Depends on your definition of rust. According to Mike Stewart of Bark River, A2 does not rust. This is a direct quote. Rust being defined as pitting. I have not had any of my A2 barkies pit as a result of wet environment use, discolor yes, pit, no. I do wipe dry after use. Your mileage may vary.
Rust to me = iron oxide (as a head science teacher esp. chemistry). More practically for knives, any metal oxide or other compound on the steel (a.k.a. corrosion).
Pitting or otherwise is relevent in terms of the damage the rust does and the speed at which it progresses into the steel.
I understand where Mike is coming from with this, although I've never seen that comment until now. It's like saying that aluminium doesn't corrode. It does, but only the surface which then protects the underlying aluminium. I still personally say that rust is rust though. The fact that A2 doesn't pit as easily (at all? don't know) is relevent but does not mean that it does not rust.
What I get is pin-point rust-brown speckles on the steel, especially on the exposed tang. I'm not talking about patination but rusting. These spots can be felt with a fingernail and are tough to remove, needing quite stong abrasion (more than a green nylon scourer for instance). Additionally, I seem to need to take the steel down a little to fully remove the spots, meaning that the 'discolouration' goes to some depth in the steel.
If I put a finger on the bare steel, within a few hours I can discern my fingerprint in rust-brown, fine lines.
O1 steel does this with me but
much more quickly and more extensively, as would be expected. I get a similar effect on brass as well. I sold a really nice big folder a few months back simply because I could not touch the brass bolsters without them corroding and showing my fingerprints within an hour!
As I have said, I think that I have weird skin oils, so this is
my problem, not necessarily one others will encounter. Still, A2 steel
can corrode and it's why I don't own more.
Rick.
)))
