While oil is the classic rust blocker for knives and firearms, wax is a classic choice that has the advantage of being a solid at room temperature so it will not evaporate, migrate or stain. Some waxes help lube, others form better barriers.
You really have two choices for application:
Waxes that come diluted with a carrier are in a liquid or paste form and applied much like shoe polish - rub on metal, let harden and polish to remove excess. Their initial consistency allows them to flow into the tiny scratches the cover even a polished steel surface. "Renaissance Wax" is a brand name micro crystalline wax use in museums to protect historic and art metal work. Many owners of fine firearms buy it, too, as it is said to offer the best protection of any wax.
For those on the cheap, Johnson paste wax applies and buffs in a similar way. It dries to a smooth finish that is hard to tell from bare steel:
Otherwise, basic block waxes can be applied using heat. A classic dark finish used in blacksmith iron working is beeswax that is essentially burned onto fairly hot steel to form a resinous coating, but I'm talking about lower temp uses:
The simplest way to get wax to flow evenly onto a blade is to heat the blade above the melting point of the wax with a hair dryer or the like. Paraffin wax melts at 113 degrees, so you can get a very light and even coating by rubbing the warmed blade with a cold block like buttering a pan. Follow it with a rag to remove the excess, then buff when cool.
Another way to do a variety of goods is with a pan of melted paraffin that you immerse the object in and then let it run off. Very hot wax becomes a very thin oil and will not clump like candle wax. This method used to be popular for lubricating bicycle chains because the final product was so clean and quiet. It is also used to make traditional leathercraft items that need to be waterproof and hold a shape. Overkill for a single blade, but an instructive method.
I don't know about some of you, but I try to avoid any chemicals in my diet, so I don't use paraffin, gun oil or grease around food. The FDA says it's okay, but they approve parabens and other poisons for humans, so I really don't trust their opinion of petroleums in food. This is where natural beeswax may be of interest. Again, a little goes a long way, so a light coating on warm metal should give good protection. Beeswax is slightly sticky - enough to increase its tack. Whether that surface is going to actually impede cutting is an argument for a materials scientist - but I sincerely doubt a bare steel blade is going to act any different on wood, meet or vegetables because of beeswax. Beeswax is not as chemically stable as paraffin, so it is something you'd need to screw around with more often.
It has been argued that dry wax can be polished into cold steel enough to protect it, but that process is haphazard. The dry wax does not coat evenly enough to get into everywhere before the polishing can warm it. If the point is to protect 1095 Cro Van and other non-stainless steels, you want to get the wax to coat as evenly as oil. On my stripped Beckers, I tend to use a good coat of wax under the handles, and sometimes on the blades themselves. I don't normally use field knives for food prep, but wouldn't be concerned about what kind of blade wax I used if I was actually surviving.
Thanks.
You really have two choices for application:
Waxes that come diluted with a carrier are in a liquid or paste form and applied much like shoe polish - rub on metal, let harden and polish to remove excess. Their initial consistency allows them to flow into the tiny scratches the cover even a polished steel surface. "Renaissance Wax" is a brand name micro crystalline wax use in museums to protect historic and art metal work. Many owners of fine firearms buy it, too, as it is said to offer the best protection of any wax.
For those on the cheap, Johnson paste wax applies and buffs in a similar way. It dries to a smooth finish that is hard to tell from bare steel:
Otherwise, basic block waxes can be applied using heat. A classic dark finish used in blacksmith iron working is beeswax that is essentially burned onto fairly hot steel to form a resinous coating, but I'm talking about lower temp uses:
The simplest way to get wax to flow evenly onto a blade is to heat the blade above the melting point of the wax with a hair dryer or the like. Paraffin wax melts at 113 degrees, so you can get a very light and even coating by rubbing the warmed blade with a cold block like buttering a pan. Follow it with a rag to remove the excess, then buff when cool.
Another way to do a variety of goods is with a pan of melted paraffin that you immerse the object in and then let it run off. Very hot wax becomes a very thin oil and will not clump like candle wax. This method used to be popular for lubricating bicycle chains because the final product was so clean and quiet. It is also used to make traditional leathercraft items that need to be waterproof and hold a shape. Overkill for a single blade, but an instructive method.
I don't know about some of you, but I try to avoid any chemicals in my diet, so I don't use paraffin, gun oil or grease around food. The FDA says it's okay, but they approve parabens and other poisons for humans, so I really don't trust their opinion of petroleums in food. This is where natural beeswax may be of interest. Again, a little goes a long way, so a light coating on warm metal should give good protection. Beeswax is slightly sticky - enough to increase its tack. Whether that surface is going to actually impede cutting is an argument for a materials scientist - but I sincerely doubt a bare steel blade is going to act any different on wood, meet or vegetables because of beeswax. Beeswax is not as chemically stable as paraffin, so it is something you'd need to screw around with more often.
It has been argued that dry wax can be polished into cold steel enough to protect it, but that process is haphazard. The dry wax does not coat evenly enough to get into everywhere before the polishing can warm it. If the point is to protect 1095 Cro Van and other non-stainless steels, you want to get the wax to coat as evenly as oil. On my stripped Beckers, I tend to use a good coat of wax under the handles, and sometimes on the blades themselves. I don't normally use field knives for food prep, but wouldn't be concerned about what kind of blade wax I used if I was actually surviving.
Thanks.
.