Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Proper user technique and care is essential to enjoying these high performance knives to their fullest while keeping edge damage to a minimum. Learn how here.
Jaxson
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Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by Jaxson »

Hi Guys, New member with my first post. Hope it is helpful. It is obvious that rust is a problem with carbon steel. I have been storing my knives in their sayas in a metal office type file cabinet. I have put a Golden Rod heater in the bottom of the cabinet, the same type of heater used to prevent firearms from rusting. In the last year I have not oiled my knives and have had no rusting problems at all. I am a home cook so this might not apply to those who have to transport their knives to work. Ray
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Kit Craft
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Re: Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by Kit Craft »

That is an interesting way to go about it. I just store mine in their boxes in that rust free paper and have never had any issues. Then again, I use all of my knives in rotation so none of them sit for long periods of time. It is not uber humid here either.
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Re: Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by mauichef »

I live by the ocean and have had constant issues with rusting on most of my carbon knives. Some would go after mere days, however clean and dry I keep them. Even coated with oil.
THEN.....
I discovered VCI paper.
No more oil. No more constant attention. No more rust. AMAZING!!!!!
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Re: Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by timos »

I have to get some of that paper on my next order!!
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-btm-
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Re: Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by -btm- »

The VCI paper is pretty nice. I use it to line standard Dexter knife guards for storing my carbon knives. Works great.

I think letting the knives air-dry after the towel for a little while before putting them away is very helpful too... some people just wipe them dry and put 'em straight into a saya or knife guard and wonder why they have rust the next day.
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Kit Craft
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Re: Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by Kit Craft »

-btm- wrote: Thu Feb 02, 2017 11:47 pm The VCI paper is pretty nice. I use it to line standard Dexter knife guards for storing my carbon knives. Works great.

I think letting the knives air-dry after the towel for a little while before putting them away is very helpful too... some people just wipe them dry and put 'em straight into a saya or knife guard and wonder why they have rust the next day.
I have found that the correct towel helps too. I have used simply dish towels and microfiber towels and they do not seem to dry the blade but rather smear the water around. I use a little hand towel that was sent to me by Mr Watanabe with one of my orders. I assume it is just cotton but it is rough, a texture like you would get with a %100 cotton bandanna. It seems to ensure that the blade is dry but it will scuff up really soft stainless cladding like one might find on a Tojiro DP.

Aside from that, I too let my knife air out after hand drying it. Then it is into the VCI paper (I didn't know the proper name for that stuff) and put back in the box.

Now if I could just find a way to clean my wife's AUS8 knives without smudging, bleh that steel just attracts ugliness.
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limpet
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Re: Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by limpet »

Regarding microfiber towels, as mentioned they smear the water around. But I noticed it happens mostly when gripping with my hand + towel around the spine of the blade and drying both sides at once, I you understand what I mean? So I often dry off the biggest bulk of water this way first, then I hold out my left hand palm up with towel flat on it and drag the blade side over it length-wise. Works much better for those last drops of water for some reason.
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Re: Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by Kalaeb »

I now live in a fairly humid climate (MD). Never had rust issues. If I am storing for a long period of time I will air dry overnight before I put away. Everything else just gets wiped dried. You just have to make sure you are drying well.

On a side note, I do keep silicon packs in my Pelican case for long term storage. Dont know if it helps or not.
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Re: Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by slobound »

Not sure this is would help in the JKnife world but I do quite a bit of fishing. Many anglers use a product called Zerust tabs (essentially a rust inhibiting formulated plastic tab) to help keep hooks and tackle rust free. After placing these in my tackle box, I haven't had any issues with rusty hooks on any of my lures after hand drying them. I threw a few of these in my knife bag just in case it truly does help. I'll keep you posted if I see any rust spots on my knives although I do my best to air dry my knives before they go in the bag.
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limpet
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Re: Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by limpet »

I haven't tried it yet but I'm thinking I should try silica crystal cat litter in a sock and put it behind my knife stands in my kitchen cabinet. Couldn't hurt.



Edit: Also found some quick & easy info on silica gel.

