Heavy sweat on stainless folding knife blades

M

Mud Shrimp Moe

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Nov 6, 2011
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My simple question is, how much concern should I have about carrying a folding knife with stainless steel (VG-10, S30V, 154CM, Gin-1, 8Cr13MoV, etc) in shorts during heavy sweating activities during the summer?

Background:

I live in North Texas, which is brutally hot and sometimes humid. But, obviously, no salt water exposure. I engage in a lot of active outdoor activity, where I may sweat clean through my clothes. Previously, I never carried a blade while doing this. But now that I'm more of a knife nut, I'd like something about the size of my Spyderco Delica to carry in shorts when I sweat heavily.

Believe me, I've used the search function here, as well as Google, and have read a good dozen threads discussing blade corrosion and rust. Many of these threads were about Spyderco H1 steel as well. I was considering buying a Salt 1 knife for this. But then I read up on H1 versus VG-10 and just about decided that I'm about to spend money to solve a problem that may not be much of a problem. Now I am considering just carrying a small FRN folder in my pocket, letting it be exposed to sweat, and if the SLIGHTEST problem develops, address it and then go ahead and buy that Salt 1.

I already own two H1 blades, a Spyderco Pacific Salt and a Spyderhawk Salt. But for shorts and heavy activity, I'd prefer something more like a Delica/Salt 1 size.
 
Don't worry so much. Sweat is besides water mostly oils. I've carried ancient carbon steel slipjoints that didn't rust with sweat. Considering modern steels shrug off what obliterated the old knives sweat won't touch it.
 
I have found even High Carbon stuff like 1095 or 5160 to be completely spot free if I just wipe down my blades at the end of the day. Modern stainless like you mentioned above should be absolutely spotless if you just give it a good wipe down at the end of the day. Just remember, it's not stain proof, just less. A drop of oil rubbed on both sides every few days on even stuff like M4 or semi-stainless D2 and you won't have any problems at all. FWIW I just rub a drop on each side of my EDC 154CM blade every few days and even massive amounts of sweat won't bother it.
 
i bike ride about 9 months out of the year, i usually carry either my S30V or 20CP para2 in my waist band. i have yet to notice a problem with either steels.

p.s. when i get back home i usually wipe the sweat off the blade.
 
don't sweat it (pun intended) the delica will do just dandy. even if you do have corrosive sweat (which is based on diet, genetics etc) Like I do, a little dab of mineral oil (if the knife also doubles for food prep) will work and keep anything corrosive off the blade. Also make sure to check the liners, backspring and lockbar. It's between the scales that rust really creeps in on folders
 
You shouldnt be worried about any of these....unless they are bead blasted. YMMV but maybe my sweat just hates bead blasted blades just like the rest of me
 
As long as you remember that it is stainLESS and not stainPROOF, I think you'll be fine.

To mirror what some others have been saying, I carry carbon steels practically every day, rain or Texas shine. It sounds like you are getting a little (okay, a lot) more sweaty than I generally do, but I also live less than four miles from the Gulf and take them the to coast semi-regularly. I don't even bother oiling them these days because, even in these conditions, rust has never been a problem for me on any blade I carry. If you use them often enough and give them the proper care they deserve, it's shouldn't be an issue.

In a (presumably front) pocket doesn't strike me as an altogether sweaty place, anyway.
 
Human perspiration does contain small amounts of Oils & Salt. It can stain or rust a knife blade if it not wiped down from time to time with an oily cloth or some ren wax. Stainless is a lot more forgiving, but it will stain or rust if let go long enough.
 
Yeah, I don't think you will have a problem if you just wipe down the blades after. I live in western NC and it gets mighty hot, and HUMID over here during the summer, couple that with the fact I'm just a natural sweathog, and my knives can get coated in sweat. I wipe them off once I come in for the night and I'll use car wax on the blades once a month, or so. Never had any problems with rusting.
 
Seems like you know the benefits of H1. I clip an H1 Dragonfly to my shorts when jogging, and that thing gets bathed in sweat a few times a week. I never wipe it down and it has never even stained.

FWIW, my ZDP Dragonfly developed small light rust spots after a few weeks of this type of treatment. If you want to be really safe, I'd go with the H1--or put the time into caring for the other steels.
 
ChrisB507 said:
Seems like you know the benefits of H1. I clip an H1 Dragonfly to my shorts when jogging, and that thing gets bathed in sweat a few times a week. I never wipe it down and it has never even stained.

FWIW, my ZDP Dragonfly developed small light rust spots after a few weeks of this type of treatment. If you want to be really safe, I'd go with the H1--or put the time into caring for the other steels.
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even though ZDP has a bunch of chrome in it, it also has a ton of carbon. most of the chrome is locked up in carbides which causes ZDP to be not very stainless. personally i consider ZDP to be semi-stainless. all the other stainless steels that the OP listed are much better at resisting stains.
 
I've carried blades with 154cm, s30v, and vg10 steel, and i engage in outdoor activities and perpire alot. None of them rusted, except for Emerson's 154cm steel, which i think is because of the finish. I rinse my edc knife and wipe them dry when I get home. Those blades didn't rust, but the stainless steel liners did. :D
 
It's all about how you take care of you're blades. I have a gerber lst that has been scuba diving, swimming, etc... At the end of the day I wipe down my blades and put a little oil on them. My endura, in vg-10 of course, has also been wet many times, just cleaned and oiled and there is not a spot on it (just scratches...) sweat can't be worse than saltwater, so while the H1 might be as rust resistant as possible, like fascion said, steels can be stainless not stain proof... regular maintenance goes a long way, sounds like your delica would be fine.. but if you want an excuse to check out a salt 1... go for it, no such thing as too many blades to choose from. - hayes
 
I have managed to make most every hardenable stainless steel rust by sweating in hot weather. Fortunately most of the rust is superficial and is easy to remove if you get after it right away. I sometimes avoid the problem by carrying Stellite, ceramic, or Titanium blades in the summer.
 
tiguy7 said:
I have managed to make most every hardenable stainless steel rust by sweating in hot weather. Fortunately most of the rust is superficial and is easy to remove if you get after it right away. I sometimes avoid the problem by carrying Stellite, ceramic, or Titanium blades in the summer.
Click to expand...

This thread did get me to thinking about just how well my Mayo TNT handles these types of conditions. :)
 
I've carried my CS Voyagers in AUS8 while jogging, and no problems with corrosion. I do rinse them off if sweaty.
 
You should have absolutely zero problems, given some common sense.

I ride my bicycle to and from work in California several miles every day. Then I do 9 hours of manual labor. I do this with my knife clipped inside my waistband right next to my sweaty boxer briefs.... In the past year, the majority of the time I have had a NON stainless knife on me. Mostly CPM M4 by Spyderco. I have not had one issue. I will often take out my knife to cut something, and the blade will be downright WET from the sweat on it. NO problems. Granted, I try and wipe it off every time I use it, but that's it. I do not oil it. I do not wax it or tuf glide it. I just wipe it off on my dickies.

I have also done this with stainless knives quite a bit. S30v, VG10, 8crwhatever, etc... Obviously they had no issue either, considering my carbon knives remained spot free.
 
I've never had a rust problem with a polished stainless blade. I have had rust on bead blasted AUS8 and 8Cr13MoV. Interestingly enough, I never had a rust problem with bead blasted 420 or 440 series steels.
 
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