will my knives rust?

N

Nickers

Joined
Jun 10, 2014
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71
So i just need some answers from people with experience.

I have quite a few old carbon steel knives, some uncoated, that I want to store in drawers. I live in a very dry environment (southern arizona desert), and i want to know if my knives will rust if i oil them before each rainy season (once a year) with a generous coat of mineral oil.

Thanks for your time
 
In your dry environment you may be ok with mineral oil, but it is not ideal for rust protection. You have a few options:

1) Generally most oils will slow rust but not completely prevent it. If you insist on oil, use ezzox which is well known for rust prevention...or something similar.

2) Coat the blades with a wax for long-term storage, or you could use a butcher block oil with wax. Wax is what museums use to protect steel artifacts. Some gun oils have wax in them to retard rusting. Renaissance Micro-Crystalline Wax Polish or Johnson SC wax will both work.

3) Coat lightly with petroleum jelly (Vaseline). Similar qualities as wax.

4) You can force a patina on a high carbon blade by submerging it in an acid like vinegar or by cutting into a potato and leaving it in the potato overnight. You can also submerge in cola overnight for the same result. Then oil lightly the next day and store it. This will change the color of the blade to a dark black or gray, so may not be the option you want....but it will work.
 
fnzeee said:
In your dry environment you may be ok with mineral oil, but it is not ideal for rust protection. You have a few options:

1) Generally most oils will slow rust but not completely prevent it. If you insist on oil, use ezzox which is well known for rust prevention...or something similar.

2) Coat the blades with a wax for long-term storage, or you could use a butcher block oil with wax. Wax is what museums use to protect steel artifacts. Some gun oils have wax in them to retard rusting. Renaissance Micro-Crystalline Wax Polish or Johnson SC wax will both work.

3) Coat lightly with petroleum jelly (Vaseline). Similar qualities as wax.

4) You can force a patina on a high carbon blade by submerging it in an acid like vinegar or by cutting into a potato and leaving it in the potato overnight. You can also submerge in cola overnight for the same result. Then oil lightly the next day and store it. This will change the color of the blade to a dark black or gray, so may not be the option you want....but it will work.
Click to expand...

okay thanks very helpful
 
I'm in NM, and our climate closely matches AZ, at least in terms of DRY (thankfully, not quite as HOT as AZ ;)). Our 'monsoon' season comes around July-August of each summer, and daily RH levels during that period are usually at or above 30-40% (compared to 3-15% RH, virtually all of the rest of the year). The only issues I've seen in our 'muggy' season are with some light spotting on 1095 and CV blades; a little more so, if they're carried in-pocket for the day.

A little bit of mineral oil should protect them, if just stored clean & dry. If carrying in-pocket, make sure to wipe them down periodically during the day (sweat has the biggest impact), and then clean them and maybe oil them lightly before putting them aside overnight.

I've forced a vinegar patina on a couple of mine, and it's done a nice job so far, in preventing the spotting that would otherwise occur. For reference, I've left one blade on a Case CV stockman un-patinated, and I can directly compare how it's still spotting a bit, versus the steady, clean patina on the other two blades. Easier to see how effective a simple forced patina can be, in some settings. Not bullet-proof, but it can help. :)


David
 
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I live in Las Vegas, Nv. Our weather is very similar. I have never had rust issues with knives stored in my safe. I have numerous 1095, some 3V, and several M4 blades. I think you will be very protected with about any lightweight oil. I would probably use mineral oil as it is food safe.
 
Tribial said:
Is johnsons paste wax an ok substitute for rennaisance wax?
Click to expand...

I've used Johnstons Wax for storage and for shows to have my knives bright and Purdy under the lights. Works fine, I've even used automobile Turtle wax for storage and shows. You want to clean & dry them first.
 
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