Opinel Carbon

J

JaDoWo

Joined
Jul 13, 2014
Messages
19
Hi so I am thinking of getting an opinel 8. I want to try the carbon variation but i don't want a high maintenance knife. I live in Hawaii so the humidity here is very high and the salt water can be a problem. I wont take this to the ocean or fishing, this would be an edc kind of knife. I also have a question on patina. Is a patina rust? is it a good thing? Will it ruin my blade after a while? After the blade patinas will it rust? Thanks in advance
 
JaDoWo said:
I am thinking of getting an opinel 8. I want to try the carbon variation but i don't want a high maintenance knife. I live in Hawaii so the humidity here is very high and the salt water can be a problem. I wont take this to the ocean or fishing, this would be an edc kind of knife. I also have a question on patina. Is a patina rust? is it a good thing? Will it ruin my blade after a while? After the blade patinas will it rust?
Click to expand...

I love my carbon steel no. 8, and actually find it rather low maintenance overall. A patina will inhibit rust to some degree, but it won't totally prevent it. And no, it won't ruin the knife. Still, if you use the knife often and wipe off the blade from time to time, rust shouldn't be much of a problem. Some guys say you have to keep some oil on a carbon blade at all times ...... I haven't found this to be true. Even when I lived on the coast in south Florida, I'd carry carbon steel knives and never found them to be a problem. You get a little rust, put a little moisture on the blade (water, spit, whatever), and then wipe it off vigorously. If the rust is bad enough (usually after you let the knife get wet and then put it away like that) you can knock it off with a bit of steel wool.

Big picture: Sailors carried carbon steel knives all around the globe for centuries, so you'll be fine with one as an EDC -- even on an island. On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with good stainless, and Opinel makes a darn fine stainless steel knife. You might consider one of those if you're worried about rust. They even make stainless models in a variety of harder woods, which you might find swell less when they get soaked.

Bigger picture: Get yourself an Opinel. They're dirt cheap and perhaps the best value in the knife world. If you break it (you won't), not a huge lo$$. If you dislike it (you won't), give it to someone who needs a pocketknife.

-- Mark

PS: Here is a pretty good article on Opinels that you might find interesting.
 
my #10 carbone has a good patina --over 2years old now. Took it saltwater fishing and cleaned and gutted fish with it which made it go rusty. When I got home I cleaned it up and its fine now.
a bit of preventative maintainance ie a wipe and an oil will be all it needs.
cheers.
 
Opinel carbon is a good steel, but I find it a little on the soft side. It's like a pocket (old) kitchen knife.

Their stainless is a nice fine grained Sandvik which walks and talks like carbon steel to me, including responding well to steeling for edge maintenance. Like with a piece of carbide or a kitchen knife steel.

Either way, if you shop around and get a common Beech handle they are a very good value. Exotic woods are nice too if you decide you like them.
 
JaDoWo said:
Hi so I am thinking of getting an opinel 8. I want to try the carbon variation but i don't want a high maintenance knife. I live in Hawaii so the humidity here is very high and the salt water can be a problem. I wont take this to the ocean or fishing, this would be an edc kind of knife. I also have a question on patina. Is a patina rust? is it a good thing? Will it ruin my blade after a while? After the blade patinas will it rust? Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Have had an Opinel 8 for 40+ years. Lived in Hawaii six of those years. I'd recommend another knife for EDC that environ, not because of the carbon steel but because of the materials and construction being in that environment day after day forever. On the other hand, the knife is dirt cheap, so you may not care.

Patina just happens. It'll actually protect the blade but you'll still have to care for the blade --- watch for rust and oil it.
 
I have no idea of the weather in Hawaii nor I ever used my knives constantly in a humid environment but...
I love Opinel knives and my personal opinion is that their stainless steel is better than their carbon steel...so if rust is your concern, I'd get a stainless model.
Anyway, carbon steel Opinel's get a nice patina and don't require all that maintenance after all.

Fausto
:cool:
 
If you get an Opinel, make sure to work some Vaseline into the joint every now and then, which should prevent swelling.
 
I have found that the following helps optimize the performance of an Opinel in a damp environment- Tweak the metal collar under the virobloc (and maybe the virobloc itself) with a prying tool to adjust the tension (play with it a bit) that the wood provides on the blade. I do this so that the knife will still open somewhat easily even if the wood swells a bit. It takes some playing though- you may not want it TOO loose- just loose enough to still be able to open the thing if it swells.

Then soak 'er in some oil to help saturate the wood cells(?) and disallow so much moisture from being absorbed by the wood. You may even want to do this monthly if you are in a humid place.

WHY, you might ask, would one go through such constant maintenance procedures? Well- some people will not. Myself however- I find it to be a joy. And the knife ages amazingly well. So I do it for the beauty in it all ;)
 
The only way you'll know is to try it. You're not out a lot of money, but if it works, you'll then know why so many people like Opinel's. They do cut great. If it becomes too tight to open due to wood swelling, insert a large screw driver in the joint and between the steel bolsters. Twist gently but firmly, don't pry! It only takes a bit to loosen it, so go easy and carefully a bit at a time. You do it just in back of the blade pivot area and in front of. Keeping it well greased will help a great deal. maybe once a week smear a good amount of Vasoline jelly in the joint, then fold up a paper towel and wipe out the excess. Then I use the wires blow drier to heat up the area and let it soak into the wood. Repeat this a few times. I've got Opinel's to stand up to being totally submerged for an hour at a time with just minor swelling of the joint but still opening fine with only a little stiffening of the action. I'll repeat this a few times a year, and it's as close to a waterproof Opinel you'll get.

