Steels that wont rust

Never Dull

Never Dull

Joined
Feb 20, 2011
Messages
384
Not sure if this is the right place so mods please move if I blundered. Other than the Spyderco H1, in a seawater type Environment what steel(s) will not rust? I am looking for a 3-4" fixed blade that will spend some time on boats and I dont want a fishing/fillet or diving knife. Thanks.
 
Literally any steel CAN rust, if the conditions are right. Saltwater definitely qualifies for 'the right conditions'. Having said that, a lot of very good fishing/huning/boating knives are made with Sandvik steel. Their 12C27Mod steel is excellent. 440C has also had a good reputation for corrosion resistance AND edge-holding (thanks to both high carbon and very high chromium content). I think VG-10 also holds up pretty well, considering. Blades with higher chromium content are the ones to look at; anything above 13% chromium generally defines 'stainless', and the better 'rust-resistant' ones are usually 14% - 16% and higher. The main thing is to make sure the blade gets thoroughly cleaned & dried at the end of each day. You'll likely see at least some spotting occasionally. Spots can be easily polished out with polishing pastes. But, for the most part, if you stay ahead of keeping it clean & dry, shouldn't have as much cause for worry. The worst rusting always happens if a dirty & wet knife is left unattended for too long.

Edit:
I'll add one more thing: a POLISHED blade goes a long way towards minimizing rusting. Less nooks/crannies/pores in the steel, for water/salt/dirt to hide in. Avoid bead-blasted finishes; they've been known to trap moisture & actually make a stainless blade rust even more.
 
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All the common stainless steels will rust given enough time in that environment. You'd have to go to Stellite, Talonite, or other similar alloy, or titanium, which are fairly expensive, and don't offer the same cutting performance as steel. You can try 440A, 420HC, or some of the other stainless steels. As a side note, just as a little rust on carbon steel won't really hurt anything but appearance, the same goes for stainless steels. A little surface rust on the stainless fixed blade shouldn't hurt anything, but I understand wanting to keep the finish up. Pitting could be an issue, but you'd have to really neglect the blade, like forget it on the boat, for that to come up in just salt water.
 
If you're really concerned, you could always go ceramic, but if you have access to sharpening stones (steel wool, scotchbrite pads, etc) or something you can always take care of your knife should it rust.
 
Thanks guys. The knife wont be living permanently in that environment but will spend a cpl weeks at a stretch a few times a year. Any suggestions based on my criteria? Fixed, 3-4" non serrated.
 
David Boye makes a fixed blade knife from poured dendritic Cobalt (Stellite). He has a web site.
 
Spyderco Caspian Salt in H1 is a great knife for what you are describing. I've seen some people tha handle an otherwise stainless steel and it rusts within 20-30 minutes. It has a lot to do with body chemistry. If you are not interested in the H1 steel, I would definitely recommend something along the lines of Boye dendric cobalt. The knives are esxpensive, but they cut for a long time and are fairly rust/corrosion resistant. Look at the Boye Cobalt Basic 3. It looks like a definite winnder and specifically made for your application in mind.
 
You might consider a stainless Mora. Made with the Sandvik stainless I mentioned earlier. Not expensive, comes with a synthetic handle & sheath (won't trap moisture). People who use these, seem to love 'em.
 
try X15TN or bohler N680 they are both designed for high rust resistance. as mentioned benchmade uses both in their H2O line.
 
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