Please help me fight off rust!!!

K

knifecollector73

Joined
Jan 15, 2013
Messages
425
Hello,
i just made a knife out of high carbon steel, and i need help keeping off rust. The scales are already on it, so i'm not sure if putting it in boiling vinegar will still work. The scales are pinned on and glued with gorilla glue which is water proof, but the vinegar is acidic. Has anyone tried soaking a whole fixed blade, scales and all, in vinegar? Does anyone have any other easy alternatives to keeping rust off? Also, I've had issues like this in other threads, but please keep comments such as "throw it away" or "buy another knife. Problem solved" to yourself.
Thanks! Tucker

Here's the knife.
P1060257_zpsf74167b1.jpg
 
You can sand it down, wash it well, clean with denatured alcohol, and patina it to help slow down rust. Mild acids like mustard, lemon juice, or white vinegar can be used to form the patina oxides You can't boil it once the handle is on, but warm vinegar should be OK.

Vinegar will also make the curly maple pop a lot more. Sand the handle along with the blade as above, and dip the knife in warm vinegar (wear rubber gloves once the blade and handle are clean). Rub the handle firmly with 4/0 steel wool. Repeat the dip and rub as much as is needed. Once finished, rinse off well and neutralize with baking soda and water. Rinse again, dry and oil the blade well. Let the handle dry completely for a few days before re-sanding it with fine paper (tape up the blade so you don't sand way the patina). Apply a handle finish like true-oil or similar after the sanding is done.

Patina will help, but oiling a blade is how to keep rust away.
 
I like either renaissance wax or the gun oil types. The oil is mainly to protect the blade from rust in storage, not when using it.

You can always wipe down the blade with denatured alcohol before the hunting trip and then re-apply it after washing up post-trip. If you want to use an oil that doesn't have to be cleaned off before the hunt, use any stable food grade oil. Canola, food grade mineral oil, etc..
 
Before i put the handles on, i did soak it in boiling vinegar but the next day it already had rust. Did I do something wrong?
 
You have to wipe it down very well so it is bone dry. You could have used oil , which could be cleaned off for the glue up, then re-oiled after. With a good wipe down, I find my carbon steel knives don't need any protection in my cutlery drawer. If you live in a high humidity area, a drop of oil every so often will help.
 
Thank you everyone for your help, i just decided to sand it as close to a mirror finish as i dared, and i will keep it oiled during the humid summers of North Carolina. This has worked on some of my other knives. Thank you again everyone for the advice.
 
Afriend of mine told me about clenzoil. He hunts africa and it's the only thing he found to keep a gun from rusting coming back across the Atlantic.You can coat a knife with it .And soak a leather sheath in it.
 
Tucker, you may have some trouble brewing under the scales if the acid wasn't neutralized before you glued the scales on. Keep an eye on the tang where it meets the scales, if it starts rusting in the joint, you may have to remove the scales clean and redo.
 
John Moran said:
Tucker, you may have some trouble brewing under the scales if the acid wasn't neutralized before you glued the scales on. Keep an eye on the tang where it meets the scales, if it starts rusting in the joint, you may have to remove the scales clean and redo.
Click to expand...

Thanks, will do. Im pretty sure i wiped it down before i put the scales on. That would be terrible if not. I think i just had rust on the blade because while putting glue on the scales, that was the only part i could touch. I will keep that in mind. Thanks
 
On guns I use super fine steel wool to scrub off rust without affecting the surface finish too much.
 
I'm a big fan of Gibbs Penetrant... Out of a great many, it does the best down here in FL...
 
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