Tuff Cloth "experiment"

[jeegeet]

So, my CRKT M-1603 is my jogging/gym carry. Without any coating, the bead blasted blade started to rust quite quickly after it got any sweat on.

After applying a layer of Tuff Cloth I kept taking that knife with me for jogging and the gym. The knife was used a little, to cut boxes and such occassionally. I wasn't taking care of the blade (on purpose) except for drying it out after coming back.

It took over three weeks of sweating on it almost every day before anu rust showed up! I guess this shows that Tuff Cloth really works.

I cleaned the blade with alcoholic solvent and Tuff Cloth. The rust is gone. Now I am going to apply a double layer coating now and see how long it will stay without rusting.

This "experiment" was probably as far from being scientific as possible

...

Cheers,
Kris


[This message has been edited by jeegeet (edited 03-17-2000).]

 

[Cliff Stamp]

When I first got a Marine Tuf-Cloth I took two teeth off a lawn rake, sanded them down and applied the cloth to one and not the other. I then put them out on the step and sprayed them with water.

In a matter of a couple of hours the non-coated one was rusting seriously as expected. It took somewhere like 4-5 days for the coated one to reach a similar stage and that was me spraying it with water 3-4 times a day.

-Cliff

 

[Chiro75]

Cliff, if you think that's cool, then listen to this. One of the primary problems with steel bicycle frames is rust. A lot of times the rust starts on the inside and works its way out, so a framebuilder named J.P. Weigle invented this stuff that's in a spray can. You disassemble the bicycle and spray it on the inside, rotating the frame a lot to get a good coating all over the inner tubes. One of the bike magazines did a test on this stuff and the guy took two pieces of your typical bicycle steel tubing (usually something air-hardened), stripped the paint, and wired them to the bottom of his car (in winter, in a Slushy place). One was untreated, of course, and the other was sprayed with the stuff. After driving around all winter the treated tube was still good as new, and the other one looked like WWIII! The stuff is awesome! Unfortunately, it isn't too good for knives. Or at least I don't think it is. As far as I can tell it is a sticky wax that is dissolved in a solvent carrier. The solvent evaporates and leaves the waxy stuff behind. It leaves a thick layer and it is the type of thing that would clog a sheath in no time at all. The only way you could get away using it on a knife would be to use a fixed blade with a Kydex sheath that can be taken fully apart for cleaning (assuming the Weigle's won't react with the plastic). It may be what you're looking for on those really hardcore outdoor adventures you like, though!

The stuff runs about $12 a can, I think, but that is enough to coat the inside of at least two bicycles frames.

------------------
My Knife & Sheath Pages:
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/frames.html
Palmer College of Chiropractic
Sheath Makers Referral Directory
agocs_s@dd.palmer.edu
Madpoet (Mel Sorg, Jr.) Tribute page:
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/madpoet/main.html

 

[MTF3]

I took the coating off a CS Recon Scout when I replaced the handle and guard. I wiped it down with a Tuff Cloth. I have been hacking at a few tree limbs and cut down a few small trees. I even chucked it in the dirt to see how much I changed the balance. I did wipe the dirt off on my jeans. I have some sort of gummy tree sap on the blade, but no rust. Not even a small speck. I am impressed with the Tuff Cloth.

 

[yoda4561]

Kris, I got a tip for you on the tuff cloth thing. Heat the blade up with a hair dryer or something before you apply the tuff cloth, Ive seen a marked improvement in the durability of the protection doing this with tuf glide, I can only assume this helps the protectant "soak" into the pores of the steel better. Try it and see if it works for you

 

[David Z]

I also ran an experiment with the Tuf-cloth. It was not very scientific, but just to test it, I took two 16 penny nails, and cleaned both with alcohol to start them both out the same. The one I left as cleaned, and the other I applied the Tuf-cloth. I left them on a stand in the backyard in the weather. I checked them daily. They both rusted. The coated one rusted slower, but both were ugly. It did not give me a lot of confidence in the Tuf-cloth, but I am not done experimenting. Maybe the Marine Tuf-cloth is better.
Dave.