protect carbon steel knife blades

[Geoffrey]

Hi guys, what do you use to protect your carbon steel knives? I am not looking for products to use on my blades for storage, just wondering what is good to apply to the blade for a using knife. I am wondering what can be applied and have a bit of a lasting protection on a knife blade?

Olive oil, camelia oil, what?

Any opinions on something that really will stand up to use a exposure to salt air? I have heard about wax, is there any wax based products that are safe to use?

Any info would be great.

Geoffrey.

[leon-1]

Geoffrey, I tend to use Camelia oil, it is not overly thick, but seems to protect a knife very well, also due to the fact that it is tasteless, odourless and non-toxic it gets a thumbs up from my direction.

I live on the coast in Devon, so my knives are subject to salt air pretty much all the time, this is one of the reasons that I tend to lean towards knives which are of a stainless nature as they are lower maintenance than the likes of 01.

I still have knives made in 01, but I tend to use camellia oil exclusively on all of my edged tools, try posting this one over at British Blades as well as they will kniow far more than I :-)

[wilt]

Geoffrey,

I have had good luck with Sentry Solutions TUF-CLOTHS. I have used both the TUF-CLOTH and MARINE TUF-CLOTH on my knives and firearms and they provide great protection against rust. I live in the mid west USA and it gets pretty humid here in the summer.

You can find out more at,
http://www.sentrysolutions.com/welcome.shtml

I just received some Renaissance Wax to give that a try too. I applied it to my Alan Wood Woodlore knife and it gives it a smooth silky feel. I like it! Next thing to do is see how it stands up.

You can find out more at,
http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=5551&HS=1


Sincerely,
Mark

[leon-1]

Firstly wilt welcome to BCUK :wave:

Thanks for mentioning Renaissance Wax, it is something that I keep on intending to buy as I have heard many things about it, but it is one of the few things that the name always eludes me :biggthump

[wilt]

Thanks Leon. It’s a pleasure to be here!
Mark

[alick]

Geoffrey, I've been using Camelia oil on my woodworking tools for years. The oil is very fine and it's claimed that it "gets in the pores" of the steel and helps protect it. Whatever, it works and goes a long way. One bottle will last you for years.

Being so fine it's not messy. Just rub it over the blade, handle, leather the lot. You'll get oil on your hands, just rub it in. It absorbs and doesn't leave your hands feeling greasy. I don't bother trying to wipe it off before use - even for cooking, eating, whatever.

I use camelia on my woodlore and all my other knives, regardless of material. I carry an rag dampened in it in my tinderbox and wipe my knives axe and saw after almost every use. Oil is surprisingly good at removing resin and other gunk from blades before sheathing.
I've tried rennaissance wax after reading many positive reviews. It's a nice fine wax but tends to deposit in corners and irregularities. I've decided that for me camelia is a much more convenient protection for tools in daily use.

Cheers

[Geoffrey]

ok so you guys like camellia, any idea where to get it? I can find it online, but are there any North American stores that carry it?

Thanks.

[Moonraker]

ok so you guys like camellia, any idea where to get it? I can find it online, but are there any North American stores that carry it?

Thanks.

Try a search in Google. Woodworking stores or a lot of aromatherapy and alternative medicine places do it also but make sure it is pure oil. The one linked is very good stuff and lasts for ages.

In the US for instance:

Tools For Woodworking - Camelia Oil 100ml $6.99 (http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=756)

You should be able to get it cheaper.

[TheViking]

The most important is to keep it dry. Or else it will rust with time. Normal cooking oil can be used too. :wave: