Storage and Preservation

[PawnstarWv]

Hey guys, I have a question about storage and preservation of my knives. I am pretty new to collecting and I was needing some advice on how to handle, store, and keep my knives it tip top shape. I have a roll that I like, my knives slide into small mesh pouches in the roll. I really like the way it holds them but I am having trouble finding more of those to buy. Could someone please give me some advice on where to buy some rolls like the ones described. Also let me know if that is the correct way to store my knives. Any and all advice is much appreciated. Thanks, Matt

[gwelker62]

I'm fairly a newb myself at collecting. Keep my few knives I have on some shelving in a glass front gun cabinet that I'm slowly converting into a knife display. I tend to wipe em all down with WD40 every once a while to thwart off moisture. Thinking about getting some clear plastic ziplock style parts bags to keep em in so that won't be as necessary.

If you like the roll bags, there are a plethora of places to buy em. This site being one example.

http://www.wildbillwholesale.com/knroca.html

[ludwig26]

I use 18 count Sackups and 60 count Hickory hill rolls. Downfall is I can't find a certain knife when I need it. As far as where to purchase, I get both types off of eBay .
Kerry

[KnifeSlinger#81]

I use 18 pouch sack ups for my best/minty knives, they are simply the best storage. Most of my knives go in a tackle box since most of them I'm not too picky about rubbing/scratching. I would get yourself a good microfiber cloth to wipe stuff down with, flitz makes a really good one that is washable. Just about any kind of oil will do to protect from rust. If you want good pivot lubrication try latama quick release oil.

[tank]

Welcome to the addiction. I store most of mine in a double stack roll around tool chest from Harbor Freight. I keep my Swiss Army knives in Plano tackle boxes. I keep my Sunday knives in the Hickory Hill rolls. As far as protection I swear by Renesance Wax for blades, handles and bolsters. For joints I use food grade mineral oil. Hope this helps.

[knife7knut]

Some suggestions I have found that work well.
I would not use knife rolls that have elastic straps in them to store knives for any length of time for a couple of reasons: First the elastic can damage certain plastic handled knives by outgassing(similar to what cel handled knives do).This is especially true if the cases are subjected to excessive heat such as being stored in the sun or the like.Any moisture that is present on the knives can also cause rusting.
The same goes for plastic storage bags unless you are trying to isolate outgassing cel handled knives.
An inexpensive storage case for folding knives up to about 4 inches long can be had by using old stereo cassette storage boxes.Put a piece of felt strip inside each slot to ensure that the knives do not contact the plastic slots(most have a felt lining anyway)and lay another piece of felt on top of the knife.You can actually store two knives in each slot if you like.some larger cases are double sided.I have one that has the capacity to hold 120 cassettes(60 per side).I would only load one knife per slot in those though as 120 pocket knives weigh a good bit. I also toss in several small dessicant bags that I get from medicine bottles and change them every few months. You can re-cycle those by heating them at low temp in an oven for about an hour.
Another good storage solution but a bit expensive is a wooden machinists' tool box.You can sometimes find them at estate sales in decent shape for under $100. Make sure that they are relatively clean and free of oil and grease inside and you will probably want to re-line the drawers with new felt which can be purchased cheaply at a yard goods store.If you go this route don't use spray adhesive to attach them as it never seems to dry in drawers that had grease in them.I use Elmer's Glue which works fine and allows you to move them around to align properly.
I have used metal tool boxes in the past but found that they tend to trap moisture if you get a large temperature variation.
When storing your boxes keep them in a fairly well controlled environment and out of direct sunlight.My large cabinet is inside an old closet in the spare bedroom I use as my computer room and is well away from the heater/air conditioner register.
Hope this helps.

[jerryd6818]

Some suggestions I have found that work well.
I would not use knife rolls that have elastic straps in them to store knives for any length of time for a couple of reasons: First the elastic can damage certain plastic handled knives by outgassing(similar to what cel handled knives do).This is especially true if the cases are subjected to excessive heat such as being stored in the sun or the like.Any moisture that is present on the knives can also cause rusting.
The same goes for plastic storage bags unless you are trying to isolate outgassing cel handled knives.

