Storage question

H

hunter3030

Joined
Feb 12, 2007
Messages
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I was wondering if it matters when storeing folders, if they are open or closed? and if it is bad for the blade on a fixed to be kept in the sheath over time?

~thanks
 
I just heard the other day on another forum about storing folders open. I never heard of that before then. I store them closed.

Carbon steel fixed blades should not be "stored" in a leather sheath, especially if the leather was chrome tanned. I suppose it might be bad practice to store any type of steel blade in a leather sheath.
 
I dont think it would do anything bad to a blade if it's in its sheath for an extended period of time (unless the sheath has been in contact with anything corrosive...) Just about all of my knives i get from antique shops, and the ones in sheaths fare FAR better than the ones without. I also notice that folders that are folded have less rusting on the edge (which was folded in and protected) than the rest of the blade.

Hope this helps!

~ King Gimpicus ~
 
Never store carbon steel blades in a leather sheath. Some tanning acids can rust blades.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Never store carbon steel blades in a leather sheath. Some tanning acids can rust blades.
Click to expand...

+1 for carbon steel storage, although I do cheat a bit and store some stainless blades in sheaths. I don't have anything collectible though.

Are you talking about users or collectibles?
 
what you do is to store a carbon steel blade in a leather sheath is oil it first then put it away and redo this every 3 months its served me well with my ka-bars
 
You have been lucky! Some leather tanners won't rust knives. Oil can also react with some to make them corrosive. Leather also absorbs oil, leaving the steel unprotected and damaging the leather.
 
hunter3030 said:
I was wondering if it matters when storeing folders, if they are open or closed? and if it is bad for the blade on a fixed to be kept in the sheath over time?

~thanks
Click to expand...

I have a couple of Benchmade Automatics in my collection. And I was told by a guy from Benchmade that it would be advisable to store them in the OPEN position to relieve pressure off the spring. Now that is strictly for automatic knives.

I believe as long as you are dealing with either stainless, coated or blades that have been oiled or have had Sentry Solutions "TUF CLOTH" used on them then I don't think it would matter much.

Now I have also heard on this Forum as recent as 3 months ago that it is a good idea not to store fixed blade knives in their sheaths for a protracted period of time. The main thing is to have a toolbox, footlocker or other storage unit that is kept dry and humidity free. Also I have been using dessicant packs that I saved from where I used to work. They seem to be quite a big help in long term storage. Great thread>> I want to hear more
 
thers also the old vaseline and plastic wrap and my sheath is just fine no damage from the oil and you dont need copious amounts of oil to protect it a nice coating so you get a glean from light is enough

oh and i live* in seal beach, CA less than a mile from the ocean and literally across the way from the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach. I have my windows open 24/7 (cept when it rains - ruin the window sill) for that nice cool sea breeze

my knives are completely rust free :)
 
If there's a bit of slack in the sheath then cutting templates out of overhead transparencies (thin, clear plastic sheets in case they have another name) provide stiffness which you can wrap these in cling film. (I thought about using thin card but then I remembered that some paper releases acids that attack metals and the plastic is thinner.) For that matter, you could probably just wrap the templates in some sort of plastic tape which would be less tricky than cling film but thicker. This both stops leather from soaking up the oil and stops salts and whatnot from the leather attacking the steel. At least one plastic, PVC?, can actually break down and release acid or something so it's not used by coin collectors but I'm reasonably confident that transparencies are not this sort of plastic.

Since only the part of the knife in the sheath is covered in this way I don't know if there needs to be an air gap or if it's better to keep this extra sheath tight. I know that different oxygen concentrations can affect metal corrosion. Oil wearing off one part of the blade might cause it to corrode preferentially (but it's not too much to oil a knife regularly). I've never done this with a tight sheath.

It is quite a bit of effort to go to just to store a knife in its sheath--why not just wrap the knife in an oily rag like the old days?--and it's a really dumb thing to do if you ever plan to sheath the knife without cleaning it. It would pay to clean this internal sheath periodically.

I hear that beeswax used to be used commonly to preserve coins and it won't soak away like oil but it does contain some acids. Nowadays many museums and collectors use an acid free cryptocrystalline wax like Renaissance Wax (do a websearch) to protect coins. Any of these waxes will completely block air from the blade if coated properly. If you don't handle them the wax shouldn't come off.
 
Regular folders I store closed. Autos & AO I store open. Fixed I store out of sheath but I'm not sure its really necessary. I have my father's WWII USMC knife, another fixed blade he had as a child and 2 knives I had as a child. All stored in sheaths until 2002 (when I discovered BF & collecting!), all corrosion free. All my knives are gone over with a Tuff Cloth yearly or so.
 
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