Oxidation Frustration

[OLd_gUY]

Could that cabinet and stand fit against an upstairs closet wall, behind closed doors and out of view?

 

[jc57]

I would have to imagine that humidity is humidity wherever you are, but I'm no expert.

Y'all have that Yankee humidity up north there. Southern humidity makes people uncomfortable but leaves the knives alone. Or maybe it's the fact that we have to run our air conditioners all of the time, where you turn yours off at night.

 

[OLd_gUY]

There have been references to the miracles of Stainless in this thread and sorry to be a bubble buster but I feel a need to put another 2 cents worth in.
STAINLESS CAN RUST !!
The perception that stainless steel that never rusts is not true. The word “stain-less” means just that - that it stains less.
It is very true that what we term carbon steels are inferior to stainless steel when it comes to corrosion resistance.
But given the "wrong" conditions, environmental (salt water, high humidity, restricted air movement, etc.) or material (not enough chromium, poor manufacturing standards etc.), stainless will rust.
Thankfully, the major manufacturers who produce the knives we buy use high grade stainless in their products.
However ever since being a young'un, I have always practiced taking care of my knives much in the ways so clearly stated directly above in post #39 and #40, whether stainless or not.
It's a monthly routine.
It's kinda like painting the Golden Gate Bridge - I get to the end and start all over again. But, I only do a couple at a time so I don't put it off.

 

[Fisher1573]

I live in southeast Georgia and the humidity here causes rust pretty quickly. I use a light layer of chapstick on the knife I'm carrying thanks to reading jackknife's posts for the last 6 or 8 years. The knives I'm not carrying I keep oiled with mineral oil and 3-in-1 in the joints. I'm glad your collection is ok.

 

[Bugdoc]

Old Guy, not arguing with you about SS ultimately rusting but the point I and I think others here would make is that under the usual conditions knife nuts are dealing with SS will be largely resistant to rusting. That's been my experience here in sweaty Wisconsin.

Barrett, beware of the typical digital readout devices sold in big box stores. Speaking from experience with humidors, they can be off by as much as 20%. (That probably is true for the read outs on dehumidifiers too ) Consider a quality hygrometer to accurately measure humidity.

 

[OLd_gUY]

Old Guy, not arguing with you...

Yep, I agree with you 100%.
The point I'm trying to make is that even with the convenience of Stainless, it is still a good idea to practice proper care of any tool, ESPECIALLY knives.
I was trying to say - "An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure", no matter the circumstance.
OG

 

[btb01]

Y'all have that Yankee humidity up north there. Southern humidity makes people uncomfortable but leaves the knives alone. Or maybe it's the fact that we have to run our air conditioners all of the time, where you turn yours off at night.

I think you may have a good point there, John. I was thinking something similar this morning, when I’d been up for an hour or so and the AC hadn’t yet kicked on. It certainly has to run less frequently here than in Arizona or Arkansas. Good for my electric bill, but not so much for keeping the air in the house dry, it seems.

Barrett, beware of the typical digital readout devices sold in big box stores. Speaking from experience with humidors, they can be off by as much as 20%. (That probably is true for the read outs on dehumidifiers too ) Consider a quality hygrometer to accurately measure humidity.

I know what you mean. Thankfully, I already have a couple good ones that I use for cigar storage. I’ve had them in sealed containers with Boveda packets, and they read the exact percentage of the packet, so I feel pretty confident in their accuracy.

 

[Modoc ED]

This may sound ridiculous but I actually bring humidity into our house.

The area of California we live in (NE CA) has a very dry heat in the summer. An air conditioner is not very efficient as it requires humid air to work efficiently as an air conditioner draws moisture out of the air it brings into the house and then cools that air. We use a Swamp Cooler (evaporative air cooler) that draws air through water drenched pads and blows the humidified/cooled air into the house. During the winter, we sometimes use a wood stove to heat the house which provides a dry heat that can dry out the wood in the house. Therefore; I place a steel, 1-gallon pitcher, of water on the wood stove which boils off the water which introduces moisture (humidity) throughout the house. I add water to the pitcher as needed.

When I get a new carbon knife, I spray it down with Rem Oil and then rub it down with an old gun rag. This leaves a light film of oil on the knives blades, covers, and well. I haven't had oxidation related issues with my knives using this method. Unless I plan to put a knife in deep storage, I keep my knives (unwrapped) in fishing lure boxes (the ones that have clear lids (Rapala is one brand)) in drawers in my roll-to desk. The reason I use fishing lure boxes is that the fishing lure manufactures use boxes that have oxidation repellent in the material used to make the boxes in order to keep lures from rusting but it works great for knives too.

Oh, I also spray down and wipe my stainless steel knives and store them the same way. It can't hurt to use caution with them too.

 

[boykinlp]

When I get a new carbon knife, I spray it down with Rem Oil and then rub it down with an old gun rag. This leaves a light film of oil on the knives blades, covers, and well. I haven't had oxidation related issues with my knives using this method. Unless I plan to put a knife in deep storage, I keep my knives (unwrapped) in fishing lure boxes (the ones that have clear lids (Rapala is one brand)) in drawers in my roll-to desk. The reason I use fishing lure boxes is that the fishing lure manufactures use boxes that have oxidation repellent in the material used to make the boxes in order to keep lures from rusting but it works great for knives too.

I never knew that about the boxes. I have thrown away hundreds of those boxes.

 

[Modoc ED]

Well, start saving them from the smallest right up to the biggest. You'll be able to store all sizes of knives from the Peanut (or smaller) right up through the 5 1/2" folding hunters, back pockets, Cheetahs, etc..

 

[Bugdoc]

Yep, I agree with you 100%.
The point I'm trying to make is that even with the convenience of Stainless, it is still a good idea to practice proper care of any tool, ESPECIALLY knives.
I was trying to say - "An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure", no matter the circumstance.
OG

Right, an oz. of prevention is worth a whole lot of CURE. I do keep all knives, carbon and SS out of their sheaths as I've read that the leather can absorb water and cause rust, even on SS.

Barrett +1 on Boveda. I'm heading to Croatia with the Croatian side of my wife's family next week. I plan to pick up a box of Cuban Monti #2s.

 

[btb01]

I spent some time this afternoon finishing up the cleaning and derustification process. I had oiled everything and got most of the rust off the other day; today I took a Scotch Brite pad and got the more stubborn spots off the liners. (Even cut up into small pieces, it’s tough to get much done with the Scotch Brite pad on the inside part of the backsprings, but I got what I could off.) Then I oiled everything again, especially down between the liners, and put them all away. I think this evening I’m going to head into town and look for some desiccant packets, and also shop around for a dehumidifier.

At some point while working on the knives, I realized that I must have nicked myself on one of ‘em.

Not a big deal, except that I didn’t think getting blood on any knives was going to do me any favors. Of course, since we’re still unpacking and getting settled, there are some things I don’t know the exact location of at the moment. Like bandaids. This was all I could find.

Modoc ED , very smart with the fishing lure boxes! I didn’t know that about them, either.

Barrett +1 on Boveda. I'm heading to Croatia with the Croatian side of my wife's family next week. I plan to pick up a box of Cuban Monti #2s.

Have fun! I hope the Cubans are reasonably priced there. I bought a few in England last year, but the prices there make it difficult to justify buying more than a couple cigars.

 

[Bugdoc]

I think real Habanos are expensive , period. But got to do it once. At least exchange rate is in my favor a bit.