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Re: Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by jacko9 »

I have some of my carbon knives in a wood knife block, some in Sayas and some in the original box with the brown paper and none of my knives have rust problems. I do live in Northern Ca and most of the year the climate is pretty dry and I do make sure that my knives and totally dry before I put them away.
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Re: Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by milkbaby »

limpet wrote: Sat Feb 04, 2017 1:48 pm I haven't tried it yet but I'm thinking I should try silica crystal cat litter in a sock and put it behind my knife stands in my kitchen cabinet. Couldn't hurt.



Edit: Also found some quick & easy info on silica gel.

Thanks for sharing these videos! I live in Florida where it's quite humid and want to try the silica in a sock trick in my car. I also dig Mr. Spock's sister's explanation in the second video. :)

For knives, I always use two towels to dry and then lay the knives out to air dry an hour or more before they go back to the rack or saya. The air conditioning tends to keep the humidity under control inside my home, so I haven't had rust issues.
Jean Valjean
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Re: Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by Jean Valjean »

limpet wrote: Sat Feb 04, 2017 1:48 pm I haven't tried it yet but I'm thinking I should try silica crystal cat litter in a sock and put it behind my knife stands in my kitchen cabinet. Couldn't hurt.



Edit: Also found some quick & easy info on silica gel.

This helped me a lot. I was living on ground floor of PNW and was having rust issues. (Incidentally, didn't realize it until afterwards, but knives stored in VCI paper (random depending on how they were shipped to me from wherever I bought them) did fare better in this regard.) But anyway, after some research into dry box storage for photography and firearms I built myself a dry box. So now whatever is not in current rotation stays in a large rubbermaid tote with foam seal, bottom is lined with silica, then a baking rack, and knives stacked in their boxes on top. Have a few delis with holes in lids filled with silica sitting on top and a few socks as well, and last but not least, a hygrometer to measure humidity. I keep it below 45% and never have any issues anymore. The nice thing about the silica is it's reusable. Once the humidity starts creeping up, I just dehydrate it in the sun on a dry day or in the oven at 200 for a few hours and it's good as new.
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desol
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Re: Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by desol »

I don't like letting a knife sit anyway without looking at it at least every month or two. Every once in a while I'll open the box to check on it. Once I see it's fine, I apply a very light coating of oil. No problems.
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limpet
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Re: Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by limpet »

Jean Valjean wrote: Fri Feb 10, 2017 9:08 pmHave a few delis with holes in lids filled with silica sitting on top and a few socks as well, and last but not least, a hygrometer to measure humidity. I keep it below 45% and never have any issues anymore.
Hmm... for some reason this hadn't occured to me... a hygrometer! :) I'm going to buy one and test my kitchen cabinet. I'm also going to test a kitchen drawer where I had some nasty rust incidents on knives last year.
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Mawgie
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Re: Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by Mawgie »

I live in Central Upstate NY, not a humid or salty climate. My main gyuto (near daily use) and slicer (used once or twice a week), are both carbon steel. I rinse or wash+rinse them as necessary immediately after each use, wipe them dry with a kitchen towel, then set the knives out on a clean board to -usually for the duration of a meal-, then I put them back in the block. I think the air dry period on the board is useful to allow any residual moisture after the towel wipe to evaporate. Going straight from towel drying to back in the block could allow for moisture to hang around long enough for rust. My knives have certainly patinated, but I have had no problems with rust over the years they have been in my use.
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fujiyama
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Re: Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by fujiyama »

I'll definitely try the VCI paper on my next order now. I also like the Zerust tab idea and firearm heater. Thanks for sharing everyone.

I store my knives in sayas and a leather roll. No problems yet but I live in a bad climate for rust.
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Re: Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by matchplay18 »

I like the idea of VCI paper. Hey I am all in on these Carbon knifes the whole genre of the Japanese knifes One of the reply's about rotating knives I do this myself this way you can use them all . And sometimes out of nowhere here is a rust formation or some kind of stain. Frustrating I am the only one to sometimes grab something with less maintenance?
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Re: Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by Jeff B »

VCI paper is a great thing if your going to store a carbon knife for a period of time. Mark stocked it right away as soon as we started discussing it. I've been using it for years with pistols that I own that sit in my safe for long periods between using and cleaning.
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Re: Preventing Rust on Carbon Knives

Post by timc247 »

try heating some white vinegar and soaking a knife into it. it created a dark patina on my moritaka and after a cuts to take the black out later off, it never rusted again.
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