Putting knives away for the future, how to protect them?

sceva

sceva

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Well two of the three GEC 15 Huckleberry's I got for the Grandsons arrived today. These are really nice knives. Now to store them away for when their parents feel they're ready.

1095 carbon steel blade and spring, Liners are ???, Handle scales are Green linen micarta so they'll be ok

Any suggestions for long term storage. I did put a drop of mineral oil on the pivot and wiped the blade, liner edges and backspring with it, then wrapped them back in the waxed paper then back in the tube.

I am thinking possibly a wipe with RIG, it works well for guns. then away in the tube. But then again I do not want to stain the micarta if that's possible.

I can get small VCI zip lock bags at work. The blue kind seem to work pretty well.

I am open to suggestions, The twins are two and the newest hasn't arrived yet so we're talking about putting them away for a number of years. For all I know I may not be around when they get their knives so I want to do what I can to protect them.

prerequisite photos
15 Huckleberry 1.jpg 15 Huckleberry 2.jpg
 
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Renaissance wax, and maybe some of those moisture absorbing packs in the box with them
 
They are most likely fine as is.
I have bought plenty of NOS GEC’s and never had a problem with rust.
 
It sounds like you have a pretty good plan already. I've used RIG on guns too and I don't think you'll do much better than that. I'm also I'm a big fan of VCI products. I use the little 12 gauge plugs in my knife cases like the one pictured below. It wouldn't hurt to toss one of those inside the bag too just in case the bag itself loses it's effectiveness over time.

IMG_2939.JPG

You can also saturate the wick inside the plug with VCI oil if it starts to dry out although it will probably remain moist for a very long time inside that baggie. There are also VCI packets that can be placed inside the baggie and they don't cost much. The VCI vapor will reach crevices that you might not be able to reach with RIG or oils.

In my opinion, if you coat the steel with RIG, 3 in 1 oil, or something similar and use VCI protection in addition to that then you've got maximum protection from two very effective products.
 
I've found that food grade (non-petroleum) mineral oil is not very long lasting, if that's the kind you used.
 
Hello gents. I have not posted much here on the porch as I’m fairly new to the forum and still getting a feel for the lay of the land.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the content found here.

I would chime in and offer that I also tried Swans mineral oil for storage and found that over about a year it is no longer effective, and in one case even caused a bit of staining around the perimeter of the dried parts of the blade.

Silicon dessicant packs work well when storing in original boxes in a drawer, but will also need changing out over time.

What seems to be working for me is dessicant packs in combination with vacuum sealed bags.

Reading some of the suggestions above sounds like something I’d like to try is RIGS and VCI.

Good luck in your search for what works best for you!
 
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I tried coating in oil with limited success, but have found vacuum bags to work great! It seems to work best when you actually wipe it clean and then seal it up.
 
The micarta scales won't pose any problems-warp,shrink etc that's good. But steel liners might..
Not ever tried this myself, but how about packing it with vaseline? Might be messy! But should offer protection.

Probably Ren Wax is better.....
 
I've used Zerust with good success in storing wood carving tools and knives.
Looks like the VCI is similar but ive not used it specifically.
Fresh dessicant in a sealed container should last the life if the storage.
 
RIG works great, but I would not store knives in any type of zip lock bag. Just check every month and re-apply if needed.
 
I've used Ren wax with great results they use it in museums for their treasures.
 
We have both Zrust and Blue VCI bags at work.

Bill RIG the blades and other steel parts drop into VCI or Zrust bags , put them back in the tubes. I'll check them periodically.
 
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