Storing pocket knives safely

[sawgrass]

I collect very nice old and valuable pocket knives. I store them in a safe, humidity controlled resting on archival paper, but in plastic jewelry trays. Now I am worried about the plastic trays. I think lots of collectors would appreciate your thoughts and experiences about protecting special knives from rust and discoloration I want to learn the best way to protect my collection. Thank you for your interest and comments.

 

[Danke42]

Any with celluloid handles/scales?

That's the most common red flag knife storage issue.

Here's the recent thread on this issue. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...loid-Knife-Handle-Deterioration-(Out-Gassing)

 

[Railsplitter]

If they're old knives then the blades and backsprings are probably carbon steel which can corrode if you're not careful.

Renaissance Wax goes a long way to prevent that. Sounds like you are doing everything else right except maybe the plastic trays. I would look for other options besides plastic just to be on the safe side.

I'm not sure what archival paper is but for further protection in addition to the RenWax I use a Volatile Corrosion Inhibitor. (VCI) It puts off a vapor that blocks the chemical reaction that causes corrosion. You simply place the product in the storage container with the knives and it does the rest. If that interests you, shoot me a PM and I'll send you a link.

 

[sawgrass]

Rick, I have not heard of VCI but I will check into it. Sounds interesting. I don't store any celluloid knives with my good ones, but am concerned about containers. Archive boxes are a special cardboard and I hate to do the because if stacking and segregation restraints. All thoughts are welcome. I think we need to know how best to protect the very old and special knives.

 

[sawgrass]

Rick, may I ask what kind of VCI you are using. I am checking into this, but it looks like some would work better for knives than others. I would appreciate any information you can give. Thanks.

 

[Railsplitter]

Rick, may I ask what kind of VCI you are using. I am checking into this, but it looks like some would work better for knives than others. I would appreciate any information you can give. Thanks.

I sent you a PM.