In depth knife oiling question

R

Rangerspencer

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May 23, 2014
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After searching through the threads on the forum and reading other posts about knife care I have one question that's been unanswered so far. After oiling up my blades, especially my carbon steel ones, I usually don't oil until the next week. Sometimes twice a week if I take the blade out more often. Some people are you only need to oil a carbon blade two to three times a month, other people say weekly.

Here my question though. As we know, putting 3-1 in oil on a carbon blade protects it from oxidizing, and therefor rust, but how long does this protective coat last really? I mean, sure we can know for sure the coat is there when its slick and shiny with oil but the oil protection persists even after the oil has dried somewhat, right?

So, here's the big question. How long after you oil up a blade (especially carbon) does it take before that layer of protective oil is fully gone and your knife is susceptible again? I don't want to just oil it up every time i see a few finger smudges or I notice a total lack of oil sheen. I want to just oil it enough for that protective layer to never wear off. So, what do you all think? Also, I use general 3-in-1 oil bought from most places, usually found in the gun isle of super stores.
 
Rangerspencer said:
After searching through the threads on the forum and reading other posts about knife care I have one question that's been unanswered so far. After oiling up my blades, especially my carbon steel ones, I usually don't oil until the next week. Sometimes twice a week if I take the blade out more often. Some people are you only need to oil a carbon blade two to three times a month, other people say weekly.

Here my question though. As we know, putting 3-1 in oil on a carbon blade protects it from oxidizing, and therefor rust, but how long does this protective coat last really? I mean, sure we can know for sure the coat is there when its slick and shiny with oil but the oil protection persists even after the oil has dried somewhat, right?

So, here's the big question. How long after you oil up a blade (especially carbon) does it take before that layer of protective oil is fully gone and your knife is susceptible again? I don't want to just oil it up every time i see a few finger smudges or I notice a total lack of oil sheen. I want to just oil it enough for that protective layer to never wear off. So, what do you all think? Also, I use general 3-in-1 oil bought from most places, usually found in the gun isle of super stores.
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First, why oil the knife if it's not being carried or stored for a very long time. If you're taking it out to look at it every few days or a week, why waste time with oil, just keep it clean and dry and put it in a drawer.

I don't oil any of my carbon steel knives. I carry and use a carbon steel knife everyday, and it has zero oil on it. If I'm going to the beach, or canoe camping, and things are going to be getting damp, especially with salt water/atmosphere, I'll just rub a little chapstick on the blade. It's easy, doesn't come off easy, and is non toxic if I use the knife to make a sandwich. I let the blades develop a patina, and the patina just gets a bit darker or changes pattern. I haven't had a blade rust on my yet, and I've been doing this for over 50 years.

Here is the stockman I carry everyday. Carbon steel 1095 blades. Some patina, no rust.
14498444277_4b8efec3e8_c.jpg


Here's a little shot of the patina on the blade. Agin, no oil is ever used on this knife. Except a drop of mineral oil in the joint once in a while. It's developed a deep blue patina, but no rust. If you just lest the steel patina and get a nice gray/blue, that patina will help protect the blade. This knife has been exposed to the salt water of the Chesapeake Bay with no ill effects. It just gets wiped off with a clean dry bandana every night.
14552632965_89ff6e6964_c.jpg
 
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There might be some confusion. I'm not storing my knife, I take it out and use it every day. Also, my Case and Opinel knives (both of which I EDC and use daily) have carbon blades with a lovely mirror polish. I don't want any patina on my blade, no matter how useful it is and yes I agree it can be useful. I just don't want it because it's unsightly to me. I want my blades to remain mirror shiny the way they were made, so I keep a protective coating on them to prevent that, and most importantly to prevent rust.

So to clarify, Im referring to blades that see copious amounts of use and have carbon steel, and blades that I want to keep any dulled wear/patina off of.
 
Well, I don't see how that is going to happen. You can rub on a coat of oil, but soon as you break down a cardboard box, cut a piece or rope, or sharpen up a stick to use as a tent peg or hog dog roasting stick, you rub off the oil on any part of the blade going through the material being cut. Especially cardboard boxes. Do you break out the oil after every cutting job?

Carrying the knife everyday and actually using it, I'd think that again not oiling it but wiping it off after even job with a clean dry cloth/bandana will do better than slathering it with oil. And if you use something like 3-In-1, I guess you won't be using it on any food being consumed?

Sooner or later the carbon blade will stain from something.
 
