Rusty RAM?

K

kennyj

Joined
Feb 24, 2006
Messages
139
I've had a nice new RAM in my pocket for the last few days. I live in Florida, so heat, humidity, and sweat are all daily facts of life. Yesterday I was getting quite... salty while working on a friend's car, the RAM riding in my back pocket the entire time. A few hours later, I pulled it out, and there're rust spots on it! Most and the worst of them are around the thumb studs because that part of the blade is exposed, but there are small dots radiating out from there as well.

They don't seem keen to rub off with mild rubbing and fingernail scraping, and I'd prefer not to polish off the stonewashed finish (to say nothing of the markings on the blade.) Scratches are one thing, but rust spots are just plain unsightly. Is there anything I can use to effectively remove the rust spots from the blade without causing more damage? Any recommendations for a pocket-lint-friendly protectant for the blade?

This is the first time I've had a knife rust in my pocket. I've been very impressed with the RAM so far, but apparently the steel isn't as stainless as I'm accustomed to. :grumpy:
 
FLITZ... or a similar product. All you need is a nice, mild, non abrasive metal polish. It'll take you 5 minutes and your blade will look like new....promise:D:thumbup:

Also, the problem you are having isn't a new one, bead blasted Sandvik doesn't not like humidity, in some rare cases. I assure you that the rust is only on the very surface and you will not notice any pitting, staining or anything like that. Finally, Flitz and some of the others leave a nice coating, so, you won't get rust in the future.
 
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What SP said. As far as preventing rust, try some Renaissance wax polish.
I've just started using it.( Not that I've had anything rust) But I've heard
it is an excellent wax to protect metal and pretty much anything else.
You can get a 65ml can for about $15. Just a dab does it so the small
can should last quite a while. Could be just the ticket for a high humidity
and salty environment. Your blade will resist fingerprints as well. :D
 
Thanks for the advice! Do you know where I might be able to purchase these things?
 
You can Google both. I got the wax on ebay because I found it for
$15 with free shipping. There are several other places that have it
for around $15 plus shipping.

SP might be able to help with the best place to get Flitz.
 
Try Maas metal polish. It works very good on all metals accept
very high polish. Walgreens will have a tube.
 
i don't believe stainless is rustless... especially in your climate. You would need to keep a coating on it as much as you can. I gave a Ram to my neighbor and he has used it fishing etc... no rust even w/o any treatment. I believe he and the ram are now an item.
 
becareful using Flitz on a bead blasted blade. you'll get nice smooth shiny areas where you use the flitz. if it is a user and you don't care...flitz away.
 
has anyone used the flitz wax that comes in the kit NGK sells? i used it on one of my ZDP cyclones once to see if i could provide some lubrication against adhesives when cutting boxes and it worked quite well. not sure if that would help against rusting, but might be worth a shot.
 
I'm sadly well aware that stainless does not mean rustless... that being said, my RAM grew those rust spots pretty damn quick. I know I've seen MAAS locally, so I'll try that for starters unless Flitz shows up somewhere nearby (not likely.) I guess I'm gonna have to order Renaissance Wax, but maybe I'll get lucky. Thanks all!
 
No problem Kenny. In the mean time, just try to keep that baby clean and oiled
until you can get it polished out and waxed. Usually I would say just keep it
oiled, but in your conditions I really suggest waxing a couple of times a week.
Salt, whether from you or the Florida air can play hell on pretty much any metal.
 
The current Sandvic is great stuff but it will show rust spots relatively quickly if salts accumulate on them. Fritz, Peek, Mothers, Stainless Steel polish or just about any type of buffing compound will make them good as new with a little elbow grease. One that leaves behind a protective coating will prevent further rusting. Mr. Morrow must be much stronger than I, as I have never managed to remove bead blasting by hand:D. Oh, and he has the best BF Booty:thumbup::D.
 
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