Question about Storage?

I have a few microtechs that I would like to store open and have a question about storage.
I have a leather briefcase that I no longer use and I bought some high density foam to fit inside and covered it with a cotton fabric. I can fit the knives in this and put another piece of covered foam on top of them, shut the lid and they don't move. They don't come in contact with the leather at all and they have been wiped down with tufcloth. Here is the question, is this going to cause any problems, these are all 154cm blades, if I were to shut the lid without the top foam some leather might come into contact with the blades but only for a short time.
What do you guys think?
Thanks for your help in advance.
Eric

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Outside of a dog, a Knife is man's best friend. Inside a dog it is very, very Dark.
 
i think if you keep some silica gel in thre and keep em wiped down they'll be fine.just dont let that thing get damp.guys-if im wrong,correct me.thanks,
morris
 
Thanks Morris,
Yes I do keep some silica gel in the corners of the case. I can't think of a problem on this but I might be missing something. I wipe them down about once a week but I wanted to know what everyone else thinks. BTW, they are beadblasted blades if this matters.
Eric
 
ARtsig1

ARtsig1

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I agree with Morris. That sounds like a fine idea. The silica gel packs are what I use in the boxes I keep my knives. I store the otf's wrapped up in silicone cloths and then placed inside.

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Art Sigmon
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"
Php. 4:13
 
Art,
I didn't even think about wrapping the knives in silicone cloths. Where do you find something like that.
Eric
 
RED FLAG:

There was a post about maybe a year ago from a fellow collector who had just returned from extended travel. Before he left, he dutifully treated all of his knives with Tuff Cloth, wrapped them, and put them in an air-tight ammo box with several silica gel desiccant packs.

He returned to find everything hopelessly rusted.

What when wrong? The shocking conclusion we reached: it was the desiccant packs! Silica gel absorbs water out of the air, sure enough. And that's a good thing. But where does the water go? It doesn't magically disappear. Once they're saturated, these packs can work in reverse releasing the water stored in them.

To use these packs properly, you must first dry them typically by baking them. It's a long process. They have to be baked for about 16 hours. Then, they have to be immediately put into the container they're going to protect, and the container must be sealed.

When they're dried out like this, these packs become very powerful water magnets. Wood, ivory, bone, leather, and other common knife materials can be sucked dry and ruined by these packets.

Some time ago, I noticed that the rec.knives news group had a number of museum curators on it including one who curated knifes and guns for the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, a world-class museum (If you are ever within 150 miles of this facility, make time and make the trip. You will not regret it.) So, I asked what would be the one most ideal condition to store the vast majority of knives in, not necessarily the best conditions for any one given knife, but the best overall compromise. They all agreed. Wax the blades and store at 50/50, fifty percent humidity at fifty degrees F.

Bead Blasted finished are the worst for rust. If you want to keep 'em perfect, you really need to wax 'em with something like Renaissance Wax. http://www.silversmithing.com/cutleryspecialties/index.htm



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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
Eric,
You should be able to find these in the sporting goods section of your local Wal-Mart. Any gun shop should have them also.

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Art Sigmon
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"
Php. 4:13

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword"
Heb. 4:12
 
Thanks Gollnick for the advice.

I know that this wasn't my topic but I have a great interest (a constantly growing interest) in it.

Wax, 50deg, 50% humidity huh?

If it's good enough for a museum, then it should be good enough for us.

--The Raptor--
 
Yes, I also appreciate all the info. One question about the wax, won't this cause problems on folders with tight tolerances. Wax build-up in the pivot area.
Thanks
Eric
 
Eric,

I sent you an E-mail, but felt this should be posted.

Ren Wax works great on all knives. I did
3 OTFs last evening and they function fine.

I do not like to store anything in foam.
Most foams hold moisture. I have been using
Bill's Custom Cases for years and have been a dealer for awhile. These have a padding that will not hold or attract moisture.

Win Heger
 
The best advice I ever heard about the long term storage of guns, knives or ammo was to store them in an environment that matches your bedroom. I keep things clean, I run a dehumidifier, use good oil and products like Rig, Tuff-Cloth, and Nevr-Dull, and I have had no corrosion problems in over 25 years. True, I had some dulling on the brass bolster of an old Cold Steel Tanto, but it wiped off easily with Nevr-Dull. I am leary of storage containers that don't 'breathe.' I think they trap wet air inside,and don't let it out.--OKG
 
I'll second Bill's Custom Cases. He's done wonderful cases for all of my finest knives. He made my wallet too.



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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
Sorry to bring this back to the top, but I still have a couple questions. With knives that I previously used tufcloth on, do I need to do anything before using the Ren Wax. Or would it be good enough to buy some good cases and just keep them rubbed down well with tufcloth?
Thanks
Eric
 
The only thing that has proven 100% on bead-blasted finishes in wax. The effect of Tuff Cloth has proven remarkably undurable. You can wipe the blade with a soft cloth like a cotton dish towel a few times are remove most of the Tuff stuff. Then, wax 'em down. Even after they're waxed and in nice Bill's Custom Cases, check 'em every few months for any signs of rust forming.



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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
Empty six cans of Tri-Flow into a Tupperwear bowl. Add four bottles of Tuf-Glide in the Tupperwear. Empty several containers of 3 in 1 oil. Put in 1 oz. of mineral oil. Spray in two cans of WD-40. Pour in some honing oil. Wax your knife. Wipe your blade with Tuf-Cloth and then wrap it around your knife. Drop your knife inside it and leave it in there while you travel. Your knife will not rust.

If you are really feeling cautious, surround the bowl with Silica gel packets and saran wrap the top so nothing gets in.

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Chang and the Rebels of the East
(Southern Taiwan Shall Rise Again!)

[This message has been edited by Comrade Chang (edited 11-01-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Comrade Chang (edited 11-01-2000).]
 
I'm new to the forum,but not new to knives.I collect Case copperheads,some stainless,most carbon.I usually wipe them down with a silicon cloth,and use a little 3in1 oil on the joints and backsprings,{inside and out}.I do this about twice a year.I keep them in Knife-Paks.I have had some of these knives going on 10 years,no problems,no rust.Mind you I do not use these knives.That may be the difference,they are not exposed.Keep the Knife-Paks in a near constant temperature.
 
Breeze, welcome to the forums if you are new.
smile.gif
 
BTW, get some old flannel cotton shirts or just plain old cotton and spray it with a can of Kel brand pure silicone. Silicone cloths at a fraction of their retail cost!

Another suggestion would be to try some of those chemically treated plastic zip lock storage bags offered by Bianchi, Kleenbore, etc. I haven' t used them for knives but those chemicals better work since it is common wisdom that plain airtight plastic bags are one of the worse ways to store. Do some research or run a search.

L8r,
Nakano

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"To earn a million is easy, a real friend is not."
 
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