Rennaisance Wax vs Mineral Oil

J

johnfbkennedyy

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Feb 22, 2021
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Hi all! I'm in the process of storing my knives in a wooden tool box chest, and I read that its good to protect the knives with: some recommend Rennaisance Wax and other's recommend Mineral Oil (or some type of oil). I usually don't use a lot my knives (I have fixed blade (stag and wooden handle) and folding knives, most are stainless steel), and I almost never use them for food. There are some knives that I would never use and just store as a collection. I always have the same edc stainless steel without coating. Which should I go for? Or what determines which I should use?

Thanks in advance!
 
I much prefer Ren Wax to mineral oil. Have many knives in carbon steel stored for years with no problems.
Recently started using EDCi for daily carry with several pocket knives, easy spray on and wipe off application.

Regards,
FK
 
When I lived in more humid central Texas (in the Austin area), I stored most of my unused knives in zip-loc bags, making sure they were fully clean & dry before doing so. Didn't have to rely on oiling or waxing them, stored that way. I just made absolutely sure the blades were clean - I used Windex or isopropyl alcohol for that, leaving no oils or salts from my hands or any other contaminants on the blades. That's about 99% of the battle. Storing in clean, NEW zip-loc bags kept them pristine. Put it in the bag and roll it up around the knife to squeeze out most of the air, then seal it.

Even after having moved back to my original home territory in New Mexico (much, much drier here), many of those knives are still stored the same way. And still no worries about rust. And each time I take them out to handle them, I always wipe them down with Windex again, before putting them back in the bags.

Most issues I've noticed otherwise were in natural handle materials like wood or stag. Moving from humid Texas back to very dry New Mexico had some handles showing the effects of drying, either cracking (mostly the woods) or warping (some stag handle covers). Waxing them could help, but it's still not guaranteed, as it's so very, very dry where I live. Whichever is done, be it oiling or waxing, one really has to stay ahead of it.
 
johnfbkennedyy said:
Hi all! I'm in the process of storing my knives in a wooden tool box chest, and I read that its good to protect the knives with: some recommend Rennaisance Wax and other's recommend Mineral Oil (or some type of oil). I usually don't use a lot my knives (I have fixed blade (stag and wooden handle) and folding knives, most are stainless steel), and I almost never use them for food. There are some knives that I would never use and just store as a collection. I always have the same edc stainless steel without coating. Which should I go for? Or what determines which I should use?

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

It really different strategy for different people--some folks won't buy a knife until they get to use them on a regular basis, some just store them away in a collection and forget about it. Personally, if it is only for collecting purpose, I would just light coat it with Ren wax and check on them once in awhile to ensure the long term storage solution is working well.

Besides my answer in your thread about humidity/temperature/contact surface/UV light, I've forgotten to mention--it is imperative you keep celluloid material/knife separately from the main collection, and in an open area so the released gas could escape and won't affect the rest of the collection.

Just my 2 cents worth, hope it helps!
 
comis said:
It really different strategy for different people--some folks won't buy a knife until they get to use them on a regular basis, some just store them away in a collection and forget about it. Personally, if it is only for collecting purpose, I would just light coat it with Ren wax and check on them once in awhile to ensure the long term storage solution is working well.

Besides my answer in your thread about humidity/temperature/contact surface/UV light, I've forgotten to mention--it is imperative you keep celluloid material/knife separately from the main collection, and in an open area so the released gas could escape and won't affect the rest of the collection.

Just my 2 cents worth, hope it helps!
Click to expand...
Helps a lot thanks!
 
Fluid film is my go-to metal protectant for long term storage though I’d had good results from T9 as well. Trying tuf-clothe and breakfree collector on a few currently.
 
A G Russell Knives has a product called “Rust Free” that I have found to work quite well. It is silicone based, does not evaporate or harden. I’ve used it on carbon steel for a number of years and been very pleased with the result.
 
comis said:
--it is imperative you keep celluloid material/knife separately from the main collection, and in an open area so the released gas could escape and won't affect the rest of the collection.
Click to expand...
Could you please explain what you mean by celluloid material and what will happen if celluloid material is not kept separate from other knives? Thanks.
 
wayone said:
Could you please explain what you mean by celluloid material and what will happen if celluloid material is not kept separate from other knives? Thanks.
Click to expand...
The linked article below is one of the more complete explanations I've seen about celluloid - what it is, and the associated hazards of celluloid outgassing, which causes extensive corrosion:

http://www.oregonknifeclub.org/celluloid_02.html

And if you search Google for 'celluloid outgassing', you'll find many more discussions & articles on the topic.
 
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Obsessed with Edges said:
The linked article below is one of the more complete explanations I've seen about celluloid - what it is, and the associated hazards of celluloid outgassing, which causes extensive corrosion:

http://www.oregonknifeclub.org/celluloid_02.html

And if you search Google for 'celluloid outgassing', you'll find many more discussions & articles on the topic.
Click to expand...

My brother has a schnauzer that could be accused of a little outgassing, but it hasn't harmed any knives so far. I guess this celluloid outgassing is different.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Wax works wonderfully for long term storage without being gunky or evaporating off.
Click to expand...

My main worry is if I should remove the scales from the knives that I am keeping for my grandbabies and wax the entire blades? Or should I leave the scales on and leave the knives as brand new and never touched? They are CPK knives in D3V steel. I'll probably give my grandson his knife in 10 or 12 years and my granddaughter hers a couple of years later.
 
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