S30V stain resistance?!

A

akubra

Joined
Sep 10, 2006
Messages
333
Ok, I`m starting to get upset about the "stain resistance" of my S30V blade.

I`ve carried my plain large Classic for two weeks in my pants right front pocket, during my vacation a few weeks ago. It was quite hot, and I`m perspirating quite a lot in general-so I guess the "climate" in my pocket was quite agressive. It`s needless to say, that I wasn`t able to clean the knife or oil it or anything. After some time, sure enough, there was some slight surface rust on the blade. I was able to scratch it off / polish it with some steel wool. No biggie. I was a bit disappointed about it, but figure it was logical given the humidity in my pocket.

Now, about two weeks ago, I`ve carried my knife on the waistband of my pants (not IN waistband, but outside). When I take and open the knife, I notice a rather big stain spot on the blade, near the thumbstud, as well as a drop of some fluid still on there. I wipe it clean, and try to polish it with some steelwool. Works ok for most part, yet, the spot still stays significantly darker than the rest of the blade. No matter how much I polish. So I am guessing I would have to take off even more metal in order to polish it out perfectly, as the staining sits deeper in the metal. Im not too fond of that idea though.

To make things worse, tonight, the same thing happens again. Yet another spot! Not as bad as the first time, but its still visible and there is some slight "discoloration" too.

I can`t really say what the fluid was in these two cases, but Im pretty sure it`s been only water. No sweat or other agressive fluids....... .

Now to the point-is it normal that an S30 blade stains that easily? Say put a drop of water on there for an hour or two, and get a stain? Personally I would have thought that it takes more than that. Or is it just me, and am I expecting too much here?
I know that in my case it dosen`t really do much harm, other than impact the looks of my Sebenza. Yet, Im not too happy about the fact that my $385 knife is that prone to staining/rusting.

Now for the photos-plenty of spots there:

1000fg8.jpg


1004nc6.jpg
 
Be glad its not rust. My Striders always rust real bad. S30V is not a good steel for salt. Buy a belt sheath or deal with it.
 
Flitz, rubbing alcohol, Marine tuffcloth, let dry. Wipe the blade with the MTC every so often and you should be good to go.

Helle
 
akubra said:
So I take it that is normal?! Thats pretty disappointing... . :(
Click to expand...

For sure I agree to that! I have seen that way too many times! But I have one good experience with S30V and corrosion! I have a SureFire Delta folder, and as they say on their web site: "Polished to a smooth finish to help prevent adhesion of corrosive substances.". This actually seems to work. Weeks of usage in a humid environment and so far not a single spot of corrosion! :thumbup:

HV
 
In my experience this is not normal. I have had surface spots on only one S30V blade - a Syderco Paramilitary. The surface finish, though appearing to be "satin", actually had a noticeable texture to it. After polishing it with strop compound, the issue has gone away. This is the knife I normally have in my pocket when I mow the lawn, among other outdoor chores. It gets very humid in the pocket when I do that - there is frequently sweat condensation on the blade.

Other S30V blades of mine (CRK, Buck, Benchmade) have not exhibited any tendency to spot or rust. Granted, I don't intentionally expose them to salt environments, like sea water.

Some people just have more aggressive sweat - I have heard of this before. Perhaps you are one of them.
 
I had the same problem with my Strider SNG when i went to Taiwan, about 5 hours after i got off the plane the blade was covered in rust spots, some polished off some didnt. My ZT 0300 arrived new in the box with rust spots !!! I was a bit supprised/dissapointed since i had heard so much raving about the great properties of S30V and had used marine tuffcloth on the Strider blade !!! The bead blast finish does no favours to the S30Vs anti rust abilities, i think a polished finish is less prone to the corrosion monkeys !!!
 
So I take it that is normal?! Thats pretty disappointing
Click to expand...

Uhm what are you expecting? Is that they only knife that's ever rusted on you?

Rust proof? Buy something in H1 then, otherwise the previously mentioned treatment of tuffcloth is a good idea.
 
I live in a very humid (sub-tropical) environment on the coast, so rust is something I take an interest in. Here are a couple of ways you can deal with those 'spots'.

Take a pencil (preferably a clutch pencil) with a good quality lead in it. Scribble over the spots several times. The carbon is very good at removing rust or stains that have not already pitted the steel. You can clean it off easily and the stains should come away with the carbon deposits.

Secondly, I swear by WD-40. This stuff is really superb for keeping your metal is good condition. Just wipe down your blades every week in winter and every couple of days in summer and you'll be fine.

I also use Birchwood-Casey Sheath (a gun bore rust preventative) as well as Marine Tuf Cloth, but the latter tends to leave a fairly heavy deposit which I don't like too much, unless it is a knife that I don't use very often.

But WD-40 is A++. Every knife-owner should own some!
 
DaveH said:
Uhm what are you expecting? Is that they only knife that's ever rusted on you?

Rust proof? Buy something in H1 then, otherwise the previously mentioned treatment of tuffcloth is a good idea.
Click to expand...


Well, I did expect that my knife does not rust/stain on me, after being exposed to a drop of water (not sweat or saltwater) for about an hour. I honestly don`t know if that is asking too much or not. I would have thought that it isn`t, though, as Ive never had a similar experience like that before.

Im not trying to bash the Sebenza, I quite like it, but I gotta say that the staining disappoints me.
 
I've been carrying a Mini-Rukus down in sweaty, humid Texas since last fall,and have yet to see any rust. I lube it with BreakFree occasionally, wipe the blade down with BreakFree when it gets gummed up, but otherwise it gets minimal care.
 
I have been carrying my small classic sebenza every day for 2 months in my pants pocket, I live in Florida on a sailboat, absolutely no rust. Send CRK and email and see what they say.
 
Akubra,

Based on your description, NO, properly heat-treated and bead-blasted S30V should not spot or stain just from simple waist carry. Earlier this summer I was in Hawaii for 12 days, humid and sweaty, and I carried an S30V folder in my pocket and a few times IWB. No rust.

The wide range of experiences re: corrosion with S30V in various knives that users report is due, I think, to inconsistent heat-treat and quality control -- neither of which should be an issue with a Sebenza.

I'd like to hear CRK's response to this. Just because some others find it acceptable and think you should suck it up, doesn't mean that you have to.

My two cents,
Glen
 
Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. I`ve cleaned my Sebenza last night, after trying to get rid of that new stain. Afterwards I did coat the blade lightly with some WD 40. Guess I`m getting a bit paranoid now! ;)

What really beats me is the fact that my humid/sweaty pocket doesn`t seem to cause as much trouble as a simple drop of water, that sits unnoticed on the blade for an hour or so. The surface corrosion from pocket carry was really easy to clean off, the stains from the water-not at all!

As for emailing CRK-I think I may just do that. I`d like to hear what they say. I`m really curious as to whether or not this is normal. If it is not, I`m sure they make it right. If it is, well, I guess I`ll have to better look after the Sebenza and service it more... .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top