Swamp Rat SR101 Rusting fast

adluginb

adluginb

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Hey guys so I have a Swamp Rat Ratmandu in SR101 that I took camping this weekend. When we got up for breakfast, I got the knife out to open the package of bacon I was cooking. I cut open the package and I remember a little liquid from the package contents getting on knife. Didnt think it was a big deal.

Finished cooking and ate with the family. Once we were finished I go to start cleaning up everything and in the short time, Maybe 20-25 minutes total. I had multiple spots of rust already forming on the knife?!!

I'm like WTF?!

Is this normal with SR101? I have used steel wool and oil to get off as much as I can but the spots remain:(

I may seriously have to rethink keeping my SR101 knives if this is the case. I just cant stand rust spots on knives.

I will post some pics latter this evening and I am sure some of you will say its not a big deal but to me it is. Does INFI do the same thing? I have never taken my infi blades in wet conditions.

I will probably stick with AEBL and D3V on my CPK knives for camping use in the future.

Is it possible to get some Ferric Chloride and put a patina on the SR101 to stop this rust behavior?

Thanks
 
Yeah brother, I found out about SR101 the hard way myself. Great performance, takes a keen edge and doesn't wear down especially fast...but its THE fastest rusting steel I've ever seen in my 56 years on Gods green earth.

INFI is much less likely to rust, but you DO have to dry it off and keep it oiled as well or speckles will form slowly over time. You just LOOK at SR101 and it starts rusting. I stick with INFI and high-end stain resistant steels myself.

Cheers 🍻
 
I'm not sure how bad the rust spots are. And I'm not familiar with that steel. But when I have rust spots on my knives, I use a clean rig, wd40 and elbow grease. It takes some work but eventually the rust disappears and there's a fine film of wd40 left to protect I for the future, too. Rust spots are the devil. Especially on a polished blade like what's on the Spyderco Drunken. Lol.
 
Yeah, that’s normal. INFI is much better in the corrosion dept, almost like D3V. I wouldn’t cut limes much with either, though.
 
I either try to keep my SR-101 knives dried off quickly or develop a patina before wet use.

It is, IMO, no better or worse in the rust-proneness when compared to carbon steels like 52100, which my kitchen knives are. They’re definitely NOT stainless steels. If you take care of them, they’ll take care of you.

The RMD platform is one of my all time favorites, SR-101 especially.
 
adluginb said:
Hey guys so I have a Swamp Rat Ratmandu in SR101 that I took camping this weekend. When we got up for breakfast, I got the knife out to open the package of bacon I was cooking. I cut open the package and I remember a little liquid from the package contents getting on knife. Didnt think it was a big deal.

Finished cooking and ate with the family. Once we were finished I go to start cleaning up everything and in the short time, Maybe 20-25 minutes total. I had multiple spots of rust already forming on the knife?!!

I'm like WTF?!

Is this normal with SR101? I have used steel wool and oil to get off as much as I can but the spots remain:(

I may seriously have to rethink keeping my SR101 knives if this is the case. I just cant stand rust spots on knives.

I will post some pics latter this evening and I am sure some of you will say its not a big deal but to me it is. Does INFI do the same thing? I have never taken my infi blades in wet conditions.

I will probably stick with AEBL and D3V on my CPK knives for camping use in the future.

Is it possible to get some Ferric Chloride and put a patina on the SR101 to stop this rust behavior?

Thanks
Click to expand...
There are lots of threads on what folks use to patina SR101... Here's one I found on a quick search- https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/first-mega-patina-attempt.1720485/
Good news, lots of easier alternatives than ferric choride, many folks just use plain mustard or vinegar, or foods like apples, tomatoes and/ or raw meat. 🤙
 
Yes actually use it to cut some foods, meat and potatoes are great and it will naturally patina. It is a high carbon steel so yes it will rust but it’s not like they are turning to dust in your hand. I have “a couple” of INFI blades and “a couple” of SR101 (plus “some” in 1095 from other makers) and I can’t say that being “prone to rust” or not is a consideration to me when I decide what to use. I dress LOTS of game and this task is well shared between INFI and SR101 knives. I value the knives usability over the steel (but yes there is a clear intersection there at points).
 
Caught early Rust problems can be resolved with steel wool. Congratulations, your RMD has character now. I once read that the best way to keep rust off the edge was to use it ( mineral oil helps too ).
 
Thanks man! She’s been on kitchen duty since …..07ish. Whatever Blade Show I picked it up from. It’s difficult to remember how bright and satiny the finish used to be. But these knives are tools that need to be used to be appreciated. Scuffs knicks rust wear and tear. It’s all evidence of a life lived as it should. Not stuck on a shelf as a display, but as the tools they were made to be.
 
adluginb said:
Hey guys so I have a Swamp Rat Ratmandu in SR101 that I took camping this weekend. When we got up for breakfast, I got the knife out to open the package of bacon I was cooking. I cut open the package and I remember a little liquid from the package contents getting on knife. Didnt think it was a big deal.

Finished cooking and ate with the family. Once we were finished I go to start cleaning up everything and in the short time, Maybe 20-25 minutes total. I had multiple spots of rust already forming on the knife?!!

I'm like WTF?!

Is this normal with SR101? I have used steel wool and oil to get off as much as I can but the spots remain:(

I may seriously have to rethink keeping my SR101 knives if this is the case. I just cant stand rust spots on knives.

I will post some pics latter this evening and I am sure some of you will say its not a big deal but to me it is. Does INFI do the same thing? I have never taken my infi blades in wet conditions.

I will probably stick with AEBL and D3V on my CPK knives for camping use in the future.

Is it possible to get some Ferric Chloride and put a patina on the SR101 to stop this rust behavior?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Didn't read all the way thru responses, but that's normal. SR101 is 52100 with Busse's proprietary heat trearment protocol, which is quite good. 52100 has very little corrosion resistance, however.

As far as patina, plenty of people commented on different ways. Pretty much any acid will do, I prefer acidic foods, like cutting up some fruits.

IMO, the layers of patina make the knife looks great over time. I've gotten to the point where I much prefer non-stainless in the kitchen too.

Once a layer of patina is formed, rust is much less of a problem.

On most of these steels, even rust is only superficial as long as you don't let it sit there for a long time. Don't let it pit, which takes a while. I like to wire brush it off with vinegar if rusr does start to form that helps take off the rust and starts forming a light forced patina.
 
If you decide you want to keep the knife on the shiny side, I’ve found that Barkeepers Friend works great to remove rust/patina from bare carbon steel. You’ll still end up with some patina/scratches over time, but the blade will have a cleaner look than one with a forced patina…

C47CD03F-DE6E-43DC-A080-7A1AB7436880.jpeg
 
adluginb adluginb ,

I think the liquid from the bacon package was greasy, salty water, and likely the salt caused it to rust so quickly. In a temperature/humidity controlled environment, I have bare SR101 with no protection like oil, grease, wax or anything else, and I have had no problems with rust - when I handle it, I wipe it off with a clean dry rag and it is fine. I had an INFI Boney Active Duty (BAD) that I used in the kitchen, and as an experiment I left it in the sink for several days where it would frequently get wet, and it developed a little rust but nothing severe (I'm guessing SR101 would have rusted much more).

Salty moisture is really hard on steel. Many years ago I had a blued pistol that I carried all day in a leather holster while hiking on a hot day, and I did not examine it until late at night - when I did look at it, there was a significant rust spot that had developed from sweat (salty water).

Try cleaning the rust off of your knife, and then continue using it, being sure to clean and dry it after use. Remember that salty or acidic food will cause oxidation fairly quickly, so rinse it off right away and then dry it.
 
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