Knife Rolls Safe For Storage?

J

johnnywizzo

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Mar 1, 2018
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At the risk of asking a stupid question, are knife rolls safe for long term storage? I've never had a knife roll, but I'm trying to organize my collection. Do knife rolls cause rust over time?
Thanks.
 
I think the answer is 'it depends'. If where you live has really high humidity and where you store the roll has no climate control, any knife stored in a roll probably may be subject to rust.

Where I live has humidity ranges from 40% in winter and 85% in summer, I always turned on the AC whenever the humidity is high and temperature is hot, those multitools stored in a SpyderPac large seem to do fine over the years.
 
I live in a high humidity area and to key rust at bay i always save the little packets that say do not eat and put in my knife rolls and gun bags. You can buy the things in bulk but the exact name escapes me right now.
 
As my colleague comis said, knife rolls themselves won't damage knives. I suppose if you're reckless about how you roll them up you could have some handle to handle contact that might cause dings. Dropping on a concrete floor might damage the knives on the outer surface. Damp storage conditions will damage knives no matter how they're stored.

Funny, sort of, story about a knife roll. I was selling knives at a gun show some years ago. Some guy walked up with a really nice leather knife roll and unrolled It on my table. There was one sellable knife in a lot of something like twenty busted up derelicts. Worse yet, that roll smelled like it had been used as an ash tray for at least forty years. He wanted $300, I wanted to barf... I did finally buy that thing for $20.00.

I don't remember if I did get my money back out of that deal. I do remember doing all sorts of things to get the smell out of that roll, saddle soap, Murphy's Oil Soap, sunshine, etc. The factory I work in has a pair of large air compressors. I hung that knife roll in the exhaust air stream of one of them for about two weeks. There's no telling how many cubic feet of air flowed over that thing, but it never did air out enough that it could be tolerated.
 
The only thing I could see being an issue is older knives with celluloid handles. When they break down and off gas, they will cause damage to the metal. If other knives are stored in close proximity like a roll it would be pretty bad. It applies to other storage methods also like a small tool chest or display case, so that's not unique to just a roll.
 
I wrestled with this a while ago. I started out with a 22-knife padded cloth case but didn’t feel confident about possible trapped moisture resulting from high humidity. I switched over to the Plano 3700 plastic storage box. It’s meant for fishing lures and small gear but it has movable dividers, so I arranged them to accept folding knives. It works great for me. I’ve got 24 folders (from small “gent” size ones up to pocket sabers like the Shiro 111) in one box. Plano also sells a “Weekend Series Tackle Case”, which is a heavy cloth case that holds four 3700 boxes (though it comes with only two) and has three good-sized external pockets. The boxes are a good inexpensive storage solution and the Weekend Case is a good place to keep the boxes.
 
Thanks guys, I was just wondering because I know that firearms stored in zippered gun cases over a period of time will rust due to their tendency to trap moisture. I've seen some heartbreaking examples of damaged guns.
 
neo71665 said:
I live in a high humidity area and to key rust at bay i always save the little packets that say do not eat and put in my knife rolls and gun bags. You can buy the things in bulk but the exact name escapes me right now.
Click to expand...

That is silica gel. And yes you can purchase in larger quantities. My dad worked at a small company that made dehumidifiers for ships. They had 40 gallon barrels of it. My wife found some small containers of it that you plug in to recharge on the auction bay. She says $10 each. I looked for a pic but cannot find the specific ones. We use them in our closets because of moisture and mold. If you look up silica gel on there, it should bring up a bunch of listings. I remember my dad giving a bunch to our grandmother who worked with dried flower arrangements. To recharg the gel they would put it in the oven. It was more like a powder. That was some time ago. But definately interested here in getting some to place with my knives and guns. Hopefully soon we can get a nice safe that is regulated. Problem is getting those huge things where we want it. Hope this helps some on here in keeping their stuff moisture free.
 
What you want are rechargeable silica gel desiccant canisters. They look like this:

They can be recharged in an oven and the 40 gram size (like the picture) will dehumidify a few square feet of enclosed area.

That being said, you really only need these if your knives are stored in conditions consistently over 50% RH. I have a lot of knives stored in Spyderpacs and similar bags like the BladeHQ branded ones and have never had a problem living in North Texas.

If you keep your knives where you live and have functional heat and AC, you should be good to go.

You probably only need to worry about desiccation if your knives are stored outside of climate control or you live in a super humid, tropical climate.

Now, if we’re talking about collector’s pieces, that might be a different story.
 
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Hackenslash said:
What you want are rechargeable silica gel desiccant canisters. They look like this:
View attachment 1294599
They can be recharged in an oven and the 40 gram size (like the picture) will dehumidify a few square feet of enclosed area.

That being said, you really only need these if your knives are stored in conditions consistently over 50% RH. I have a lot of knives stored in Spyderpacs and similar bags like the BladeHQ branded ones and have never had a problem living in North Texas.

If you keep your knives where you live and have functional heat and AC, you should be good to go.

You probably only need to worry about desiccation if your knives are stored outside of climate control or you live in a super humid, tropical climate.

Now, if we’re talking about collector’s pieces, that might be a different story.
Click to expand...

I am into photography, and have some experience when it comes to moisture control--if you are indeed in a humid environment, these types of rechargeable silica gel are really good for a 1-2 days and you will need to warm them up in microwave/oven to reactivate them again. Another slightly convenient solution, mostly for those photographers shooting in winter and trying to avoid condensation when gears are brought back into warm room, is the handheld unit with wall plug:

https://www.amazon.com/Improved-Eva...umidifier+AC+silica+gel&qid=1583126933&sr=8-9

https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...isture-Portable-Dehumidifier_60766712050.html

But again, those are only good for 1-2 days, and people always take a few of these to rotate each day for the shoot.

I think location, climate control and material of the knife roll all played a role here for knife storage. Whether the knife roll is made of leather or synthetic material, that will make some difference too.
 
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