Rust on a backspring. Cosmetic blem or failure waiting to happen?

S

Squashfan

Joined
Jun 6, 2012
Messages
1,670
I bought a used knife to use as a user off of the exchange and when I opened the knife there were rust spots on the backspring. Most of them were pin prick size or smaller. But there is one spot that is a little bit smaller than the size of the backspring rivet. I was just planning to clean this off when I thought off knarfeng's words in the "Queen Mountain Man retired" thread.

Springs, being under stress as they bend, are less corrosion resistant than other steel objects. An amount of corrosion which would go unnoticed in other objects can cause failure in a spring.

This is because, for steel under stress as a spring is, it only takes a bit of corrosion to create an initiation point for stress corrosion cracking. Stress corrosion cracking causes catastrophic failure, which is pretty much what Pete's knife spring experienced.
Click to expand...

Should I be worried? Like I said before this is a user bought to be used.
 
A fair number of my old Imperial and Hammer Brand knives have rusty springs - to date none have failed upon use. OH
 
I would still suggest that you clean off any rust spots to prevent them from getting worse. I use various protectants on my knives to help keep them free of rust, and I try to keep them clean and well maintained.
 
Last edited:
jc57 said:
I would still suggest that you clean off any rust spots to prevent them crom getting worse. I use various protectants on my knives to help keep them free of rust, and I try to keep them clean and well maintained.
Click to expand...

This sums it up, take joy in caring for your carbon blades (and backsprings). For me, it's like bonding with a knife..:rolleyes:
 
Just lightly oil a Q-tip insert it in the frame and run it up and down the spring. It'll take a couple/three of them but that's all you need and as others have said; use the heck out of it.
 
Is this your only knife? If not, don't worry about it. Knives wear out. Use it up, then go get another. You'll have a great reason to get yourself a new knife.

- Christian
 
Whether there would eventually be a problem depends on the depth of the corrosion and the tension of the spring. If it were mine I'd hit it with some WD-40 and just use it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top