Edible rust prevention oil for your knife?

N

NeedItCheaper

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Jun 17, 2012
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So I have my Ontario BlackBird, 154 cm that I plan to use in my cooking while camping. I know a lot of people oil their blades so they don't rust, even the stainless steel ones...........

And I also know that Apple Cider Vinegar will remove rust. So is there anything along that line of thinking that works...........That also doesn't smell like Vinegar, lol.
 
If used for food prep while camping, I wouldn't worry too much about rust anyway, with 154CM. Just wipe down the blade after using it. A clean rag or paper towel, moistened/wetted with Windex and stored in a zip-loc bag to keep it moist would go a long way. First rinse the blade with some water, so it's not too grubby before the Windex. Keeping the blade clean & dry will do much more to protect it, and a stainless blade won't need much more than that anyway. A wipedown with Windex is how I usually clean my folder blades (stainless and not) after food use, even when I'm at home. Better than conventional soap & water cleaning for a folder, as there's no worry of getting water into the pivot. It works very well.

The downside to using vinegar to remove rust is, it might help re-create it if the blade isn't immediately cleaned of the vinegar afterwards. Vinegar can break the rust down, but the acidic content will attack clean steel as well, and make more rust. To clean a rusty blade, some baking soda mixed into a paste with water works well when scrubbed on the steel, and the alkaline pH of it will also help neutralize acids in contact with the blade. I use it to clean up carbon steel blades upon which I've forced some patina (using vinegar & water, BTW).


David
 
This question has been asked multiple times before, a quick search will get you pages of info on the subject.
That being said, mineral oil, olive oil, and Fluid Film are all food-safe rust preventatives. But you shouldn't need any of that with a 154CM blade. Keep it dry when not in use, and you'll be fine.
 
I use vaseline as its food safe and multipurpose. Mineral oil works well too
 
I wouldn't worry at all about 154 CM, friend. I've left 154 CM blades covered in sweaty fingerprints and French fry salt for weeks and come back to them, wiped them off, and there was no rust.

Wash and wipe dry after use, and you should have zero problems, even in wet conditions.
 
You can also use food grade silicone spray. It's often used for for the blades and plates on meat grinders. Otherwise you can just buy the mineral oil sold in pharmacies intended for use as a laxative. Just look for Mineral Oil USP.
 
I use chapstick on my fixed blades and hatchets. Just put a line down the length, and spread with your fingers. Wouldn't use it for folders though, just wipe down immediately after use and apply mineral oil every so often.

Connor
 
+2 on the Mineral Oil, just make sure you get the one labelled "Heavy" which is food grade safe.
It's what we use on butcher blocks and any woodworking products made for the kitchen.
A small bottle from the pharmacy if used for knives will last your lifetime and cost about $6.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
If used for food prep while camping, I wouldn't worry too much about rust anyway, with 154CM. Just wipe down the blade after using it. A clean rag or paper towel, moistened/wetted with Windex and stored in a zip-loc bag to keep it moist would go a long way. First rinse the blade with some water, so it's not too grubby before the Windex. Keeping the blade clean & dry will do much more to protect it, and a stainless blade won't need much more than that anyway. A wipedown with Windex is how I usually clean my folder blades (stainless and not) after food use, even when I'm at home. Better than conventional soap & water cleaning for a folder, as there's no worry of getting water into the pivot. It works very well.

The downside to using vinegar to remove rust is, it might help re-create it if the blade isn't immediately cleaned of the vinegar afterwards. Vinegar can break the rust down, but the acidic content will attack clean steel as well, and make more rust. To clean a rusty blade, some baking soda mixed into a paste with water works well when scrubbed on the steel, and the alkaline pH of it will also help neutralize acids in contact with the blade. I use it to clean up carbon steel blades upon which I've forced some patina (using vinegar & water, BTW).


David
Click to expand...

Good info above
 
Mineral oil is actually a petroleum product and even though there is a "food grade" mineral oil recent swedish studies suggest that mineral oil is cancerous and not "food safe". Having said that, the amounts that you'd ingest are so minute I'm not even sure that it is worth thinking about.
 
If you are looking for an edible oil which also helps in rust prevention then I suggest you to use coconut oil. Coconut oil is of not any harm to you. It will definitely help in rust prevention. Coconut oil can also be used for cooking but unfortunately many of the people do not know the benefits of coconut oil.
______________________
edible coconut oil
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
A wipedown with Windex is how I usually clean my folder blades (stainless and not) after food use, even when I'm at home. Better than conventional soap & water cleaning for a folder, as there's no worry of getting water into the pivot. It works very well.
Click to expand...

I like Windex for cleaning blades too, but it is indeed an aqueous solution containing at least 60% water by weight, according to the 2003 MSDS. Just something to bear in mind.

Your comments on vinegar and baking soda paste are spot-on. Baking soda is good to have around while camping, anyway.
 
james terrio said:
I like Windex for cleaning blades too, but it is indeed an aqueous solution containing at least 60% water by weight, according to the 2003 MSDS. Just something to bear in mind.

Your comments on vinegar and baking soda paste are spot-on. Baking soda is good to have around while camping, anyway.
Click to expand...

The reason I like the Windex, mainly, aside from it's degreasing abilities and the slightly alkaline nature of it (acid neutralizing), is because it evaporates very quickly on the blade, which is why I mention the lesser chance of water seepage into the pivot and other areas. Even with the water content, the ammonia in it seems to accelerate evaporation. The somewhat diluted versions of isopropyl alcohol (70/91%) work similarly; the balance of the solution being water. I have a bottle of the 91% IPA, and some 70% alcohol swabs, and sometimes use them in the same manner.


David
 
Why use anything?

There is no point.

If you got the knife dirty enough and left it long enough to rust you would be dead from starvation and the knife would still be rust free.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
The reason I like the Windex, mainly, aside from it's degreasing abilities and the slightly alkaline nature of it (acid neutralizing), is because it evaporates very quickly on the blade...
Click to expand...

That's true, and again you're right, it's due to the alcohol and ammonia. :thumbup:

It doesn't clean as well as Windex of course, but similar to the baking soda, plain high "proof" isopropyl alcohol is a handy thing to have... both can serve double or even triple duty, and will likely be used more often than specialized stuff, for more important things than cleaning knives.

A) 154CM is pretty corrosion-resistant anyway and B) even if I only had a plain carbon knife, in a survival or even just a fun camping situation, rust-prevention is just about the least of my worries. Keep your edges touched up (and thereby, clean as well as sharp) and you'll do just fine.
 
Windex to clean the blade huh? I'll use it, I bought a Costco size pretty much got a lifetime supply. I don't have that many windows to clean and I use other degreasers for other apps. Thanks for the tip.
 
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