Neck knife and rust (1095, INFI, S30V, 154CM)?


Neck knife by jpottsphotography, on Flickr

I was carrying this little knife as a necker for a while, but as the heat index rose so did the time I spent cleaning rust of off its shinny CPM 3V blade. Some folks may get away with carrying a carbon blade, but my sweat in too potent to do so. I even had some ATS-34 rust on me. It could have been the bead blasting, which is one of the reasons I coated the blade with some dura coat. I doubt I'll be carrying anything around my neck that's not coated anymore.
 
bd51 said:
Bark River has this neck knife in CPM-154 which I hear is a great steel. http://www.barkriverknifetool.com/EDC-CityKnife.htm
Click to expand...

The City Knife is a great one. I have one for my dressy FB carry, but it isn't a neck knife. It comes with a pocket sheath. Because of the knife's profile, I don't even think you could turn it into a neck knife. OTOH, as someone has already mentioned, they do have a neck knife. It comes in two sizes and it is SS. Buck also has an S30V neck knife, IIRC.

I carry an Izula 2 every work day and I haven't had any rust issues. I use mineral oil on the blade so it'll be safe for food prep and it's worked fine so far. I've washed the blade in dish soap & water several times and then reapplied the MO. No issues so far.
 
I know this reply is a little late... but thanks to everyone for all their wonderful replies and input.

One update... do you think the Busse SAR-3 is too heavy for a neck knife? I'm leaning towards the SAR-3 as I really like Busse, but I'm worried it'll be too big/heavy.
 
Blackjack model 155 or Bark River Bravo Necker. You can find the Blackjack 155 for a lot better price usually.
 
How does the sweat get on the blade when it is in the sheath? Maybe I am not understanding how much you sweat and how much it penetrates, but it would seem to me that as long as your not wiping the blade on your sweaty skin alot, it wouldn't be an issue. That said, I have not done anything hyper sweaty while wearing my Izula long term, so its more of a curiosity than a challenge to your worries.
 
I sweat a lot and in our tropical jungle humidity, my Izula do rust after each outing. Some how sweat, rain water, moisture do get into the sheath. Cleaning it, wipe dry and re oiling is a must after each day. When storing at home, just leave it unsheathed. Mineral oil for chopping board is a good cheap option. Camelia Oil and Linseed Oil are also good options for 'food prep' knives. I think few uncoated stainless steel can resist rust when in contact with sweat. I have seen S30V rust on uncoated Striders. Until Sal makes some H1 neck knives or BM makes some H2O neck knives, strict maintenance is our only recourse.
 
I've got a neck knife made from 154CM, and I've had it rust on a sweaty hot day. Even then, it was very mild spotting. Heck, this thread reminded me to take a look at that knife. It has magnets inside the micarta sheath, and a few new rust spots. I just wiped them away with my finger, no big deal.
IMO, you can use any steel, just let it patina, keep it oiled, or get one with a coating, ie. Izula. A quick strop and you'll get rid of any potential rust issues on the edge of the Izula, or similar.
I've had some stainless steels develop some corrosive spots, left food on them too long. Everything has to be maintained, and if your sweat is corrosive, then all the more so.
 
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