strorage tips? help

valleytinworks

valleytinworks

Joined
Dec 13, 2005
Messages
1,373
ok guys..... i have about 50 knives in my safe, every week i have to pull them out and wipe them down with oil.....

now i have a few that i want to put away for a long time and not have to worry about them at all..... i dont want to have to pull them out and oil them for years not weeks.... so please give me step by step instructions....
 
Darn! I'm not sure you can.

You'll have to wait for folks more experienced than I.

I have heard some folks claim that Renaissance Wax is excellent for long-term storage. They wax their blades very carefully, then wrap them loosely with clean cotton and store the blades in a cool, dry place.

I've been too nervous to try that. But I'll be watching this Thread to check out the suggestions that come up.
 
You could:
vacuum seal them
oil them
Ren Wax
get a dehumidifier for your safe
or set them in acrylic blocks and leave them out as paperweights;)

I just oil them, keep them in a humidity controled room and check them often:thumbup:
 
buckman#10 said:
send them up here to canada , im sure the colder climate here would be better for them :D
Click to expand...

Nah, ship to AK. No problems with customs :p :D ;)


I've heard that Bri (sp?) wax is much, much better than Renaissance wax. Can remember which knife magazine did a write up on it.
 
I've considered oiling and then vacuum sealing. Oil has nowhere to go.
 
When I've to leave my knives alone for a long time, I oil them a little with balistol and wrap them in newspapers. :thumbup:
 
Rust-Guard works well. It comes in a spray can and dries to a waxy film. It is generally sold in the gun sections. I have used it on knives and guns on rain soaked hunts that went on for several days and it really works. The other thing that an old friend told me about and I have done for years, is put a 15 watt light bulb in the safe. I keep most of my knives in a gun safe that is about 5' tall and don't have to baby them or give them constant attention. The 15 watt bulb is in a "clamp" fixture and it stays lit as long as they power is on and it seems to sunk any moisture out of the safe. The bulbs generally last about 4-6 months.
Good luck
 
Make sure you clean them well before preparing for storage. Remove fingermarks in particular then prepare wearing gloves (disposable or light cotton gardening gloves will do).

For folders, I just use light mineral oil, then bag them in ziploc bags and store groups of them in plastic airtight food/freezer containers.

With fixed blades, particularly the larger ones, I coat liberally in Lanolin grease, then wrap in brown paper.

This has worked for me for years in a very humid tropical climate.
 
1) Apply thin coat of either straight Johnson's Paste Wax or for longer storage a homemade mixture of Johnson's, Slick 50 One Grease impregnated with Teflon, Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5W-30 Synthetic, and Inhibitor V80 VCI Oil.

2) When dry place in a tube sock that has been treated with Nikwax Polar Wash- waterproof, breathable, non corrosive, and cheap! :thumbup:

3) Place socked knives in a airtight/semi-airtight plastic storage container along with a rechargeable silica dehumidifier (Safe DRI 2 60 cu ft) and a Inhibitor 12 Gauge Rust Inhibitor Plug.

4) Place container in a cool, dry safe or closet. Rub hands together while hunching your shoulders ever so slightly, and begin a crescendo of manicial mad scientist like laughter... BWAAA HAAA HAAA HAAAAAAAAAA :D

Important Note: Stop laughter when your wife or dog give you the "What was I thinking" look prior to their leaving the room in complete shame.

I place all my labeled containers into a climate controlled vault for extra protection. I am a big fan of Inhibitor VCI Oils and the Inhibitor Super Plug- the oil and the plug release a vapor that fills the microscopic pores on the steel which stops any moisture from getting in. Works great. I use them in all my safes along with the dehumidifiers. Can darken paper so not recommended for document storage- have not noticed any affect on micarta.

Yes this is likely overkill- better than crying yourself to sleep at night over a damaged collection just because you wanted to save yourself an hour or two.

The Johnson's paste wax is cheap and is used by gun museums to protect their historical collections, likely all the protection most would need. Waxing is the first thing I do to all my knives when they arrive- protects the crinkle and finish from sheath storage marks in addition to the moisture control. It also protects from fingerprints and allows for light handling without the mess of oil- generally doesn't need to be reapplied after handling.
 
I usually put a light film of FP10, or Tough Glide/Cloth, etc., and wrap the whole thing up with a peice of very thin fleece with the fuzzy side in. I then put them in a dry, dark place with appropriate dessicant containers.

No leather for storage either:)
 
Before settlling on RustFree for use on my knives in storage, I'd tried Tuf-Cloth/Tuf-Glide, BreakFree CLP, mineral oil, FP-10 and INOX.
Still like Tuf-Cloth/Tuf-Glide best for my users, though.

So RustFree's now on several knives of 1095, W2, 1084, D2, 52100 and various
others in storage.


But I'm always open to something even better...
 
Cosmoline can be brushed on at room temperature. Won't crack down to -40 deg. F. Melts at +135 deg. F. Since it kept all my C&R rifles in such good condition in the 40 something years before they made it into my hands, I'm sure it could tackle this task.
 
+1 cosmo will leave her good for your great grandchildren to clean up and use.. but not so good on grips/scales that are porus...

any thought to Mobil1?
 
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