A lot depends on your environment in regards to carbon steel. Here on the Northwest Coast, which is a marine rainforest environment, you really want to protect carbon steel as it will rust fairly quickly, even if you have dried it out. So a big part of trying to answer your question is: what kind of environment are you in? On the coast here I always prefer stainless steel. The few carbon steel tools I have I don't use too often, and I put a light coat of oil on every couple of months or so, but again I'm not using them regularly. Also there's a lot of oils you can use besides 3-in-1. You could use unscented coconut oil, mineral oil, even oil from the side of your nose, anything that provides a protective coating against moisture...
 
Jack, youre not understanding what Im saying. Of course I don't oil the blade every few minutes in fact I mentioned how often I do. So lets get back on track shall we?

What Im asking, back to my original post, is does anyone here know the time frame from after oil has dried slightly to when it stops being effective as a shield? Oil still works as a layer even after it has supposedly dried. The people I want to hear from are the ones who actively oil their carbon knives, who can tell me how often they do to keep the blade shiny.
 
You don't need a coat of liquid oil on a knife blade. Wipe it off. Enough oil will remain to protect the blade for quite some time-depending on humidity and use.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
You don't need a coat of liquid oil on a knife blade. Wipe it off. Enough oil will remain to protect the blade for quite some time-depending on humidity and use.
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^^ this is exactly what my father taught me about keeping my rifles and pistols oiled, and I do the same with my knives.
 
Rangerspencer said:
Jack, youre not understanding what Im saying. Of course I don't oil the blade every few minutes in fact I mentioned how often I do. So lets get back on track shall we?

What Im asking, back to my original post, is does anyone here know the time frame from after oil has dried slightly to when it stops being effective as a shield? Oil still works as a layer even after it has supposedly dried. The people I want to hear from are the ones who actively oil their carbon knives, who can tell me how often they do to keep the blade shiny.
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The only way to know when/if the oil has stopped protecting the blade, is when you start seeing spotting or other rust/patina forming. Case's polished CV (carbon) blades will still spot pretty easily (I have several). Oftentimes though, the spotting is only black oxide ('patina') and not red rust. It's hard or impossible to pin down a surefire thumbrule for when to re-oil the knife; it just comes down to watching it and treating it as needed. So long as the knife is getting used & handled regularly, it'll be pretty easy to stay ahead of the rust (this is where Carl, a.k.a. 'jackknife' is right on-track, in his advice). The time to worry about it would be if the knife were being stored away for extended periods; that's when the rust can sneak up on it, if the knife isn't adequately cleaned, dried and oiled prior to storing it.

As Carl mentioned, actually using the knife, then cleaning it up regularly will do 90% of the job of protecting it. I also don't regularly oil my carbon blades, but instead make sure they're clean & dry after I've used them; and by 'clean', I mean no acids or salts, which will accelerate rusting. The only time they've been oiled is after I've given them a full soap & water bath, to flush debris out of pivots & such. Whatever oil gets applied after that (mostly in the joints) is all that ever ends up on the blade. Even then, since I wipe down my blades with Windex after using them, the oil won't stay on the blade long, and that really hasn't been a problem for me. As others have mentioned, a lot will depend on where you use your knives (location & humidity, near saltwater, exposed to corrosives/acids/etc); that's what'll need watching, and adapting your maintenance habits accordingly. Keeping a blade fully oiled might be a valid concern if it's used in/around really harsh environments (saltwater, corrosive chemicals, etc); but otherwise, it may not necessarily need it as much, if at all.

And about the only way to truly keep a mirror-polished non-stainless blade free of patina or rusting, is to periodically polish it with appropriate metal polish (Flitz, etc). Carbon steel simply will oxidize on it's own, if nothing else is done to it. Even oiling the blade won't guarantee it'll stay blemish-free, as the oil itself still offers only limited protection, and can sometimes trap & hold stuff that will cause corrosion. This is why it's more important to make sure the blade stays CLEAN, when it's not being used. BTW, a black oxide patina (harmless by itself) actually works to slow down other corrosion (red rust), to a limited degree. Polishing the blade will just remove that protective oxide, thereby exposing un-oxidized steel to other things that'll cause rusting/spotting.


David
 
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no idea. I've had an oiled Case stockman get rusty in my pocket in a day (it was about 35C and I was sweating a fair bit) and I've had dry opinels stay clean for months. There were a series of tests done on the forum a few years ago, of different rust inhibitors and oils. But those were outdoor conditions, so not sure how much it would apply but its worth a look if you haven't seen it
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1057567-a-not-so-little-rust-prevention-test-round-2?highlight=rust+proof+test
 
Rangerspencer said:
Jack, youre not understanding what Im saying. Of course I don't oil the blade every few minutes in fact I mentioned how often I do. So lets get back on track shall we?