I have used a cheap Chinese 60 knife roll and folders of various capacities (from 12 to 42) for storing my highly varied accumulation of knives for the past 15-20 years with no observed ill effects. That's just my experience. Your mileage may vary.

[gwelker62]

As mentioned above, a wood machinist tool box is a good option... but they can be expensive. However, Harbor Freight has one for less than a 100 bucks. The last time I laid hands on one in their store it seemed like a fairly well constructed box for the price.

http://www.harborfreight.com/eight-draw ... 94538.html

[bighomer]

That's a good little box G62 I like mine.

[Colonel26]

I'm gonna have to get he knew of those harbor freight boxes. Right now I'm using a $30 big tackle box with those removable flat plastic boxes with lids.

[Mumbleypeg]

You can't beat sack-ups for storage IMHO. Not the cheapest but if you have good collectable knives you want to keep that way, they're worth the money. Best preservative coating is Tuf-glide/Tuf-cloth. Ren wax is also good but takes more effort. I know some like it but personally I wouldn't use WD40 on a good knife unless it's all I had. There's far better products available. Also use dessicant.

My experience with knife rolls is the same as Ray's - the elastic straps corroded metal including nickel silver shields and bolsters. I still use them for short term transporting only, but as soon as they're back home they come out of the rolls, wipe down with Tuf-cloth and back into Sack-ups or boxes. Wish they made Sack-ups constructed like conventional knife rolls. Instead of the pockets to hold the knives, have straps made of the treated cloth (in place of elastic). That would give the protection of Sack-up but visibility of a conventional roll.

Celluloids are kept separate from other knives. Not even in the same room.

Check everything at least twice a year. This means look at every knife, wipe down and re-store. Maybe overkill but I've caught a few problems early (especially on celluloids) before any significant problems occurred.

Ken

[gwelker62]

I know some like it but personally I wouldn't use WD40 on a good knife unless it's all I had. There's far better products available.

What is it about WD40 that some folks don't like? And what makes other similar products better? From my humble experience of 45+ years of WD use on tools and parts, it does an excellent job for preventing water intrusion, damage, and corrosion. It's what it was designed to do. Hense its name Water Displacement formula 40. And its formula hasn't changed since its release over a half century ago.

Also use dessicant.

+1 on the desiccant bags. I save all the bigger ones I can find and keep them in the bottom of my cabinet.

[gwelker62]

That's a good little box G62 I like mine.

Me tinks you just convinced me to get one.

[knife7knut]

As I had mentioned before an economic way to store knives is an old stereo cassette case. Here is one that I have(that I no longer use)that I modified by installing a piece of packing foam in the lid to secure the knives when transporting them.I would put a piece of felt in between the knives and the foam to prevent any solvent that may be lurking in the foam from transferring to the knives. As you can see the slots hold a scout utility knife very nicely. This particular case has 30 such slots. I don't know if you can still buy these but I see them at yard sales all the time for a dollar or two.

[jerryd6818]

it does an excellent job for preventing water intrusion, damage, and corrosion. It's what it was designed to do. Hense its name Water Displacement formula 40. And its formula hasn't changed since its release over a half century ago.

Bingo. Spot on. WD40 is great for what it was designed for. It's the folks that insist on using it for a lubricant or in the place of Liquid Wrench et al, that drive me nuts.

BTW, research has shown that Liquid Wrench and PB Blaster are not the best solution for rusted nuts.

Found on another web site;
Here's some data to support that:
Tech Tips: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

"So you deal with a lot of rusty nuts? Go down to the hardware store and buy some acetone, a quart of Dexron Mercon and a refillable spray bottle. In the spray bottle mix the ATF and acetone in a 1:1 mixture.

Spray away and get your nuts loose!

Independent testing of penetrating oils using a single steel bar with 1/2”x20 nuts torqued to 50 ft/lbs and treated with a 10% salt water solution that was allowed to rust. Listed are the chemicals and required removal torque.

