I have seen posts on how SR101 isn't as corrosion resistant as INFI, D2 etc. But can someone put it in persepective for me. I guess what I'm really asking is if I strip one of my Rats is this going to be something thats a problem for me if I can't keep it oiled for week while in the bush?
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SR101 Corrosion resistance
- Thread starter Demadel
- Start date
SR101 will rust fairly and relatively easily.
Generally speaking, knives with about 13% chromium are considered stainless.
SR101 is modified 52100.
52100 has about 1.3% - 1.6% chromium.
SR101 is slightly more rust resistant than 1095, 5160 or O1 steels, but that isn't saying much.
1095, 5160 and O1 have some of the lowest amounts of chromium.
1095 has 0 chromium
5160 has .7% - .9% chromium
O1 has .4% - .6%
INFI has around 8.25% chromium (..... maybe????
- the exact numbers are top secret! 
:thumbup: )
D2 is almost stainless at about 11% - 13% chromium.
If you are concerned about SR101 rusting, you need to keep the blade oiled, get some Ren Wax, try to keep the blade dry or don't strip it.
That coating is on Swamp Rat knives for more than one reason.
..... Although, I prefer satin finished knives.
If you get some light rust on SR101, you can clean it off with steel wool, sandpaper or similar when you get home.
If you are going to strip any of the Busse, Swamp or Scrap Yard knives, you will find the steel underneath to be VERY rough and you will have to do a LOT of sanding anyway.
The ground parts of the blade are usually pretty smooth, but the flat sides are very rough.
Good luck.
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Generally speaking, knives with about 13% chromium are considered stainless.
SR101 is modified 52100.
52100 has about 1.3% - 1.6% chromium.
SR101 is slightly more rust resistant than 1095, 5160 or O1 steels, but that isn't saying much.
1095, 5160 and O1 have some of the lowest amounts of chromium.
1095 has 0 chromium
5160 has .7% - .9% chromium
O1 has .4% - .6%
INFI has around 8.25% chromium (..... maybe????
- the exact numbers are top secret! :thumbup: )D2 is almost stainless at about 11% - 13% chromium.
If you are concerned about SR101 rusting, you need to keep the blade oiled, get some Ren Wax, try to keep the blade dry or don't strip it.
That coating is on Swamp Rat knives for more than one reason.
..... Although, I prefer satin finished knives.
If you get some light rust on SR101, you can clean it off with steel wool, sandpaper or similar when you get home.
If you are going to strip any of the Busse, Swamp or Scrap Yard knives, you will find the steel underneath to be VERY rough and you will have to do a LOT of sanding anyway.
The ground parts of the blade are usually pretty smooth, but the flat sides are very rough.
Good luck.
.
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2006
- Messages
- 1,414
I have stripped INFI that is scratched up and used and sitting... two months later still beautiful...
My stripped SR101 will show signs of rust within an hour of work (you can almost see it form, especially in scratches). If highly polished, or bead blasted, or painted, or waxed it may not be an issue, but naked and user it will rust up quickily... I keep my users with a light coat of WD40 (there are better protections out there, but i have it and its cheap)- (unprotected, my edge rarely rusts, but its highly polished... but higher up on the blade, less polished and rust will form)
I plan to duracoat my stripped SR101, eventually anyhow.
My stripped SR101 will show signs of rust within an hour of work (you can almost see it form, especially in scratches). If highly polished, or bead blasted, or painted, or waxed it may not be an issue, but naked and user it will rust up quickily... I keep my users with a light coat of WD40 (there are better protections out there, but i have it and its cheap)- (unprotected, my edge rarely rusts, but its highly polished... but higher up on the blade, less polished and rust will form)
I plan to duracoat my stripped SR101, eventually anyhow.
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2000
- Messages
- 45,835
Question: Will SR-101 take a patina? I assume it will, though none of my Rats have lost enough coating to really test this.
People have been using carbon blades for an awfully long time without worrying much about rust. They just allowed a patina to form on the steel and then just kept the blade dry after use.
Some folks do their own quick and dirty patina. There was a piece in Blade magazine this time about a mustard coat patina. Go over to Traditional or the Schrade forum and there are tons of posts about putting a patina on a blade. Or just allowing one to form.
People have been using carbon blades for an awfully long time without worrying much about rust. They just allowed a patina to form on the steel and then just kept the blade dry after use.
Some folks do their own quick and dirty patina. There was a piece in Blade magazine this time about a mustard coat patina. Go over to Traditional or the Schrade forum and there are tons of posts about putting a patina on a blade. Or just allowing one to form.
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2003
- Messages
- 1,321
Keep it wet and it will rust quickly as any other carbon.
Keep it dry and it will not.
Don´t know what bush you go through.
You must accept, that the blade becomes gray to black. Just avoid "red".
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2001
- Messages
- 13,564
Yes, SR-101 will take a nice patina. I've done mustard and vinegar patinas on my CT and they came out rather nice. Not as dark as 1095 gets but its a nice grey on the vinegar. Been thinking about giving my Mastiff a mustard patina, might have to do that soon.
About the finish under the Rats.... some are good. The only bad ones I encountered were the desert CT's and BR's, seems that the Desert finish requires a "tooth" to the metal. But, one exeption was the Desert Jack, it was rather smooth. My Mastiff came out very nice in the ground areas, the flats had the standard SR-101 wavy look.
For the most part I keep my nekkid rats coated with Flitz. I use Flitz simply because its what I have on hand and it cleans and protects. I have a couple of satin finish Rats that arent protected and all I see is a few little pin points of oxidation. Its been very humid lately and it doesnt seem to have an effect. I keep a few in their sheaths full time and without issues as well.
If you like the stripped look, go for it!! To me its worth the extra care. And well, I have a bead blaster in the garage so I can renew my knives at will.
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2006
- Messages
- 16,703
Thanks for the first-hand info, IB!
Missed seeing you at Blade (as in -- I know you didn't make it this year)! Next year...:thumbup:
I have a couple of Bog Dogs that have been sitting in their leather sheaths for over 4 years - no patina, no rust, no problem. I also have a carbon steel Western W49 bowie that's been in it's sheath since 1985. No problem, just a little green on the sheath around the brass.
I also live in Colorado, which is a little on the dry side. I've never oiled any of my knives. YMMV.
I also live in Colorado, which is a little on the dry side. I've never oiled any of my knives. YMMV.
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2006
- Messages
- 520
When in the "bush", unsheath the knife and wipe the blade at day's end. There will be no problem with rust. I often carry carbon and all my tools are carbon. Rust has never been an issue since I was a kid who once (or twice
) left my knife in a wet leather sheath. Regards, ss.
) left my knife in a wet leather sheath. Regards, ss.
Most of the Bog Dogs were D2. There were a few that wer SR101.
I have stripped most of my Rats (SR101) as I prefer a satin finish.
Make no mistake. SR101 will rust if it gets wet. However, if you "store" you knives in an air-conditioned environment, keep them dry and keep them coated/protected with oil or wax, they will be fine while in storage.
Most people do not recommend storing knives that are prone to rust in leather sheaths. Some sheaths emit more moisture than others, so results will vary.
I use Ren-Wax. It is talked about a lot at the Swamp Forum if you do a search over there. It is very good stuff. A wax like this will help when you take the knife to the woods as well as it will help keep moisture off of the blade for an initial period of time.
When you are in the woods, temperature changes can cause condensation to form on steel. So, rust is more prone in the field.
You will just need to clean the knife when you get back.
.
S7 has 3.25% chromium. It is reasonably far from stainless, but should be less prone to rust than SR101 @ 1.3 - 1.6% chromium.
Chromium content is not the only factor in rust formation on steel, but it is pretty significant.
Theoretically, SR77 should fall somewhere between SR101 and INFI in ability to rust.
They will all rust. But, with moderate care, they are easy enough to maintain unless you are in a very wet environment.
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Most people just do it themselves.
Stripping the actual coating is incredibly easy if you use a chemical stripper.
Look in the paint section of Home Depot, Lowes, Sears, Walmart or similar.
Get a gel type stripper. I use one that is rated for epoxy type paints. Use a cheap disposable brush. Brush it on, wait about 5-15 minutes, watch it bubble off (don't breath the fumes), scrape off. Re-apply in touch up spots if needed (usually not). Takes about 15 minutes. 1 quart of stipper will probably strip about 50 - 60 knives (???) and costs about $12 - $15.
Most of the Busse family blades are reasonably smooth at the beveled grind areas. They won't be shiny silver, but with steel wool or similar light abrasive pads, they will buff up pretty easily.
However, the flat areas tend to be pretty rough and require a fair amount of sanding to make look decent. There are many ways to do this. The hard areas are near the handles.
Do some searching over at http://www.swampratknifeworks.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=10
Here is one: http://www.swampratknifeworks.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=10;t=005087#000020
I am sure there are some "How To" links on bladeforums at Swamp Rat and/or Busse forums as well.
Good luck.
.
Stripping the actual coating is incredibly easy if you use a chemical stripper.
Look in the paint section of Home Depot, Lowes, Sears, Walmart or similar.
Get a gel type stripper. I use one that is rated for epoxy type paints. Use a cheap disposable brush. Brush it on, wait about 5-15 minutes, watch it bubble off (don't breath the fumes), scrape off. Re-apply in touch up spots if needed (usually not). Takes about 15 minutes. 1 quart of stipper will probably strip about 50 - 60 knives (???) and costs about $12 - $15.
Most of the Busse family blades are reasonably smooth at the beveled grind areas. They won't be shiny silver, but with steel wool or similar light abrasive pads, they will buff up pretty easily.
However, the flat areas tend to be pretty rough and require a fair amount of sanding to make look decent. There are many ways to do this. The hard areas are near the handles.
Do some searching over at http://www.swampratknifeworks.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=10
Here is one: http://www.swampratknifeworks.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=10;t=005087#000020
I am sure there are some "How To" links on bladeforums at Swamp Rat and/or Busse forums as well.
Good luck.
.
I think Mike Stewart with Bark River mentioned (at one time) that he would strip coated knives for about $50 or so plus shipping.
You would need to check with him on price at Bark River at Knifeforums.com
Check to see what is included with "stripping". Removing the coating alone is the easy part. You will want to make sure the blade is polished to a certain level.
Be prepared to deal with a little bit of the coating near the handle being left behind. It is very hard to buff and sand next to the handles at the guard areas without messing up the handles.
Full tang micarta handles can have the coating removed at the tang areas easily enough.
But, having the coating under the handles left in tact is a good thing to help prevent rust.
Just be prepared to know what to expect.
For an outside professional knife company to strip your knife, $50 + shipping would be a great deal. Most knife-makers would likely charge you $100+.
But, if you have some spare time and elbow-grease, it is not hard.
Although, Mike can probably do a more professional looking job for you and if you ask nicely, he can probably put one of his incredibly sharp convex edges on it for you.
.
You would need to check with him on price at Bark River at Knifeforums.com
Check to see what is included with "stripping". Removing the coating alone is the easy part. You will want to make sure the blade is polished to a certain level.
Be prepared to deal with a little bit of the coating near the handle being left behind. It is very hard to buff and sand next to the handles at the guard areas without messing up the handles.
Full tang micarta handles can have the coating removed at the tang areas easily enough.
But, having the coating under the handles left in tact is a good thing to help prevent rust.
Just be prepared to know what to expect.
For an outside professional knife company to strip your knife, $50 + shipping would be a great deal. Most knife-makers would likely charge you $100+.
But, if you have some spare time and elbow-grease, it is not hard.
Although, Mike can probably do a more professional looking job for you and if you ask nicely, he can probably put one of his incredibly sharp convex edges on it for you.
.
I ordered D2 and got SR 101.
Still like them, though, great knives, and great shape. I like both steels, and haven't had a rust issue with either steel. Still want a D2 Bog Dog, though...