What Im asking, back to my original post, is does anyone here know the time frame from after oil has dried slightly to when it stops being effective as a shield? Oil still works as a layer even after it has supposedly dried. The people I want to hear from are the ones who actively oil their carbon knives, who can tell me how often they do to keep the blade shiny.
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HI RANGERSPENCER

My own experience: i always appreciated mid to high carbon steel on my blades and have tried few oils...My problem with oils is their visconsity is often too low to stick to the blade for long time,also they vapouraising fast....

Often people tend to use WD40, this is however not the oil,but water dispenser substance,3in1 is better choice as it actually contain solid base of oil unlike WD40,which also disapears very fast...3in1 however doesnt cover the blade for more than few weeks time,due to low visconsity (vapouraising and dripping off the blades easy),,,so i had to check on (already conserved unused blades each month at least once),to add oil regularly,later to avoid this-i just conserved my knifes into clean dishwasher clothing impregnated by oil,wrapped arround each blade/handle if full tang...(hate to see patina too,love the mirror polish finish)

I have discovered lately very long lasting protection for all my high carbon blades, that will really sticks to the steel and will probably protect your blades for years to come-without need of constant attention-if sprayed and wrapped properly to conserve your knifes...There is some link to this product,,,, [video]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51fJbxM50mL._SY400_.jpg[/video]l

I highly recommend this grease,also easy to get and cost effective too,once sprayed over, it will create thick oil layer,will quickly harden its visconsity and becomes like glue or thick honey in consistance,untill properly wiped or washed off blade...They also do oil, which i got too,this oil is higher grade visconsity than usuall 3in1 or most gun oils and also cover blade with thick solid oil layer which does last for very long time on blades... Here is picture [video]http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjQwWDQ4MA==/$(KGrHqF,!o0FBfrucwYtBQi6S0UBMQ~~60_1.JPG[/video]

I did not try Japanese Camelia oil,widely used on samurai swords,this suppose to be also very long lasting protection oil that have high grade of visconsity and sticks to blade for longer time,compared to ordinary oils such as 3in1 etc....
 
The active ingredient in most knife/gun oils is mineral oil. This includes WD 40.
 
I never oil the blades of carbon steel knives. Never.
I give them a wipe with Marine Tuff-Cloth once every few months if they see much use, or once every few years if they don't.
I've never had a knife blade rust since I began using the Marine Tuff-Cloth.
I use it on Opinels that I use for food outdoors, I use it on fishing knives, pocket knives, and hunting knives.
In fact, the ONLY knives that I do NOT use it on are kitchen knives (I just wash and dry them well,) and my dive knives. Those get a coating of silicon grease.
I even use Marine Tuff-Cloth on my fencing foils, epees, and sabres. Here in the jungle, these would rust up in a week if not protected.

Stitchawl
 
stitchawl said:
I never oil the blades of carbon steel knives. Never.
I give them a wipe with Marine Tuff-Cloth once every few months if they see much use, or once every few years if they don't.
I've never had a knife blade rust since I began using the Marine Tuff-Cloth.
I use it on Opinels that I use for food outdoors, I use it on fishing knives, pocket knives, and hunting knives.
In fact, the ONLY knives that I do NOT use it on are kitchen knives (I just wash and dry them well,) and my dive knives. Those get a coating of silicon grease.
I even use Marine Tuff-Cloth on my fencing foils, epees, and sabres. Here in the jungle, these would rust up in a week if not protected.

Stitchawl
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I never tryied tuff-cloth,maybe will be worth to try too
 
I'm a gun guy more than a knife guy and very careful about preventing corrosion on any tools, guns, knives, etc. Best product I have used since about 1970 has been Breakfree CLP. You can find it at most sporting goods stores and any gun store. It is not expensive. It will never gum up. It is a three way synthetic mil-tec product, very popular in the early days of the M16, because it Cleans-Lubricates-and Protects with a rust resistant film. It is still in use by the military.

About every 10-15 years I buy a gallon size jug and transfer it into small empty WD40 spray bottles. A little goes a long way.

Here is some basic info about it.

http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html
 
GatorFlash1 said:
I'm a gun guy more than a knife guy and very careful about preventing corrosion on any tools, guns, knives, etc. Best product I have used since about 1970 has been Breakfree CLP. You can find it at most sporting goods stores and any gun store. It is not expensive. It will never gum up. It is a three way synthetic mil-tec product, very popular in the early days of the M16, because it Cleans-Lubricates-and Protects with a rust resistant film. It is still in use by the military.

About every 10-15 years I buy a gallon size jug and transfer it into small empty WD40 spray bottles. A little goes a long way.

Here is some basic info about it.

http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html
Click to expand...

Thats another great addition to look at,maybe it is also available on amazon,ebay etc. too...
 
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