Question About Storing Fixed Blades

Doctorlock

Doctorlock

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Forgive me if this has been discussed before. I have tried to find my answer by searching on here but was unsuccessful. I know I should apply a coat of oil, I typically use Frog Lube. And I know storing in a leather sheath is bad. It can pick up moisture and transfer it to the blade. Here are my questions. If I apply a coat of oil and then store it in a leather sheath is that still bad? And will the oil ruin the leather sheath? And if I apply a coat of oil and then store it in a kydex sheath is that also bad? And will the oil ruin the kydex sheath? If storing in both sheaths, after applying oil, is bad I've also heard of making a "cardboard" sheath for storage. Any thoughts and/or ideas would be most helpful and appreciated! Thank you all in advance.
 
Leather will eventually absorb the oil; Kydex won't. That said, I treat all my leather sheaths with SnowSeal to seal the pores and wipe the knives down with BreakFree CLP, and haven't had a problem storing them in the sheath, albeit in dry conditions. If humidity is high where you are, it would be a good idea to store sheaths and knives separately. Vaseline is a very effective and cheap rust preventive.
 
The cardboard will be as bad as leather for holding moisture. Ideally you don’t want anything touching the blade.
 
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I store oiled in Kydex, if possible. Note that oil in Kydex will attract dirt which can scratch the blade, that's the only problem. But since I try to carry in leather, many of my Kydex sheaths stay clean.
Ideally, it goes like this:

Kydex/Nylon for storage (cost less than $20):

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Leather for carry:

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2022111708121770-IMG_2623-X3.jpg


Doesn't always work out that way, but that's the ideal.
 
What kind of knife steel?

Since 1980, I've always kept my Buck 121 in its sheath. Kept it clean and dry. No oil. Stored in a drawer.

It's a user. All beaten up. Still does whatever I need to do.

To what extent do you use your knives, I guess is also a fair question.
 
I long-term store my fixed blades in the box they were bought in (other than the cheaper ones) and outside the leather sheath. All things being equal, your stainless blades won't be as affected by the leather sheath, but the leather vary wildly in quality and in how they were made. My 80CrV2 Carbon Steel Terava Jaakaripuukko 110 has been sitting in its leather sheath for months without any issues, but if I put my Buck 110 folder into its leather sheath, it practically starts tarnishing before my very eyes.

In cases where they can't be in the box without touching leather, I put a waxed cardboard sheath on them. I also generally store my knives in drawers and toss desiccant packages in with them to suck out the moisture.
 
Thank you all for your ideas and recommendations. As for particular knife steels I'm mainly talking about D2 and 1095 and 80CrV2.
 
A friend uses oil and wax paper to wrap the blade for long term. Haven't tried it yet.
 
I live far from any saltwater, and store my knives on a shelf. If any of them rust on a shelf, I throw them away! But my knives are tools, definitely not safe queens.
How would anybody know is a knife is a "workhorse" if it never get used?
 
I use my knives also but unfortunately my knife addiction means I have far too many to use all at one time. So I rotate them. And the ones not currently in the rotation do sit for a while. Those are the ones I'm concerned about and therefore the reason for this thread.
 
Doctorlock said:
I use my knives also but unfortunately my knife addiction means I have far too many to use all at one time. So I rotate them. And the ones not currently in the rotation do sit for a while. Those are the ones I'm concerned about and therefore the reason for this thread.
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That's pretty much the same boat I'm in. I have knives designated for work stations and sheds, as well as knives in a staging area to grab and go, but the rest of them are in storage waiting for their turn to be rotated into use.
 
Depending on the type of sheath, thing might differ.

From my experience, the sheath that is more like a pouch that avoiding contact with the blade, kind of like Mora companion sheath but made of leather, you can oil the blade then let it be. I have a BPS knives carbon blade with that kind of leather sheath, oiled the blade once, been over a year and it is still polished, no rust and the oil is still visible on the blade. The Terava sheath is about the same.

For the sheath that contact with the blade, though vaseline or chapstick might help as they won't damage the blade nor leather. If you want to be super secure, use a ziplock bag to cover everything.
 
I went on a huge GEC kick a while back. I don't like keeping them in the tubes because I liked to fondle them. When I stored them I put them in a spydiepack. One of the best tips I ever got (maybe from youtube?) Was to put some petroleum jelly on them for long time storage. Never had any pepper spots, or patina happen on one that I rubbed a little Vaseline on until I cleaned it off and used the knife. You can also buy silica gel packs for gunsafes and put them in whatever you are storing them in.
 
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