Rust and corrosion prevention in the field

[clich]

Was thinking last light while oiling up some of the blades that I wonder what people would do in a long term scenario to prevent corrosion on their heavy use blades. So I took my question here to find out. In a longer term (weeks not years) camping/survival/ran into the woods to escape the wife scenario, what would you do to prevent corrosion on your bushcrafter blades that see rain, moisture from foraging food (plants or skinning/gutting animals) , and humid climates? Of course not all blades are powder or epoxy coated but if yours is how would you prevent rust on the edge then? For plain blades how to prevent it all over?

 

[zyhano]

Using the knife gets rid of the surface rust. touchups get rid of rust on the edge. Keeping them clean and dry and wiping the moist away from the knife helps prevent rust. Keep the sheath dry at all times. Don't wear the knife on your sweaty body.
Have some maintenance oil with you.
Those would be my main methods of maintaining the knife probably.

And my number 1 would be to let the wife escape from me so I can stay at home

 

[Komitadjie]

Keep your blade clean and dry as best you can, wipe foreign material off as soon as possible, and keep your sheath dry. That goes double if it's a leather sheath! I personally use Eexoz on any of the blades that I think might get serious wet, although that is probably not the best choice for a food-prep blade since Eexox is not food-safe. Bear in mind that back a couple hundred years, they didn't even have good alloy steel, much less modern protective oils and coatings. Those blades served their owners just fine, some are still around TODAY. A little bit of surface patina doesn't hurt a thing, and unless you REALLY neglect the blade or the environment is murderously corrosive (sea air, on the water, etc) you're probably not going to have a problem at all. Certainly not in the time frame of a few weeks. Definitely +1 for keeping some of the oil you use on your blades with you, though.

 

[M0NK]

the above posts are spot on... for reference, samurai blades were/are not stainless and frequently saw "moisture". they used/still use camellia oil, which is food safe. if you don't want to spend the money on that, then mineral oil is also a food-safe and effective option.

camellia oil is frequently used today by the wood-working community and by itamae (sushi guys) and can be found at most woodworking shops. mineral oil can be found at any pharmacy.

i don't recommend non-food safe oils, you never know when you'll need to use a blade on food, or in an emergency/minor surgery fashion.