Spyderco Gayle Bradley and rusting

kniferbro

kniferbro

Joined
Jan 22, 2011
Messages
3,193
Hey guys, I'm on the fence about buying a Gayle Bradley. One question though, the M4 isn't "stainless" how easily does it rust?

I've only ever had stainless blades but have never had ANY issues with any of my knives rusting what so ever (not even spotting on the liners or other innards. Is the GB gonna be alot of upkeep?
 
It is not a stainless knife in fact, it is not even close; running around 5 or less chromium content on average... it will rust/stain/patina from any / all moisture even if extremely mild (and especially if not dried).

People prefer carbon a lot of times because of it's advantages and they usually do one of the following.

A) Let a patina develop with use naturally
B) Force a patina right out of the box (some get very creative with their oxidization patterns)
C) Keep it oil-coated / free of moisture, if exposed to moisture, dried and re-oiled & cleaned.

I personally do not own this knife, but it is very well spoken for and highly spoken of.

HOWEVER my friend, if you like your blade stain-free without a very significant amount of maintenance; I would stick to stainless.
 
I have two, one is NIB bathed with lube. The other is a user. I love the edge that CPM-M4 takes and holds but you need to take a little more care of it than stainless blades. I have been lazy with mine because I coated it with some kind of oil additive before and it protected it such that it doesn't even patina worth a dang anymore. I was overconfident with that and neglected to lube it after cutting some green wood, and really just didn't think that the coating or whatever on the bevels had been stropped away. I paid the price and have some pin prick pitting on the bevels. The pitting hasn't affected how it cuts though.
 
I have one and have carried it for months for work in all kinds of weather, plus sweat. I have seen no evidence of rust at all. Compared to other well known carbon steels, such as 1095 or O1, it may as well be stainless.

Andy
 
Andrew Colglazier said:
I have one and have carried it for months for work in all kinds of weather, plus sweat. I have seen no evidence of rust at all. Compared to other well known carbon steels, such as 1095 or O1, it may as well be stainless.

Andy
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That's border-line miracle-esque.
 
I've seen worse on Japanese white steel. In my experience, M4 and 1095 won't rust easily if you just wash and wipe dry after use.
 
The main things you really don't want to subject it to is acidic fluid, and salt water.

If you cut an apple and don't clean it.

I'd bet 10 knives it's going to oxidize at some level within 3 hours time
 
Tim616 said:
That's border-line miracle-esque.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing, I used my GB alot of foods and even cutting steak if not cleaned immediatley starts to form a patina on it. I have had small light surface rust issues from working and the knife getting damp from swet, especially in high humidity. I just clean it off and keep on trucking. Part and Parcel to owning a carbon steel blade.
 
Andrew Colglazier said:
I have one and have carried it for months for work in all kinds of weather, plus sweat. I have seen no evidence of rust at all. Compared to other well known carbon steels, such as 1095 or O1, it may as well be stainless.

Andy
Click to expand...

Awesome. I am from TX as well so our environments should be pretty similar. :thumbup:
 
Also, (sorry this is off-topic but I'm sure many of you will have advice on this) I was originally going to purchase another Para 2, but with a satin blade instead of the DLC coated like I have now, but I started thinking if I'm going to drop ~$100 maybe I should try something else hence the GB. What would y'all suggest? Is the GB about the same size as the Para 2?
 
kniferbro said:
Also, (sorry this is off-topic but I'm sure many of you will have advice on this) I was originally going to purchase another Para 2, but with a satin blade instead of the DLC coated like I have now, but I started thinking if I'm going to drop ~$100 maybe I should try something else hence the GB. What would y'all suggest? Is the GB about the same size as the Para 2?
Click to expand...

That topic has been discussed in painful detail. You can easily find a few threads with a quick search in the Spyderco subforums. Get whatever catches your eye, after all you will be the one that has to carry it.
 
I have a Gayle Bradley that I've used to cut mangoes and other fruit. I've just wiped the blade down with a wet paper towel, and maintained it by using tuf-glide on the pivot. The blade looks about as good as new with very little patina if any, and certainly no rust.
 
I live in the rainforest on the ocean. Every tree has moss hanging from it. Rain can last for weeks on end. Even so, I can carry and M4 EDC (usually the Military) and keep it rust free, but I have to pay attention and keep it lubed. The inner blade/pivot gets lubed with teflin and the exposed blade is wiped down with Tufcloth. But it's not easy. M4 likes to pit, and a patina still wants to develop. To keep the patina off, I sand down the blade before sharpening with 600 wet/dry sand paper. Then I sharpen and wipe with Tufcloth.

Recently, I switched my EDC to the AFCK in stainless M390. That steel performs like carbon, and I don't have to worry about rust. Still, M4 is great steel. And the Gayle Bradley has an incredibly useful blade design.
 
I had a patina forced on the blade of my M4 Military then had it stonewashed, looks great that way too.
 
Mine developed a little patina on part of the blade, but no rust. If you're worried, you can keep the blade oiled.
 
If you force patina it, that will offer a little protection, but it is really just a matter of taking care of your knives by wiping it down after exposed to moisture. Doesn't take much time to do so.

Sorta off topic, but I have been thinking of using cold blue to "coat" the blade on my GB. Anyone done this?
 
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