-None ………………… 516 pounds

-WD-40 ……………… 238 pounds

-PB Blaster …………. 214 pounds

-Liquid Wrench ….. 127 pounds

-Kano Kroil ………… 106 pounds

-ATF-Acetone mix….53 pounds "

[KnifeSlinger#81]

That's some great info Jerry. Here's one we plumbers like to call the blue wrench.

[jerryd6818]

Plumber eh? Have you ever seen a toilet lime up so much it wouldn't flush?

[KnifeSlinger#81]

Yep, you have to pull them and scrape it out depending on where or how bad it's limed up.

[jmh58]

Another Sack-up fan.. Use the 18s and this reminded me I need to get a few more!! John

[gwelker62]

That's some great info Jerry. Here's one we plumbers like to call the blue wrench.

Us auto mechanics use a blue flame wrench too. But the one we use provides far more removal force.

[gwelker62]

Bingo. Spot on. WD40 is great for what it was designed for. It's the folks that insist on using it for a lubricant or in the place of Liquid Wrench et al, that drive me nuts.

Actually, it can be used as a lubricant. It even says so right on the can. And their website list "WD40 is not really a lubricant" as one of the myths surrounding WD40.
https://wd40.com/cool-stuff/myths-legends-fun-facts

A QUESTION OF LUBRICATION

Myth: WD-40® Multi-Use Product is not really a lubricant.

Fact: While the “W-D” in WD-40® stands for Water Displacement, WD-40® Multi-Use Product is a unique, special blend of lubricants. The product’s formulation also contains anti-corrosion agents and ingredients for penetration, water displacement and soil removal.

However, having said that, I still use it primarily as a cleaner and for surface rust prevention. For slip joint lubrication I use Liquid Wrench lubricating oil. Which should not be confused with Liquid Wrench penetrating oil.

[Yehuda]

I use CLP oil, a high quality gun oil, and I store in velvety jewelry type boxes with a small silica bag for humidity control. I'm about to start making custom boxes for my best knives..

[Mumbleypeg]

I know some like it but personally I wouldn't use WD40 on a good knife unless it's all I had. There's far better products available.

What is it about WD40 that some folks don't like? And what makes other similar products better? From my humble experience of 45+ years of WD use on tools and parts, it does an excellent job for preventing water intrusion, damage, and corrosion. It's what it was designed to do. Hense its name Water Displacement formula 40. And its formula hasn't changed since its release over a half century ago.

Just stating my opinion about WD40. I have used it for years and have several cans of it sitting around (seems every year someone gifts me another can at Christmas). As for what I don't like about it, well, you sorta answered that yourself. "It's formula hasn't changed since its release over half a century ago." Over 60 years ago in fact - it's almost as old as I am.

Since that time IMHO better products gave been developed. I prefer Tuf-glide, which was developed under military contract to solve the need for a firearms and gear lube and corrosion preventative that would not attract dirt in the dusty Iraqi desert environment, among other factors. This happened 30 or so years after the introduction of WD40. In fact it was a Marine veteran of the Iraq wars (both of them) that introduced me to Tuf-glide several years ago at a local shooting range. I find Tuf-glide to be an excellent lube for knives and firearms as well as an unbeatable preservative for metals.

As for other alternatives to WD40, as a preservative I'll also vouch for Renaisance Wax (Ren Wax) which is used to preserve antiquities by some of the finest museums in the world. If WD40 was better I'm pretty sure they would be using it.

I'm always looking for and trying other products (like FrogLube for example) and if I find something better than what I'm using I'll be converted. I'm glad you like WD40. I also use it on shop tools. But not to store and preserve collectables. They're your knives so you're the best judge of what meets your needs.

Ken

[KnifeSlinger#81]

That's some great info Jerry. Here's one we plumbers like to call the blue wrench.

Us auto mechanics use a blue flame wrench too. But the one we use provides far more removal force.

They sure do, but they aren't nearly as portable There was one job where we needed and used one, it was kind of a specialty thing.

[jerryd6818]

Which all goes to prove that everyone has their favorite way of doing things because it works for them to their satisfaction. Have at it boys. There's never a shortage of opinions on AAPK.