Carbon Steel Chef Knife

[SLC_Blades]

Hey everyone, I have a couple questions about making a standard chef’s knife with high carbon steel.

-RUST PREVENTION: what’s the best way to do it? I normally coat my blades with 3 in 1 oil and occasionally hit them with WD40, would this work? I’m concerned that all the moisture that the knife would be exposed to would cause it to rust extremely easily.
-Which carbon steel should I choose? Every blade I’ve made thus far has been 1095, is that a viable choice?
-What kind of care do I need to take in order for the knife to be food safe? I think this mostly relates to choice of handle finish, but any advice about this is helpful.
-Choice of handle material: Is a synthetic like micarta or g10 superior to something like wood for this application?

Thanks!

 

[AVigil]

You can force a patina on it from the begging and then just keep it clean and dry.
It is going to form a patina anyway. But if you want to oil it use some coconut oil

 

[bikedave99]

I have a 15N20 kitchen knife that I made and have been using for a few months now. It hangs on a magnetic and isn't stuck into a knife block, i think that is important. Also, when I'm done using it I wash it in hot water (so it evaporates dry quicker) then oil with food grade mineral oil. I wouldn't want 3 in 1 or WD-40 on my food knives. I forced a mustard patina on my knife and have cut abunch of tomatoes and jalapenos with it so that patina is mostly worn off and it is just going gray. It definitely has an odor when cutting acidic food. In terms of handle material, that is mostly preference I would say. There are a lot of Old Hickory carbon steel knives out there with untreated wood handles. I used stabilized wood and am happy with that.

 

[Robert Erickson]

There isn't any coating that will completely prevent rust. Drying it off after use is the most important thing. Using coconut oil or mineral oil can help and would be food safe.
1095 would make a great kitchen knife, 52100 and W2 are a couple of my favorites.
If this is for commercial use you'll need to check with local and state regulations on handle material. If not using G10 or stabilized wood would work fine.

 

[Richard338]

I have knives in my kitchen that I made in 2004 with A2 steel. They still perform great and just look grey with patina.
I never oil them, just wash, dry and put away.

 

[skillgannon]

So far I really like 15n20. There is a significant difference in how fast it rust compared to 1084 and 80CrV2 and I imagine 1095. It was enough of a difference my wife went from hating the mess they made to loving the rustic look. I made a 12" slicer that is primarily used for meat and it has a cool blue patina. I know M4 is somewhat rust resistant and imagine that A2 might have some resistance also. They are far from stainless but just a little easier to care for. If they can be treated right all the carbon steels will make great chef knives.

 

[l1ranger]

most of my CS kitchen knives are 1095 - all i ever do is clean and dry them thoroughly.

i know a guy that makes kitchen knives using 52100 and natural handles - he uses mineral oil on the handles, but only washes and dries the blades

 

[HSC ///]

first pic - 52100, just washed/rinsed and towel dried
second pic - 1095 grey parkerized finish
I love carbon steel

 

[timos-]

here is a couple examples of 1095 with forced patinas,,,,they will dull and grey with use. If you use for strictly proteins they tend to get blue and purple, i use barkeepers friend to start over. yes they do have an odor with certain foods and will turn some a little black but this all subsides once you get a strong patina.

 

[joedhiggins]

Any high carbon steel that I can think of will make a fine chef's knife. I prefer 1084/1095/80crv2/52100 but 15n20, 1075 and countless others will work great. Rust prevention is not a problem with a tiny bit of care and maintenance.

If you live somewhere dry, you basically don't have to do anything but dry them after you are done washing and don't leave them sitting around with something like tomato juice on the blade. Even if you do, they will just mostly patina rather than form red rust. Red rust will mostly come from letting them air dry with water on them.

If you live where it is always humid, you may need to be a bit more careful, and they will patina a bit more quickly.

I like forced patinas, but this is by no means necessary, they will patina gracefully with time either way.

I live in the desert, but I still oil/wax my knives, though mostly because it is a habit I built from when I lived in high humidity environments.

3 in 1 is non toxic (I think) but I still wouldn't use it on a kitchen knife. For kitchen knives, I use a soft paste wax made from mineral oil and beeswax. I think the ratio is somewhere between 1:1 and 2:1 by volume, mineral oil to beeswax. I just melt the beeswax and add oil until it gets to the right consistency. You can do it in a double boiler safely. Dip a spoon into the mix and it will instantly solidify and you can test consistency. You want something that will essentially melt right around body temperature or a bit lower. it should have a consistency somewhere between room temperature and refrigerated butter.

Anyway, I use this mixture on both the blade and handle of my kitchen knives (at least the ones with wooden handles). As I usually force a patina, which will create a surface that tends to hold oils better than polished metal. I rewax/oil the blade when it the blade or handle starts to look dry.

 

[scott.livesey]

for steel, easiest to find would be O1 or AKS 52100. 8" or less, 1/16" any longer 3/32". High carbon steel is going to corrode and discolor, no way to prevent that on a daily user knife. if the owner is careful, real wood will be just as good as plastic or stabilized wood.

 

[Mitchell Knives]

I simply rub a bit of olive or mineral oil on them every few months.

Otherwise, I just wash and dry after use.

 

[greentrout]

I have 1095 and O1. They both work excellent. Unless it's raw meat, I usually just rinse the blade off with warm water and dry with a dry to well before back in the block. Both have osage orange handles.

 

[Don Hanson III]

I use 15N20 for my lower end stuff and W2 for higher end. Just rinse & dry the blades. Carbon is all we use in our kitchen and they never rust.

 

[ten-six]

3 in 1 is non toxic (I think)

3 in 1 MSDS indicates "Indication of Immediate Medical Attention/Special Treatment Needed: Immediate medical attention is
needed for ingestion" but later says "This product is not classified as toxic by established criteria."

Either way I don't want my onions tasting like 3 in 1...

 

[milkbaby]

I tell people to treat a carbon steel kitchen knife basically like a cast iron pan: Don't leave it wet or it'll rust. Wash it by hand immediately after use. Dry it completely immediately after washing, then keep it dry. As a cast iron pan develops seasoning, food sticks to it less and less; as a carbon steel knife develops patina, food will discolor less and less.