What does chlorine do? Specifically to n690

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Kachowhow

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So the other day I was at an indoor pool to pick up my kid. I was pulling out something out of my pocket when my hand accidentally caught my edc blade and bam, it fell onto the pool deck where the water is. I am aware that chlorine is really corrosive and damaging to metals, and I’m wondering how damaging it is to a n690 blade.

Since it only has 17% chromium and 1.1% molybdenum, how will this resist pool chlorine. I know that some stainless steels have up to 30% chromium and I don’t know what to make of this.
From the composition of n690, I’m not sure what other element is in a significant number than can resist the corrosiveness that chlorine brings.

The knife is also stonewashed, so besides damaging the steel itself, could the chlorine also damage the stone wash finish?

I just wiped it with a paper towel and I don’t want to get any water near it until I can figure out the damages. Should I be concerned or is the blade perfectly fine?
 
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Pool guy here. Your knife will be fine 😁

Pretty much any steel once wiped dry or at least washed and dried immediately isn't going to rust just hitting a pool deck or even pool water.

I have routinely used an Adamas in Cruwear (which is not stainless) to cut the foil tops off 12.5% bleach (hot enough to be warm to the touch and eat a hole in your clothes in about 2 mins). I just wipe it on my shirt and maybe wash the blade down with a drink of my water. Then I'll give it a shot of oil when I get back to my office.

I used have WAY more trouble keeping steel from pitting when left at my office. The chlorine would vent out of the buckets and bottles before they started sealing them tighter. Ate the chrome plating right off the store hooks. Diluted down in water, Chlorine is pretty forgiving.

The thing that pits my knives the worst is my sweat. Whatever battery acid coming out of me will spot up VG-10 pretty quick. The N690 folder I had back in the day never had an issue with that.
 
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Even at municipal pools or places where someone had a heavy hand with the hypochlorite, the chlorine concentration is still relatively low. I've had knives in less stainless steels in or around pools without issue. Not saying it couldn't happen but given the circumstances here, I wouldn't worry.

Like Steely_Gunz Steely_Gunz was saying, I've seen more corrosion on blades from sweat. During the worst parts of summer when it is like 90F and 90% humidity, my pockets are not a great place for carbon steel or semi-stainless steels like D2. Lesser stainless like 8Cr13Mov or AUS-8 will occasionally spot on a bad day. Unlike Steely, VG-10 seems to be in my safe zone along with S30V and S35VN. N690 is a slight step up from those in corrosion resistance.
 
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The 20-30% chromium steels, mostly 300 series and equivalent, are made for long term application with low to mid exposure to corrosive substances and cheap to produce. Better steels for corrosion resistant, and specifically against chroride, can have less chromium.

With that said, your knife will be fine. Rinse it with water to clean the residue chroride of it and it will be good to go. With the concentration at the swimming pool, it needs a long period of exposure to break the steel. N690 is often quoted as the most corrosive resistance you can get out of 1% Carbon cutlery stainless (440C class) before using powder tech.
 
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How many cancer causing materials do you come in contact with briefly that have had no effect on you? Metals are affected similarly. Much ado about nothing.
 
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Steely_Gunz said:
Pool guy here. Your knife will be fine 😁

Pretty much any steel once wiped dry or at least washed and dried immediately isn't going to rust just hitting a pool deck or even pool water.

I have routinely used an Adamas in Cruwear (which is not stainless) to cut the foil tops off 12.5% bleach (hot enough to be warm to the touch and eat a hole in your clothes in about 2 mins). I just wipe it on my shirt and maybe wash the blade down with a drink of my water. Then I'll give it a shot of oil when I get back to my office.

I used have WAY more trouble keeping steel from pitting when left at my office. The chlorine would vent out of the buckets and bottles before they started sealing them tighter. Ate the chrome plating right off the store hooks. Diluted down in water, Chlorine is pretty forgiving.

The thing that pits my knives the worst is my sweat. Whatever battery acid coming out of me will spot up VG-10 pretty quick. The N690 folder I had back in the day never had an issue with that.
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Hey, thanks for your response. Would you happen to know what the chlorine in pool water will do to the stone wash finish? Would the finish itself be damaged from the chlorine?
 
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Kachowhow said:
Hey, thanks for your response. Would you happen to know what the chlorine in pool water will do to the stone wash finish? Would the finish itself be damaged from the chlorine?
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as shinyedges shinyedges said, rinse it and nothing should be an issue. the "rougher" finish of the stonewash may be more apt to corrode if it's not cleaned off, but if you give it even the most modicum of effort, you shouldn't have an issue at all. If I were to worry about anything on a knife exposed to a corrosive agent, I would be more inclined to make sure the pivot and locking mechanism was rinsed, dried, and treated over the blade. The blade is easy to see if there is any spotting. Deep down where you can't get an eyeball on it is another story.
 
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This is my pool carry knife. Immune to chlorine.

LmpwZw
 
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As other's have said, rinsing and drying as quickly as possible is key.

After hearing what a lot of you are saying, I'm fortunate that not only does it take a lot for me to sweat, but mine isn't caustic. Sunday I was at the beach, 95 degrees, humid, it took me 40 minutes to start sweating lol. I feel for y'all. My dad was like that, 75 degrees overcast he would walk 10 feet and start sweating. His was caustic enough to eat through a leather watch band in 6 months.
 
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Taking your O1 tool steel knife to the shore of a beach is more hazardous than getting chlorine in your super stainless knife, just rinse it off in more chlorine water it'll he fine
 
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Most people who have issues with rust are exposing the steels to high humidity, salt, and other corrosive agents over longer periods of time. If you put a concentrated acid or alkaline on your blade and leave it there, yes, it will eat it up a bit, but once it's diluted in a pool's worth of water, the chlorine isn't a concern.

I thought my Carbon Steel Mora would be rusted and gone in a year, but aside from being worn from sharpening and use, it's literally in perfect shape a decade later with relatively little maintenance other than a washing and wipe of oil every now and then. Just don't leave it dirty and all is well.

I float down the river and swim at the lake with my Para3 LW in BD1N in my trunks pocket and over the course of 4 years of owning it, I have not seen a single fleck of rust, or even any discoloration. It's not terribly dissimilar in corrosion resistance with N690. You've chosen a very corrosion resistant steel to begin with.
 
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