Protect 1084 from rust?

D

Doc Shipley

Joined
Mar 7, 2009
Messages
254
I just finished a knife made of Aldo Bruno's 1084, and everything it touches corrodes it. I cut a hot sausage link with it the other day and it left the blade looking case hardened - blue and amber-ish coloring everywhere the hot grease touched it. Carried it in a new sheath last night for about 2 hours and something in the leather conditioner rusted it black and left irreparable pits in the blade.

Obviously, I'm missing something. It seems that if it were this hard to keep, 1084 wouldn't be as widely used as it is. I don't mind a patina, but the pitting won't do at all.

Help?


Doc
 
Not to be a smart ass. Just stating facts. A carbon steel knife is going to rust, and or discolor if it is used, which is the idea of a knife. If you can't live that then you need to go stainless.
 
I don't understand the irreparable pitting as a result of being in a leather sheath for a couple of hours.
 
I've no idea what the pitting is, but I've used carbon steel knives all my life and they all will discolor / get a pitina after very little use. That's the nature of the beast. I actually prefer the look on my users.
 
what kind of leather are you using and how are you treating it? I can leave my etched 1084 in the sheath for a long time with no issues. a few hours should not harm the knife at all.

being in TX maybe you should wax your blades with carnuba or ren wax.

slight discoloration patina is normal, and will give a little protection as well.
 
Yes , patina is normal and you shouldn't worry. Rust is different .That can be prevented by keeping the blade clean, dry, and lightly coating with oil.
 
The tannins used in some leather can cause pitting. You have to use a high quality leather that is appropriate for sheath making. I forget the name of the chemicals involved...
 
Yup. I believe you want vegetable tanned rather than urea tanned.
 
I use Renaissance Wax, but even on those blades I haven't used it on I haven't had an issue. For those that don't get waxed, I use Breakfree CLP. If it's good enough to keep my guns from rusting, it's good enough to keep my blades from rusting.

-d
 
Thanks, everyone, for all the responses.

LRB said:
Not to be a smart ass. Just stating facts. A carbon steel knife is going to rust, and or discolor if it is used, which is the idea of a knife. If you can't live that then you need to go stainless.
Click to expand...

Not to be argumentative, but this isn't the first non-stainless blade I've owned. I have several carbon steel knives, and never had one rust. They turn colors with use, and they turn different colors with non-use, but I've never had one pit like this. Like I said, I don't mind a patina, and expected this blade to color up. The rust just freaked me right out.

The sheath in question is brand new oak-tanned tooling hide. I did use a conditioner on it that I haven't used on sheaths before, and had just soaked a lot of it in when I put the knife in it. I suspect the conditioner has a crapload of water in it. I guess I'll just go back to using neatsfoot oil. :(

Farmer Phil, Austin's almost as bad - hot, humid, and polluted. I could spend my life just trying to keep all my tools shiny.
 
drdoc said:
Thanks, everyone, for all the responses.



Not to be argumentative, but this isn't the first non-stainless blade I've owned. I have several carbon steel knives, and never had one rust. They turn colors with use, and they turn different colors with non-use, but I've never had one pit like this. Like I said, I don't mind a patina, and expected this blade to color up. The rust just freaked me right out.

The sheath in question is brand new oak-tanned tooling hide. I did use a conditioner on it that I haven't used on sheaths before, and had just soaked a lot of it in when I put the knife in it. I suspect the conditioner has a crapload of water in it. I guess I'll just go back to using neatsfoot oil. :(

Farmer Phil, Austin's almost as bad - hot, humid, and polluted. I could spend my life just trying to keep all my tools shiny.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure if "oak-tanned" leather actually uses any part of an oak tree, but if it does, I will tell you this. Live oak trees have such a high acid content relatively to other trees that the shed leaves will essentially sterilize the ground underneath them as they decompose of all but the most hardy plants.
 
Here in the Catskill Mtns there used to be a very large industry of tanning. They used hemlock bark for it's tannic acid content .Oak bark and wood also has high tannic acid content.
 
I tell my customers that buy tool steel knives that it comes with a guarantee: they are going to rust and stain. That being said I also tell them to treat the knife like they do their rifle or shotgun, oil it and store it out of the scabbard.

I did have a very bad experience a few years ago when I bought some chrome oil tanned leather. It not only rusted the steel, it turned the brass guards a nasty green color in just a little time in the scabbard. Check your leather!
 
I've read that 1084 is more prone to rusting than other carbon steels, because it's very simple in it's composition. Iron and carbon with no Chromium. Maybe this is a combination of factors at work here. 1084, non-veg tanned leather and a humid environment all working together? May be some one with more knowledge than me could weigh in on this. Stephen
 
drdoc said:
The sheath in question is brand new oak-tanned tooling hide.
Click to expand...

There's your problem. Oak tanned or Chrome tanned leather is just no good for knife sheaths. It'll eat steel like crazy. Vegetable tanned leather is the only way to fly...

-d
 
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