Persistent verdegris on a 112.

S

Sword and Shield

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Apr 3, 2004
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Shortly before we left on our honeymoon, I picked up a 112 in the leather sheath as a memento, and as a new piece to knock around a bit.

Like all my other knives, this lives in the sheath, as space is limited. However, it develops verdegris almost instantly. Give it a month after polishing, and it's back looking terrible.

I've cleaned out and treated the sheath with Sno-Seal, as is my norm, and I've never had another knife do this. Any ideas?
 
I've got the same problem with my 110. I keep the knife sheathed in a dry environment but the next time I go to use it (I admit, I don't use it all that much) the area around and on the brass bolsters needs a clean-up to look right.

I haven't used wax on the bolsters, but then again, it's only my Buck that has this problem. I suspect that this is just a natural process with brass and besides, it doesn't all bother me that much.
 
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I think it's just about the brass in direct contact with (and reacting to) the leather. I've got three knives on my desk in front of me: a Buck 112, Ka-Bar 1199, and a Western L48A fixed blade w/brass guard. All three of them will show a little 'greenage' if left in their sheaths too long. It comes off pretty easily, though. I don't worry about it too much. If you are worried about it, just simply remove the knife from the sheath when storing it. Another option that has worked pretty well for me, make sure the knife is clean & dry, then put it in a clean zip-loc bag (sealed) before storing in the sheath.

Edited to add:
Something interesting. The 'verdigris' patina is defined as consisting primarily of copper sulfate. Coincidentally, copper sulfate is used to treat leather during the tanning process. So, it seems to make sense that most of the issue might be with the sheath itself. If you can find a sheath that hasn't been made of leather treated with copper sulfate, it'd be interesting to see if the issue clears up.
 
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Knives in sheathes can mean corrosion as well as just green on brass bolsters.

I'd be careful about putting knives in plastic and then putting them in the sheath, too.

Sealing anything up in something like a ziplock could end in corrosion. Free air flow is essential.
 
BG42EDGE said:
Knives in sheathes can mean corrosion as well as just green on brass bolsters.

I'd be careful about putting knives in plastic and then putting them in the sheath, too.

Sealing anything up in something like a ziplock could end in corrosion. Free air flow is essential.
Click to expand...

I have knives that've been stored in zip-locs for 10+ years. There as pristine now as the day I bought 'em. As I mentioned earlier, as long as they're clean & dry, they'll be fine.
 
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