The other way is, when you first get them, set it in the sun on the dashboard or your car for a few hours to really warm up and dry out. Then, with the locking ring off, drop in in a shot glass of mineral oil for a few hours to soak up as much oil as it can. Then lube it once a week with some mineral oil on a pipe cleaner all around the joint and the end grain at the end of the handle by the bolster.

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Opinel's are kind of finicky, and you do have to kind of tune them now and then, but they are not a bad knife for the money.
 
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JaDoWo said:
Hi so I am thinking of getting an opinel 8. I want to try the carbon variation but i don't want a high maintenance knife. I live in Hawaii so the humidity here is very high and the salt water can be a problem. I wont take this to the ocean or fishing, this would be an edc kind of knife. I also have a question on patina. Is a patina rust? is it a good thing? Will it ruin my blade after a while? After the blade patinas will it rust? Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

In answer to your specific questions:
1) Patina is a form of rust (iron oxide). It is a different form of iron oxide (black oxide). It forms more slowly than red rust.
2) Patina can inhibit the formation of red rust if you keep it oiled.
3) Black oxide forms much more slowly than red oxide. It does not form pits like red rust does. It does not destroy the blade.
4) If you do not keep the blade oiled, patina will not inhibit the formation of red rust. If you do keep the blade oiled, the black oxide layer will trap oil on the surface of the blade and inhibit the formation of red rust.

As advice for your usage in close proximity to sea water:
If it were I, I would get one of the stainless Opinel models. Opinel does a good job of heat treating it. The stainless that Opinel uses is reasonably resistant to rust.
I recommend following Carl's advice about soaking the handle in melted Vaseline, or in mineral oil. ("Mineral oil" is sold in pharmacies as "Laxative".)
 
Ryan, pjackst, and jackknife,

Thanks for the suggestions about how to deal with handle swelling. I got an Opinel #6 at the end of July and I love how well it cuts, but I've been struggling with dangerously sticky opening/closing. I discovered, as Carl noted, that "baking" the knife in my car in the summer sun was a very effective fix, but it was a temporary fix. I'm going to try some of these lubrication and "mechanical adjustment" ideas this weekend.

- GT
 
5K Qs said:
Ryan, pjackst, and jackknife,

Thanks for the suggestions about how to deal with handle swelling. I got an Opinel #6 at the end of July and I love how well it cuts, but I've been struggling with dangerously sticky opening/closing. I discovered, as Carl noted, that "baking" the knife in my car in the summer sun was a very effective fix, but it was a temporary fix. I'm going to try some of these lubrication and "mechanical adjustment" ideas this weekend.

- GT
Click to expand...

I used to "bake" and then soak the joint in mineral oil. I've found it to be more effective to soak the whole knife for days, weeks, whatever. My goal being to get it looser and then soak the whole thing long enough to tighten it back up.

Many paths to the same goal grasshopper.
 
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Here is my oldest knife, Opinel no. 7. I just wipe is down when I am done with it and wash it if I am doing something real messy. I love how the blades patina. I recently saw a maker wipe a carbon blade with sulfuric acid for about two minutes then rinse with water... Looked great.
 
I've used and carried a #'s 6, 7, and 8 in carbon with no issues. Admittedly I live in the southwest but with the heat you can sweat pretty good at times when working in the yard, hiking or doing any kind of outdoors activity. Only thing I do to mine as others have mentioned is work a little vasoline in around the pivot now and again and it's good to go.
 
Hello gents,

So I randomly came across this post. I have never seen nor heard of an Opinel until now. I want to thank you. I just purchased a No.8 stainless with walnut. Gorgeous knife. I can not wait to get it in the mail. I love finding new knives with the uniqueness like this.

Cheers,

Lowe5591
 
lowe5591 said:
I have never seen nor heard of an Opinel until now. I want to thank you. I just purchased a No.8 stainless with walnut. Gorgeous knife. I can not wait to get it in the mail. I love finding new knives with the uniqueness like this.
Click to expand...

You'll dig it for sure. I have a no. 6 walnut. Takes and holds a great edge. And .......... welcome to the coolest little knife (sub)forum on the net.

-- Mark
 
I carried an opinel #7 carbon as a tertiary backup for quite awhile, including trips to the Philippines and South America. Plenty of humidity, water, and muck. I cleaned and wiped the blade down with oil after I used it (which wasn't often), otherwise it was buried in my pocket or pack.

Did it rust? Yep. Then again, so did everything else. And if it couldn't rust, it tarnished, rotted, and/or mildewed.

Was it stiff to open at times? Yep. Again, so was everything else. See above. I did use Armor All car wax on the blades at times. That helped somewhat.

I now carry one daily. I have done the procedures/tweaks suggested on a few I own, and did just basic maintenance on others. Frankly, the tweaked ones aren't dramatically better. Worth doing the stuff mentioned? Yes. Absolutely needed? No. Treat it like a safe queen, or like an old Winchester 94 well used deer rifle. Either way it will do what you want.
 
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I cannot overstate the adoration I feel for a decently optimized Opinel. Get two. One to learn on (and potentially ruin, then cannibalize into a new tool altogether- these things just call for a bit of tinkering) and another to keep well once you've cut your opinel-maintenance chops on the first one.
 
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