Rust...Who cares, right?

R

revolution13

Joined
Jul 6, 2009
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I've got a knife with 01 steel, and have only had it in my hand one time, and two days later noticed rust forming on the exact places that my hand was on it. I'm not worried, nor do i think that i want to treat it...that is if you guys agree with the following...

Who cares about rust! Especially when you're in the bush, and the knife is an active user. Rust isn't bad at all, and probably will wear off anyway.

or

It does matter! Hope you brought many bottles of mineral oil with you to the bush for an extended stay/survival attempt, or else rust will ruin your knife, and you'll be without your most important tool.

???
 
a carbon blade that is not stained... is the either a safe queen, the blade of a woodsman with OCD or the knife of a poser.. just my 2 cents
 
It doesn't take a lot of work to give it a wipe with an oily rag. A little patina can be interesting: out and out rust just can't be a good thing. I prefer knives made out of 1095, which is prone to rust, but I've never had any problems, as long as I give them a little oiling now and then.

Then again, you might like rust.
 
RescueRiley said:
a carbon blade that is not stained... is the either a safe queen, the blade of a woodsman with OCD or the knife of a poser.. just my 2 cents
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I think I've just been diagnosed with a mental disorder :D

I've actually never had rust form on my 1095 or O1 by simpling touching the blade as you describe, however, I do get rust fuzz on my blades when using them in the wet and moist. While in the bush I really pay it no mind, but if I get my leather sheath soaked, I try not to leave the blade in there overnight, but will still use it wet the next day.

When I get back I usually take a bit of flitz polish to the blades. Sometimes I let the patina go, I've even encouraged them with mustard, but I generally will spiff them up at some point. I don't know why...I'll just be going through the collection and start oiling the handle to bring out the wood and then pretty soon I'm polishing the blade and sharpening (whether it needs it or not)....That is just how it is with me.
 
Ken the first step is admitting you have a problem..LOL seriously though I think there isn't a rooster in this hen house who isnlt a little ocd about knives in one way or the other.
 
Although inarguable OCD :D all but a few of my carbon knives have a patina or a forge finish on them, I could take it off, but I like the look of it. this dosen't mean you shouldnt oil your knives though.
 
kgd: "I don't know why...I'll just be going through the collection and start oiling the handle to bring out the wood and then pretty soon I'm polishing the blade and sharpening (whether it needs it or not)....That is just how it is with me."

-that's good stuff! lol
 
I've only seen actual rust on one of my blades one time. It was on a little "tin" knife made out of A2 that I keep in my all-purpose kit. Some moisture must have gotten in there and when I pulled the blade out of its sheath a week later there were several rusty splotches that ran down to the edge on both sides. I tested the edge and it was still hair popping sharp. It polished off with some Flitz in about 10 minutes. I'm not worried about rust, pitting would kinda suck, but some surface rust doesn't seem like a biggie.
 
I see what you guys are saying, but i wanted to focus more on what i said on the original post (no drawer of knives, no "when i get home", no unlimited supply of oils). Just you, your knife, and the bush. Now, re-evaluating what i'm looking for here, what do you think?
 
Rust? What is this "rust" of which you speak? (13-18% humidity here; I've honestly never even seen the stuff).
 
Just you, your knife, and the bush.
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I don't think I have OCD.:confused:

But I hate rust. Dunno maybe it's because I collect old slipjoints and have seen too many destroyed by neglect.

Anyway.I have been known to whip out a square of 1000 grit from my wallet (carried to touch up my edges if needed) and remove bits of rust.

Stains ,patina, I leave them be. It adds to the knife IMHO.

But I can't stand rust.:thumbdn:
 
Rust isn't a problem at all, heck look at some of the swords, knives and tools, that are thousands of years old, and still survive today.

If you were out in the bush indefinitely, I wouldn't even worry about it.

What you can do right now though to minimize orange rust, is to use your knife to cut a lot of fruit. Have an apple a day, and use your knife to cut it up, then just rinse and dry it afterwords. Before you know it, you will have a nice gray knife, and this patina will help keep you knife from getting orange rust.

I have a slipjoint pocket knife that has a really deep patina, and I never see rust on it, and I do nothing to take care of it, it just sits in my pocket everyday.
 
I don't care because I use SAKs, Cold Steel and, yes, Busse.:p:D

Seriously though, if I use them I don't have to worry about it.;)
 
My Kephart is getting a nice handle patina and the blade is getting a few spots from where my thumb rests and the like - but I wipe the blade at the end of the day and clean off the tannin and then put it in a dry sheath - no rust - just character.

TF
 
All my user blades look pretty rough..... hell.... even the blades I sell to collectors look like they're 100yrs old!

Ken, I thought of you the moment I read the first post..... lol.... you do have a problem... but at least its a fun problem!

Rick
 
rust on your blade in the bush - no big deal. i have an axe that's at least a hundred years old and it's got pits in it - from past rust incidents.

but.... rust on your edge. well, corrosion of your edge means you don't have such a good edge any more. so, yeah, rust is an issue - if you don't have the means to sharpen your blade.

i sometimes shave with a straight razor - but not often because I don't have time to keep up with the stropping that's necessary before and, ideally, after a shave. and the stropping makes a difference - i've read that some people think the stropping removes the small amount of oxidation (rust) that occurs on the edge between shaves.

so wipe your blade after use on something like your pant leg. ideally, oil it after a day's use. strop it in the field when you get a chance. don't worry about rust - but keep it off the edge. you can always sharpen - but a stitch in time saves nine, as they say.
 
A small amount of rusting is no problem, leaving a blade to the elements to the point where the edge pits is gonna cause problems but then again if the knife is used regularly the rust will never accumulate on the edge !
 
Rust no problem...unless your around Salt Water and it gets under the scales.
Your talking Pit city real quick. Acid bath!
 
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