Rusty old knives

[OLDE CUTLER]

Is it just my imagination, or do some brands of knives take on rust easier than others. I am beginning to think that Western knives may be the top candidate. Of the Westerns I own and almost all I see at gunshows, fleamarkets, antique shops and malls, they always have a nice blanket of rust on them. Pictured is a 062 I picked up over the weekend at a gunshow, actually a dealer I know gave it to me as a freebee because it was so rusty. It will probably clean up nice and be a good EDC, but it sure has a nice blanket of rust all over the blades. I don't know what would be the thing that would influence this the most? Maybe the steel alloy used by the manufacturer? Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[FRJ]

Wow!
I'd take those all day.
Give me your honest, your old, your rusty .........

[Eye Brand Man]

Any neglected carbon steel( non stainless, Although stainless can rust) will rust regardless of brand. But some manufacturers alloys could be more prone.

[cody6268]

Keeping oil on it helps. I'd given my Granddad a beater 34OT with a reprofiled main blade; and he'd lost it. About 2 months later, I found it, rusty, but not ruined.

I think the higher the carbon, without additions of such things as nickel and chromium, the more prone it is to rusting. To me, while some companies such as David Boye and Spyderco have done well with cobalt steels, those steels still don't compare to those using a lot of carbon.

[Dinadan]

I would not even consider Olde Cutler's knife rusty. More like stained. I have a problem with rust because I like to EDC various carbon steel knives. Sometimes when I pick up one that I have not carried for a few days there will be rust. I have not noticed that the brand makes a difference.

[knife7knut]

Just my opinion but I think much of the rusting has a lot to do with the proximity to celluloid handles.That and being stored where the moisture content of the air is high.

[OLDE CUTLER]

I would not even consider Olde Cutler's knife rusty. More like stained. I have a problem with rust because I like to EDC various carbon steel knives. Sometimes when I pick up one that I have not carried for a few days there will be rust. I have not noticed that the brand makes a difference.

Might be a different situation with your location of coastal Alabama too. The humidity here in South Dakota is not nearly the problem as in your locale, and I have heard of salt water fog near the oceans. Is there really such a thing?

[Reverand]

In my opinion, there are several variables. Steel composition, use of oil (or lack), moisture & humidity, and even the user themselves handling the blades.
At work I have to clean and oil antique vault doors. Most anyone's handprint will cause the old carbon steel to rust, but it is much worse with some people. One old Vault Tech told me that if the user is a Diabetic, their handprints would cause rust much more quickly than most folks'. I cannot prove that, but it does appear to be true.
I would think that it would have the same effect on carbon steel blades.

[rea1eye]

I think rust on knives ( considering constant variables of air moisture, handling, amount of oil on blade,etc.)
is based on amount ( content) of iron in the blade that can combine with water to form iron oxides and iron oxide
hydroxides ( known as rust)

Bob

[RevolverGuy]

That one isn't that bad. I have seen worse. I own a few Westerns but none have rusted. Now the older Imperial's and Colonials, I have seen many of those covered in rust. I think it shows how much these were carried and used. Back in the day I rarely ever saw anyone oil their knife, but with some elbow work those carbon steels can be restored.

[Mumbleypeg]

As has been said, any carbon steel knife will rust under the right conditions regardless who made it. The "stainless" steels will rust also but not as susceptible to rust as carbon steel. I prefer carbon steel myself for several reasons, but know to keep mine treated occasionally with a protectant like Tuf-Glide - once a month or so seems to work well. Even a stainless steel knife needs a drop of oil in the hinge occasionally - it's very little more effort to put a little on the blades at the same time.

What amazes me is that stainless steel has become so commonplace that folks nowadays aren't aware that up until the 1970s most knives were made with carbon steel blades (Queen being the notable exception). Now they think if a knife rusts, it's defective.

Ken

[Ropeman]

Back years ago when I worked on a boat in South Louisiana I had a friend mention that he wanted to get a knife like mine that didn't rust. What I was caring at the time was an Old Timer large trapper with carbon steel blades. I wiped it down every evening with never dull and put a light coat of oil on it which kept it so clean that he though the blades were stainless.

I'm not saying that different manufactures don't have different types of steel that will rust faster or slower, but it is possible to keep any knife shiny with the proper amount of care and OCD!

I bet that knife would be worn smooth today if it wasn't lost for me by Delta airlines

[Dinadan]

I would not even consider Olde Cutler's knife rusty. More like stained. I have a problem with rust because I like to EDC various carbon steel knives. Sometimes when I pick up one that I have not carried for a few days there will be rust. I have not noticed that the brand makes a difference.

Might be a different situation with your location of coastal Alabama too. The humidity here in South Dakota is not nearly the problem as in your locale, and I have heard of salt water fog near the oceans. Is there really such a thing?

There is no doubt that steel that is adjacent to salt water rusts very rapidly. I have worked as a surveyor at several docks and waterfront industries. Just as is commonly said, the salt eats it up. When I go up a ladder at one of those places there is a salt deposit on the metal surfaces that leaves a residue on my hands. Whether it is from a fog or just vapors, it is there for sure.

My home is about twenty miles from salt water so I do not thing that plays a part in my rust problems. It is real humid here, and in the summer I do get sweaty a lot. But I think the biggest factor might be that I use my knives to peel or slice fruit a lot. Yes I wipe them off after use, but I guess that is not enough. I do not oil like I probably should. Patina I am fine with, surface rust okay, but pitting happens real quick.

Here are a couple of my EDC knives at top. I have been using these for a couple of years and they are not bad, but not like they used to be.

EDC knives

Here is a Rough Rider fish knife that spent a little while in my saltwater tackle box. It just needs some steel wool: it still has scales from the last time I used it.

Rough Rider

Lastly, here is a Case that I dug up when I was looking for a property corner with a metal detector. I do not know how many years it was buried. I cleaned it up and went over the blade with a stone a few times. Still has snap. Honestly, that knife is just as good for most purposes right now as it was the day it was sold. It is a real tribute to Case materials and workmanship.

Case

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

I would not even consider Olde Cutler's knife rusty. More like stained. I have a problem with rust because I like to EDC various carbon steel knives. Sometimes when I pick up one that I have not carried for a few days there will be rust. I have not noticed that the brand makes a difference.

Might be a different situation with your location of coastal Alabama too. The humidity here in South Dakota is not nearly the problem as in your locale, and I have heard of salt water fog near the oceans. Is there really such a thing?

I don't know about "salt water fog", but I can tell you with absolute certainty that living near the ocean causes all the metal exposed to the elements to rust and/or corrode. Here is what happens to brass & steel that is left outside for several years at a house near the Pacific Ocean.

[FRJ]

Mel, I sure do like those two packers of yours. Working knives!!