Rust on the blade but not on the edge.. Get it off! :P

S

stridersrock

Joined
Mar 6, 2005
Messages
24
Hey, this is weird. I went out with my Strider MT last week and it got wet of course. But I wiped the blade thoroughly before sheathing it.
I tossed it in my pack over the weekend and took it out 3 days later, and it looked like this!

2js4ub


2js4xs



I'm not phased by this at all. It's weird that the rust is barely on the edge though, and all over the blade.

How can I get it off without taking off the finish as well? I thought of chemical rust removers, but I never used any.

I'd like to keep the finish because I don't want to send the knife back to Strider while the borders are so tight.

Thanks. :P
 
Oh, that's painful to look at.

That's a beadblasted blade for you, though. The edge is not so rusted because it's not beadblasted but polished smooth.

You need Flitz polish. Flitz is a chemcial polish not an abraisive polish. It chemically dissolves and removes the rust. So, apply it and rub it into the surface not for the purpose of being abrasive, but in order to rub it into the rough surface of the metal. Then, let it sit for a few minutes to chemically dissolve the rust. Then, buff it off.
 
steel wool

when i used to do alot of hunting (several months stright) with not alot of extras i used to use moss and a light sand from a creek bed.
 
Thanks for the quick replies.
I'm researching Flitz right now. I heard of it before.

Steel wool would be abrasive. It's what I would use if there are no other options.
 
stridersrock said:
I went out with my Strider MT last week and it got wet of course. But I wiped the blade thoroughly before sheathing it.
I tossed it in my pack over the weekend and took it out 3 days later, and it looked like this!
Click to expand...


What happened here is simple. If you were to look at it under a microscope, you'd see that the beadblasted finish of the blade is not smooth but pocked with divits and valleys. when the knife got wet, water got down into those divits and valleys. When you dried it, you dried the surface. But water remained down in those divits and valleys. Then, you sheathed the knife sealing the water in causing the rust.




It's weird that the rust is barely on the edge though, and all over the blade.
Click to expand...

The edge has been polished smooth by sharpening.



The way to prevent this in the future is first to wax the knife with Ren Wax before you take it out. This will help seal those divits and valleys and keep water out. Yes, when you use the knife, the wax will rub off. But, hopefully, it won't rub off of the entire area. Some protection is better than none. When you get back, don't just dry the surface, but use a hair dryer to dry your blade. This will heat the knife up and get the water out of those divits and valleys. No, it won't detemper your blade since it's not hot enough. Leave the knife in a dry place for several days. Wax it again. Store it out of the sheath.
 
Steel wool would be abrasive. It's what I would use if there are no other options.
Click to expand...

use the extra fine stuff, it wont harm the knife at all. infact, you can actually use the fine steel wool to clean road tar off of a cars paint job. our detial guys keep tons of the stuff around to get tar off the paint.
 
Thanks Gollnick! That is the most useful information I have read about knives.
I never liked the bead blasted finish on Striders and nobody else does either. Now I can SEE why! :P

The handle under the paracord is holding up very well. It still has small amounts of rust, nothing serious. I don't know what it is but it's a lot better than what's on the blade.


I'll try the fine steel wool. It would be more convienent and cheaper than Flitz until I can find a local dealer. Thanks.
 
I believe your pictures are why many firms coat their hard use knives when a polished finish is not wanted for "tactical" reasons.
 
Ouch. Those pictures make me cringe.

If you can get the rust out, I'd try to somehow refinish the knife with a satin finish. Then perhaps "stone wash" it by playing with the gravel in your driveway (tape the edge up first), if you want a finish that'll wear well and won't look bad if it's used hard.

Beadblasting sucks.
 
That ain't bad rust. It looks like very light surface rust.

If the blade is beadblasted and you use it outdoors, it's going to rust. No brainer...
 
Beadblast likes to do that.

I'd be inclined to send it to Strider so they can re-bead blast it. There may be similar rust under the cord wrap.
 
Thanks for more responses. And thanks for the compliment on my photography. :P

I probably won't re-finish this knife. It was my last outing with the knife before retiring it for a KaBar USMC. I normally take the knife out of the sheath when I get home and lay it in between a towel but I neglected it this time since it will be a drawer knife from now on.

I might still be able to sell it, since the Strider Warranty holds value.
 
WadeF said:
Import knife into Photoshop and remove the rust. :p
Click to expand...

:D
A giant smile got on my face when I saw that. Nice job!!!


And it's an ATS-34 blade, bought in 2002. I'll take After photos when I get around to getting the rust off. I might send it to Strider to re-finish one day.
 
You may be able to get a lot of the surface rust off by simply using some elbow grease and some CLP/Break Free. You should also keep a layer of Break Free, or similar substance, on the blade at all times - regardless of whether the blade is stainless or not. Oh, and never store any knife in a sheath. A sheath is for carrying, not storage. It's asking for rust.

I use Break free on my main hunting Bowie, and have had some days where I carried it sheathed in 90*/80% humid environments. As you can see, the original saw blade(L6) it was hewn from was pitted(we did it on purpose for a work-knife look, as with the bluing/case hardened look). I'm using it as an example of how even a carbon blade that has had previous rust can be preserved. With Break Free, there's never been any rust since it restarted life anew as a Bowie.

large.jpg

WYK
 
stridersrock said:
:D
A giant smile got on my face when I saw that. Nice job!!!


And it's an ATS-34 blade, bought in 2002. I'll take After photos when I get around to getting the rust off. I might send it to Strider to re-finish one day.
Click to expand...

I've been surprised at how easily ATS-34 corrodes. Guess I was used to 440C in "good" SS blades. I've had much better luck S30V since it showed up.
 
First things first, use some breakfree/light oil of your choice and rub that blade down well, you may find further rust removal unnecessary. If that's not satisfactory then I'd probably try 0000 steel wool and a little oil. Flitz should work okay as well, but despite what anyone else may say it does contain very fine abrasives that work as a polishing agent. If you want to use the chemical action just clean any oils off the blade and then apply it, but don't rub it in too hard or it will affect (albeit slightly) the surface finish. This is only a problem on beadblasted or blued finishes, as the beadblasting will wear smooth from the polish, and the abrasive is also aggressive enough to remove blueing if enough pressure is used.
 
stridersrock said:
Thanks for more responses. And thanks for the compliment on my photography. :P

I probably won't re-finish this knife. It was my last outing with the knife before retiring it for a KaBar USMC. I normally take the knife out of the sheath when I get home and lay it in between a towel but I neglected it this time since it will be a drawer knife from now on.

I might still be able to sell it, since the Strider Warranty holds value.
Click to expand...

A little OT, but why would you want a KaBar over the Strider? Seems to be a bit of a downgrade IMO.

OK, you got a bit of rust on the blade. So? Make a user out of it, not a drawer knife.

Rob
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top