Blade care for Carbon steel

[Grendel]

Just wandering what is the best way to keep working blades clean. I was sold a bottle of Parker hale Ragoon Oil with my Carbon Steel Bowie 20 years ago but there must be a more modern method. As you see from my pics of my first proper penknife the blade has become tarnished so when I get my new CS Opnel I want to keep it looking clean.

 

[mountainm]

That patina will protect the blade to some degree - were you looking to restore it too shiney?

 

[Puddock]

I use Peanut Cooking Oil - available from Tescos £2.99 for 1 litre. Safe therefore if you wish to prepare food, and protects the knife a treat. No good if you have a nut allergy though.

 

[gordonmac]

I use Super Premium Polishing Paste for keeping things shiney and Sentry Solutions Tuff Cloth as a rust inhibitor. It's a nice dry film rust protector - bit smelly at first, but very effective!

 

[Ogri the trog]

Just use it.

If it gets dirty, clean it,

If you think it needs a drop of oil, oil it!

No need to go buying premium oils when most of what you already have at home will do an equally good job.

Ogri the trog

 

[John Fenna]

Just use it.

If it gets dirty, clean it,

If you think it needs a drop of oil, oil it!

No need to go buying premium oils when most of what you already have at home will do an equally good job.

Ogri the trog

That is the way
I prepatinate nearly all my carbon blades by wrapping them in vinegar soaked tissue overnight - shiney looks too much like Stainless or Obsessive if not Unused

 

[gordonmac]

shiney looks too much like Stainless or Obsessive if not Unused

Obsessive - that's me

 

[Grendel]

Well given the blade a scrub with autosolve and green washing scourers and it’s slightly cleaner.

So how’s the Vinegar principle work at preventing blade corrosion?

 

[John Fenna]

Obsessive - that's me

I am no scientologicalist but it seems the patina inhibits corrosion by acting as a barrier....

 

[mountainm]

I am no scientologicalist but it seems the patina inhibits corrosion by acting as a barrier....

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_does_vinegar_affect_steel

 

[John Fenna]

Thanks for that link - interesting!

 

[mountainm]

It does say low carbon steel though and AFAIK Iron Acetate is a white compound. What may also be happening is that small trace of surface rust (or rust formed by the water in the vinegar) is then being turned to haemetite (a black compound also an oxide) somehow.

 

[John Fenna]

It does say low carbon steel though and AFAIK Iron Acetate is a white compound. What may also be happening is that small trace of surface rust (or rust formed by the water in the vinegar) is then being turned to haemetite (a black compound also an oxide) somehow.

Whatever it is - it stops your blade rusting as easily as a shiney one would

 

[Siberianfury]

i dont realy bother with any oil, i just wipe and strop the blade reguarly, ive been using the knife (Garland bushctraft knife) for over a year and never had any issues with rust.

 

[Samon]

Force a patina on it mate. The patina is a mild surface rust that not only makes your blade look old school but stops more serious orange rust or pitting form so easily.

Stab the blade of your opinel into a lemon and leave it for about half an hour, check it and decide if you like it or if you want it darker then just wash it and rub the blade down with a rag that's got a tiny bit of oil impregnated on it!

Really simple, some people even use mustard paste to create tiger stripe patterns and all sorts, but lemon juice will make a patina teeny bit quicker.

You can actually buff the patina off with fine wet n dry if you don't like it as it's only surface effect!

 

[Grendel]

Thanks for all the advice.
Think I’ll try the Lemon trick Samon mentioned since put some of the Ragoon oil on the pocket knife yesterday and it’s STILL oily and marking everything it touches.