Carbon steel folding knife as EDC in real world use.

I think someone has you making a mountain out of a mole hill . Before I was a knife knut , I bought this knife in 1961 . I just carried it , used it , and occasionally oiled the joints , until 2001 , and sharpened it when needed , and never had a problem with rust . Just carry it , and use it , and take care of it when you need to . No big deal .


Harry
 
PhotoPictureResizer_20201123_200133_copy_2268x3024.jpg top photo is tonight.... bottom 3 are from 2017. I probably won't force anymore patina, IMG_20170301_070810716_copy_2254x4007_2.jpg IMG_20170115_095244035_copy_2254x1267_2.jpg IMG_20170228_195831857_copy_2254x4007_2.jpg
I applied the mustard in the icu waiting room at Barnes in stl. Dad had a fast growing brain tumor and they had his hands restrained. He would come in and out of delirium and say " son i know you have a knife on you, cut me loose!" You talk about rough business.
 
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I wouldn't worry too much, just wipe it off after using and put some mineral oil on every now and then.
 
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Carried a Case Small Texas Jack with CV steel for the better part of year. Occasionally cut apples with it, in addition to whatever else. After cutting the apple, I'd give it a quick rinse (who wants a sticky knife in their pocket?) and dry off with paper towels. Maybe once a week or couple of weeks, drop of mineral oil in the joints and spread the extra on the blades.

I would occasionally polish off the patina with some metal polish (simichrome, wenol), usually whenever I was sharpening. It still developed some anyway, but no rust.

When it needs sharpening, I use an Arkansas stone with mineral oil. The knife would get plenty of oil on it then, which I would wipe off, which still left some residue of oil. No rust issues at all with that knife. It's in my pocket now, in fact.
 
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I think someone has you making a mountain out of a mole hill . Before I was a knife knut , I bought this knife in 1961 . I just carried it , used it , and occasionally oiled the joints , until 2001 , and sharpened it when needed , and never had a problem with rust . Just carry it , and use it , and take care of it when you need to . No big deal .


Harry
That hits the nail on the head. Love the visuals of that knife!
 
I am thinking of buying a traditional carbon steel slipjoint for EDC. Since all I know is stainless, I am a bit worried about rust so I would like to know your opinions on it. I have an office job and the knife would be carried in my right front pocket mostly. I am generally careful but do not was this to become an exercise in maintenance to avoid rust. I know guys in the 'old days' used to carry their stock man's and barlows with them all the time without much problems. Yet still... What should I expect?
You should expect to have a knife with lovely patina, a remarkably sharp blade, and ease of sharpening. You should expect to have a knife that you use every day with pride. You should expect nothing but fun out of a well-made carbon steel slipjoint. And you should expect to have all your fears put to rest.

And if you want to experiment with the concept at no risk and little cost, buy an Opinel N°8 "Carbone" and use it for a few weeks on everything including food. You'll see what happens.

Enjoy!

Zieg
 
The only time I had issues with rust on a carbon knife was the following.
The scene was summer in the Pacific Northwest. We were slashing a powerline cut. The dew left the forest wet as we started around five in the morning to beat the heat and fire danger. Pants soaked within the first half hour as we slashed though the salmonberry so thick it was impenetrable without the saw. I threw a chain once and had to belly crawl through some animal tunnel back to the tool kit as my tool had fallen from its holster somewhere. Anyways around noon, the pants were no longer soaked because of the oppressive sun however the sweat and humidity kept in a constant state of damp. The days it was raining,well you simply kept warm by keeping moving as you were soaked to the bone. If you were your rain gear, you would be soaked from the sweat so usually we did without. Pockets full of leaves and moss and sawdust kept things dirty.

Wouldn't you know it my pocket knife rusted. If cleaned each night, it wouldn't pit but I eventually changed to a Trusharp Trapper in yellow delrin. Cheap, replaceable, pretty and handy.

I think your situation will be just fine with carbon. I really love how carbon sharpens and changes with patina.
 
What can you expect? Rust and worse, pitting if you neglect it :eek:

Good colour and a burnished look if you take just a bit of care (as has already been pointed out by lots of others). I rinse my carbon knives under scalding water after use (where feasible) and dry them, fine rainbow effect.

It's always rewarding to have a healthy mix of carbon and stainless knives, makes you appreciate all the aspects of Traditional knives and not just the clichéd ones.

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Old Engineer Old Engineer Harry is of course right, no need for over thinking/anxiety on this, regular carry/use agrees with a carbon knife's metallurgy :D It's when in store or when they're laying around you could get a problem or two taking hold.

For instance, a few people came round couple of weeks back and we needed to open Champagne ;) It sprayed over a bookshelf top where some objets d'art (Traditional knives in other words..) were on display. Sure enough a few days later the wine had given pepper spots to some of them, no big thing but some were GEC minters now useless and un-sellable :eek:;):D
 
If you like shiny blades expect to polish it every night and dress it with oil or wax. I like Flitz polish and honing oil or Renaissance wax. Patina is ugly to me but can be kept at bay with about 5 min of care every day you use the knife. Rust can be kept at bay by rinsing and drying after use with material that oxidizes steel.

"Don't carry no ugly knife."
 
Apart from sharpening, I do shamefully little maintenance :rolleyes: I only oiled this one because I dropped it in a pot of chilli trying to take a photo! :eek: :D The chilli seemed unaffected :rolleyes: ;) :thumbsup:

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Maaaan. Been edc'ing a victorinox gardner with the sheepsfoot blade. And I really am enjoying it. Got me curious about yours, I believe it's a sheffield. Very cool and useful bladeshape
 
I carry a GEC bull nose in a belt sheath and a case sow belly in CV steel in my pocket everyday and use both at work cutting sisal twine shrink wrap packing straps and anything else that needs cutting never had a problem. Every Saturday they get steeled and stropped and when needed taken to the sharpening stones after which I oil the joints. Easy to maintain a sharp edge and patina nicely over time. Don’t over think it just use it and maintain it like any tool and it will serve you well
 
I have owned this since it was purchased new (1975+/-), and carried it daily for a number of years.
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I never ever performed any kind of maintenance on it at all, outside of infrequent sharpening, until a few years ago when I cleaned it up and dug the dried river mud out of the jigging with a toothpick.
 
I carry a knife every day just like most here. I have been carrying the same knife ( every once and a while I'll try something else and find it just don't like it as well as my usual knife) for 45+ years. My companion for all these years is a Western 854 Utility, carbon steel. In the summer it is hot and humid. We find ourselves around ( sometimes in) salt water. in the winter we are in snow more than i care to think about. This knife guts trout, cleans battery terminals, strips wire, peals/cuts apples, and generally work like hell. Every 5 years or so it gets a drop of 3in1 oil on it's hing pin, and once in a great while I'll take a twig and clean the lint out of it. I use it, wipe the blade on my pants, (wash the fish guts of it in the brook) fold it and back in the pocket it goes. No rust never had any. It dose have a patina that you can't fake with mustard,fruit,vinegar.... My knife is a good today as the day i bought it. All this talk about rust, excessive maintenance, etc. is B.S. If you use it and leave it laying around, maybe, just use it every day, forget it and move on.
 
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