What do you think the chances are we will ever be able to see satin finished 1095 RC knives?

Maybe I am the only one, but I don't care how corrosion prone any steel is, I'd rather have it uncoated so that it develops a natural patina and then doesn't rust. I know I can do it myself, but I'd rather have a satin finish with factory markings.

Just curious if it is a wash cost wise between leaving the coating off and skipping a baking versus fluffing and buffing the knives to a satin finish. 1095 steel isn't a belt and buffer killer compared to most.
 
Most folks on here are intelligent knife folks, so if you told them that the blade will rust because it's not coated then they would understand. Sadly, most of the general public ARE NOT intelligent and can barely read at that. So, as sad as it may sound, we sometimes make decisions based on the lowest common denominator. With that said, we are indeed thinking about doing an un-coated version but will probably have to dip it in cosmoline from the factory, and it's going to probably increase the cost since handling and dealing with bare 1095 brings on a whole new way of doing things....and it's slower.
 
LOL

I love this statement...

"Sadly, most of the general public ARE NOT intelligent"
 
Just a thought, but a mild acid wash, just stronger than vinegar but not all that caustic, would give the blanks a ready made patina and prevent the knives from rusting while in process.

Packed in sealed plastic with a dessicant made of silica gel, the knives would easily reach the knowledgeable end user without rusting.

I am not proposing satin finished blades be a regular run item, more like a sprint run announced here and snapped up by the forumites who know the score.
 
awe man I can see the complaint threads mount up on here because the general public do not understand the properties of the bare 1095 steel & the Rust factor if not Maintained correctly.
 
texastonydobbs said:
awe man I can see the complaint threads mount up on here because the general public do not understand the properties of the bare 1095 steel & the Rust factor if not Maintained correctly.
Click to expand...

That's why I propose they NOT be done for the general public, but instead for the enthusiasts HERE.
 
My RC4 went naked long ago. And i would not have it any other way! It has since had a few spots of rust but nothing a light rub of steel wool wasn't able to cure right away.
 
:eek:

rats.h9.jpg
 
I have a stripped kabar that has maintained rustless for three months now. every other week or so I give it a light coat of oil. I am a huge fan of 1095 and understand completely why RAT uses it for every model, but... If RAT did a marine survival knife for those that work and live on the water in a high performance naked stainless, that'd be sick.
 
Wait...you mean 1095 rusts?....coating on the blade?....What are you guys talking about? :D
I like the satin finished idea. Honestly, I would prefer that over the coating but I can see where Jeff is coming from. Besides, the coating does look tacticool. ;)
Ignrent,... who's ignrent? :D
 
Its pretty easy to strip yourself, isn't it? And if you coat the edge first and then lightly sand blast the blade before stripping, it might bring out the logos if you want to preserve them. Just an idea.
 
I did a write_up on how to strip a rat. Don't know how to link to it but it is out there somewhere if anybody cares to throw up a link.
 
R.A.T. said:
Most folks on here are intelligent knife folks, so if you told them that the blade will rust because it's not coated then they would understand. Sadly, most of the general public ARE NOT intelligent and can barely read at that. So, as sad as it may sound, we sometimes make decisions based on the lowest common denominator. With that said, we are indeed thinking about doing an un-coated version but will probably have to dip it in cosmoline from the factory, and it's going to probably increase the cost since handling and dealing with bare 1095 brings on a whole new way of doing things....and it's slower.
Click to expand...

If you were going to do an uncoated production version of a stripped RAT I would have to say from your end of things it would make the most sense either to give them a full mirror polish (expensive, but increases corrosion resistance and is visually appealing, though it would STILL have to be dipped in cosmoline WITH a dessicant--this is how our functional swords are shipped to us) OR come out with that much-tossed-around 440C one. And from a production and cost standpoint...the 440C makes more sense as well.

I agree that the general populace just isn't smart enough these days to figure out how to deal with uncoated carbon steel. For those of us that want a naked RAT...well it's really quite simple to strip the knife if you want. I've done it to my RC-3 and it was super easy. So I think from a business standpoint that unless either of those two things were done to it from the factory that uncoated should be an after-market modification.

RC-3Mod007small.jpg
 
Do it yourself. I would love to see a factory satin line from RC, however Jeff is correct, the majority of the public is not up to our standards of knife care. So, grab some stripper & sand paper and have at it! My RC4 from a trade with TTD went "under the stripper & paper" per say. It has been months like this and no issues. I use it almost every day and wipe it down with mineral oil every few days, no problems. I even stripped the screws to brighten the look a bit, although the screws seem stainless and look good satin. I left the coating under the slabs for added protection.
DSCN1779.jpg
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Boats said:
What do you think the chances are we will ever be able to see satin finished 1095 RC knives?

Maybe I am the only one, but I don't care how corrosion prone any steel is, I'd rather have it uncoated so that it develops a natural patina and then doesn't rust. I know I can do it myself, but I'd rather have a satin finish with factory markings.

Just curious if it is a wash cost wise between leaving the coating off and skipping a baking versus fluffing and buffing the knives to a satin finish. 1095 steel isn't a belt and buffer killer compared to most.
Click to expand...


A naked rat would be awesome. I'm always afraid that coated blades will have the coating chip or rub off.
 
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