Top end spydies

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aviationian

Joined
Sep 5, 2007
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I have been debating among the many top end spyderco knives, specifically the Caly3 ZDP, the Stretch, and the Superhawk.

I was looking because my newly purchased foliage green paramilitary started rusting after just three days of ownership, even though i did oil it every day. And if it rusts that easily, I'm worried about taking into the backwoods with me, where it will be much harder to keep perfectly dry and oiled.

Advice?
 
Look into the Salt series. Blades are H-1, clips are titanium, whole knife is totally rustproof. I like the looks of the new Mariner Salt, and I don't even like stainless handles as a rule.

What sort of climate are you in? My FG/CPM D-2 Military has yet to develop a speck of rust after many months of daily carry with no special care at all.
 
I'm in Cleveland, Ohio.... Kinda the antithesis of humidity

Though it got up to like 40% humidity a couple days ago.
 
We have a name for 40% humidity here. We call it rain. ;)

Seriously, although D-2 is not considered stainless, it doesn't miss it by much. Where did the rust show up on your Para?
 
Just what are you using for "oil"? Mule p*ss and armpit sweat?

One of my EDC's, a Manix, has a S30V blade. My other knives have VG10, ATS-34, and the good 'ol G-2 blade steels. Here in Houston it is hot and humid almost all of the time. I work in a non-air conditioned building, around some very caustic chemicals.

I don't baby any of my knives, and I don't oil my knives everyday. I don't have any rust problems. Blades, bolsters or locks.

Some advice - Clean your knife. Dry it, then leave it alone. Then throw that "oil" out.

TR Graham
The Glocksmith
 
yablanowitz said:
We have a name for 40% humidity here. We call it rain. ;)

Seriously, although D-2 is not considered stainless, it doesn't miss it by much. Where did the rust show up on your Para?
Click to expand...

Near the tip, on both sides--in a couple little patches

And I oiled it with WD-40, because I killed my last bottle of 3 in one and haven't gotten around to get any more miltec for a while.
 
aviationian said:
Near the tip, on both sides--in a couple little patches

And I oiled it with WD-40, because I killed my last bottle of 3 in one and haven't gotten around to get any more miltec for a while.
Click to expand...

Well, that rules out most of the other things I thought it might be. I haven't found WD-40 to be a very good protectant. You might consider getting a Tuff Cloth to wipe down the blade.

Back to the original post. You may find that the ZDP-189 of the Caly3 and Stretch II is not much more rust resistant than the CPM D-2. The VG-10 SuperHawk may be your best bet for a new knife from the top end, but I would most likely go with a Pacific Salt or two if I was experiencing rust.
 
Isn't WD40 water based? I wouldn't use that on any of my knives. I have a couple of paras and have even taken one on a scooter ride down to Galveston a couple of years ago. Spent the week on the water and only had a minimal amount of rust show up on the blade close to the pivot. A small amount of flitz will usually get the rust off then I wipe 'er down with a tuf-glide impregnated cloth. You can use mineral oil instead of the tuf-glide if you're going to cut edibles. I hope this helps. The para is one of my favorite spydercos. If you're around salt water a lot then something in H1 steel would be preferred and minimize the daily maintenance. I just purchased an aqua salt (fixed blade) and am really impressed with this knife and how it fits my hand. Check it out, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

all the best
Dan
 
My D2 Military started to rust, but it was after my son went swimming and he had it on him. I took it apart and used some oil I use for my guns with a light coating. All seemed to be good. I hate that yours rusted so quickly. I carred the Military for some time with no problem. I think I would wipe down once a week, and that would keep you rust free, but my opinion.
 
I agree... A little wipe down with oil is all that is needed.... The weather has been from 70-90% humidity and 90 AVG.. degree weather and thunderstorms for the past few days.. in Connecticut.. ( yes i work outside) Im not reporting from inside pretending its used in that weather;)...... And that weather will continue into the week.... I also have used it to cut apples and other fruits at lunch time... And i use it all day on site.. Through the rain and whatever....I simply wipe the blade dry with my shirt... Regardless.. Nothing so far... but i will report if i see anything.. however... I wipe my blade off after every and any wet cut.... with any steel.... Along with a wipe down with my cloth and rem-oil... each night or every other... Just to keep the blade super clean... I dont actually leave a visible layer of oil on the blade.. I wipe it off until its barely visible or dry.. not coated like its going into storage...
Besides that...
I love
-Chinook 3
-Lil Temp
-ATR
 
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TR Graham said:
Just what are you using for "oil"? Mule p*ss and armpit sweat?

One of my EDC's, a Manix, has a S30V blade. My other knives have VG10, ATS-34, and the good 'ol G-2 blade steels. Here in Houston it is hot and humid almost all of the time. I work in a non-air conditioned building, around some very caustic chemicals.

I don't baby any of my knives, and I don't oil my knives everyday. I don't have any rust problems. Blades, bolsters or locks.

Some advice - Clean your knife. Dry it, then leave it alone. Then throw that "oil" out.

TR Graham
The Glocksmith
Click to expand...

