Carbon steel question! (New member)

[DFT]

Hi there,
I'm after some help!

I've just recieved my first carbon steel knife from Paul Baker and I'm very pleased!

However, having only owned stainless blades before, I've heard about issues with rust on carbon steel and not being able to store them in their sheaths etc. I'd like to know how long is safe to leave the knife sheathed whilst un-oiled/un-waxed and how long I can leave it sheathed after it has been, without having to worry about rust!?
I'm planning a trip to Wales and would like to know if I'll need to clean and oil/wax it every night or can I leave the '' knife caring kit'' at home?

Any advice much appreciated!!

Dan

 

[warthog1981]

Hello

What I do is take one film canister and a small piece of cloth small enough to fit in the film canister soak the cloth in a little olive or veg oil if your going to be using your knife for a lot of food prep otherwise I just use gun oil or 3 in 1 oil.
Always carry it with your knife and when youve been using it and go to put it away it only takes seconds to pull the cloth out a little and give the blade a quick rub over

Thats what I do anyway Cheers Russ

 

[Draven]

Hello

What I do is take one film canister and a small piece of cloth small enough to fit in the film canister soak the cloth in a little olive or veg oil if your going to be using your knife for a lot of food prep otherwise I just use gun oil or 3 in 1 oil.
Always carry it with your knife and when youve been using it and go to put it away it only takes seconds to pull the cloth out a little and give the blade a quick rub over

Thats what I do anyway Cheers Russ

Agree with that

As far as storing it the sheath, it's a simple matter of... don't Don't leave it lying around though! If you're gonna store it for a long time, a wax or grease is a good idea as it's harder to run off the blade - I've heard of ren wax and lanolin both being used. Dunno about ren wax, but lanolin is hypoallergenic, non toxic and doesn't go rancid. Honestly, I use and therefore clean my knives enough that I never have rust, and very rarely bother to oil them - also helps if you add a patina with vinegar, and then you won't be worried about every little stain on the blade. Of course, you might get obsessive about the patina as I now am, and snatch my knife away from someone when they pick it up, shrieking "YOU'LL MESS UP THE PATINA!"

If you're going anywhere where the knife will get wet, even just through condensation, bring the oil!

Pete

 

[DFT]

Thanks very much guys!!

Like the oil cloth in film canister idea.. might have to follow suit!

As far as Lanolin goes, I'm going to a sheep farm tommorrow and I believe it comes from sheeps wool so with a kind word or two to the farmer, I might be able to relieve him of some!!
Please excuse me but I'm afraid I don't know what a "Patina" is!? Can you enlighten me? (Last amateur question..................I promise...............well I hope anyway!!)

 

[Barn Owl]

Wouldn't worry too much,even if you get a bit of rust it'll come off with some wirewool or wet n dry easily.

I've had knives kept in sheaths for a couple of years with no rust near them too.

But cleaned and wiped with 'tuff cloth' or similar beforehand.

 

[Draven]

The black-grey stuff there is a patina. It's basically a layer of iron oxide - specific oxides though, which are hopefully not rust The idea is that you slightly corrode the blade with something slightly acidic, and the oxide coating is less likely to rust. All carbon steel knives will get a patina with use unless religiously cleaned, but it's a process worth speeding up IMO. Beware though, it's easy to get a thick jet-black patina by soaking in vinegar, but it will often wipe off easily. The toughest coating takes time. Dunno why, but I would assume that you are getting different types of iron oxides and use wears away the softer ones, which can then be replaced by harder ones. Just a guess though!

The above patina was started with brown sauce, then vinegar, then garlic and onion Mustard, ketchup, vinegar, brown sauce, relish I expect, onion, garlic will all work, I've even heard of potatos working. IIRC the tannins in some woods will turn it purple.

You can also get some nice patterns by applying streaks of ketchup, leaving on for a while, wiping off and repeating so it builds up at the overlaps!

And don't worry about asking questions, we all have to learn somehow

Hope this helps
Pete

PS: Most of these things have water in them too, and as you can see from the base of the blade, if you leave it there and exposed it will rust as well. I find it beneficial to have the blade completely submerged if you're using vinegar, as if you dip it and leave it out you'll probably remove the patina trying to get the rust off! I'll also say that it can eat away a fine edge, so it'll need a sharpen afterwards.