The foliage green Paramilitary has D2 blade steel. The D2 models come from the factory with a coating of oil, plus a card that states they should be cleaned and lubricated on a regular basis to prevent oxidation. So "leave it alone" might not be the best advice. Maybe if it was coated in Tenifer :D

I keep my FG Military wiped down with RemOil. I'm in Arkansas, so it is usually fairly humid here. No rust yet.
 
I feel like a slacker. I wipe down my blades (with a handkerchief, no fancy tuff cloth) and oil them (White Lightning - paraffin-based) once in a while. If I cut something that sticks, like various foods, I wipe them down or sponge off immediately. Only Spydie I recall rusting is my S30V Dodo - small spots of rust inside the spyderhole, where the texture is somewhat rough.

The Wikipedia page on WD-40 is interesting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40
Our thread-starter is correct - it was designed for water displacement. Water wouldn't really mix with any of the other ingredients. I've always wondered if the "penetrating" properties of WD-40 were due to some sort of corrosive or cleaning agent (similar to the phosphoric acid in Naval Jelly) - whenever I use it to loosen rusted parts, it seems like the rusty gunk keeps coming out forever. The product specs suggest that is not the case. Acid would not seem like something that would fall under the 10% inert ingredients.

In any case, there are a ton of volatiles in WD40 - so everything you spray on isn't going to stay on the blade. 3-in-1 oil would give better coverage, as would mineral oil. Some of the specialty products listed (Tuff cloth, miltec, white lightning) would probably last even longer. Salt series would provide better rust resistance without so much maintenance.
 
CombatGrappler said:
The foliage green Paramilitary has D2 blade steel. The D2 models come from the factory with a coating of oil, plus a card that states they should be cleaned and lubricated on a regular basis to prevent oxidation. So "leave it alone" might not be the best advice. Maybe if it was coated in Tenifer :D

I keep my FG Military wiped down with RemOil. I'm in Arkansas, so it is usually fairly humid here. No rust yet.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I caught that about the D2 steel after I posted. I was looking at the standard Para specs. My mistake. :o However, I still suggest that he clean the WD40 off the blade. Mule p*ss is a good description of what I think of WD40. Over the years I've seen more than a few guns that were damaged or malfunctioning by use of the stuff.

Your suggestion that he use some RemOil is a good one. BreakFree CLP would also work well. Used it with success on a CRKT M16T (AUS8 steel) that had a problem with rust.

Unfortunately, tennifer would not work - its a heat treatment that would make the metal so hard that the blade would chip or break with use. The knife wouldn't rust, though......:D

TR Graham
The Glocksmith
 
hornshwangler said:
Isn't WD40 water based? I wouldn't use that on any of my knives. I have a couple of paras and have even taken one on a scooter ride down to Galveston a couple of years ago. Spent the week on the water and only had a minimal amount of rust show up on the blade close to the pivot. A small amount of flitz will usually get the rust off then I wipe 'er down with a tuf-glide impregnated cloth. You can use mineral oil instead of the tuf-glide if you're going to cut edibles. I hope this helps. The para is one of my favorite spydercos. If you're around salt water a lot then something in H1 steel would be preferred and minimize the daily maintenance. I just purchased an aqua salt (fixed blade) and am really impressed with this knife and how it fits my hand. Check it out, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

all the best
Dan
Click to expand...

I agree 100% about WD40; I would not use that s*** on any of my knives either. Bolded part 2: Very sound advice! :thumbup:

It's still pretty odd that it rusted after only three days. :confused: I'm in NY (high humidity) and have never had any problems with any of my Spydies; save one; my ex-Persian. :(
Well, I hope the best for ya!
 
If you can.. post some pictures.... I would like to see what it looks like.. If its actually pitting.. or what not.. maybe its something else...
Matt
 
We've been having our share of humidity here in NC. I typically just wipe down my blades with the silicone cloths from the local wal mart sporting goods store. It has kept even the 52100 mule straight. D2 and ZDP no problems.

If needed I'll strip them off with break free or rem oil when they've been sweated on, or other such incidents but for daily smudge, and fingerprints a nightly wipe does fine.

I've never had any rust on any of my ZDP blades, D2, or really any others other than one 1095 knife that's over 40 years old now.

BTW, I swim in the atlantic with my enduras ( all steels ever used on enduras). Freshwater rinse and a wipedown is enough. Joe
 
If its rusting at the tip im surprised just using it dosnt clean it up/wear it off ?

Here in Taiwan its up above 80% humidity regularly just now, I carry a few Spydercos when in training (sweating) and iv had no rust to speak of. My ZDP Delica and s30v Dodo got a few very light spots but they came off with a tuff clothing.

My D2 Mili. is pretty new so its not had much carry time, iv never oiled it or anything so far and its still looking chipper :thumbup:
 
I realize this may not be applicable to your situation but some people's fingerprints cause rust remarkably fast and others have no problems. Different people, different chemistry.

Personally, I simply wipe my knives with a microfiber cloth to keep them clean, and I occasionally wipe them down with a silicone impregnated cloth to prevent rust. I use a bare minimum of oil and only put it on moving parts.

I don't think much of WD-40 either. It is good at displacing water, but dirt, dust, and general crud stick to it and can really gum things up.

Good luck and I hope you find something that works.
 
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