FRN vs. Bleach?

[TheGiant80]

In the next year or so my wife and I are planning on launching a small hobby farm. We’ll be hand-harvesting greens, herbs, mushrooms, and other assorted produce as part of the process.

A serrated fixed blade in H1 (the Aqua Salt) has been determined to be my tool of choice, but I was wondering how FRN will cope with the water/bleach solution we’ll be using to sterilize our equipment at the end of each day. I have no doubt the steel will shrug it off; the handle is what I’m concerned about.

Any input, even theoretical, is welcome!

[Bolster]

Also interested. Watching thread. Bump.

[yablanowitz]

It has never had any visible effect on my FRN knives. In fact, none of the chemicals I routinely use have bothered it at all. Many of the chemicals will dissolve skin in short order. Watered down bleach shouldn't be any problem at all.

[Doc Dan]

I think if you left it in the bleach for an extended period, such as a week or more, there might be a possibility of damage. However, when I had a thread asking about bleaching SPyderco FRN the general consensus was that it had no effect.

[RustyIron]

Full strength consumer-grade sodium hypochlorite (about 5.25%) will decrease the strength of nylon fibers, but I wouldn't give it a second thought on your knife handle. My only first hand experience is after dying some scales, and getting them darker than I wanted. I tried lightening the color in warm bleach, but it didn't do anything. The knife is fine, but that was only a one-time immersion. Again, I wouldn't sweat it.

[Evil D]

For disinfecting purposes it'll be fine because you're diluting the bleach so much with water. People even do this with toddler's toys so it should be fine.


Whether or not it'll be effected by soaking it in pure bleach is a whole different question. Still I would expect it to hold up fairly well unless it soaked for a very long time. I would be more concerned about how bleach effected the blade depending on what steel you've got in the FRN.

[ChrisinHove]

I’m just wondering why you would need to sterilise your knife?

[TheGiant80]

I’m just wondering why you would need to sterilise your knife?

The main concern is that we’re going to be working with several types of mushroom mycelium, and want to avoid cross-contamination.

Thanks for the responses everyone. I do believe I’ll be ordering up an Aqua Salt later today!

[standy99]

Have used bleach on butchers knives daily (sodium hypochlorite) for years and never had a issue with any steel (high carbon usually) or plastic, FRN or wooden handles.

Nowadays a product called VirkonS is used.
For effective control of viruses, bacteria and fungi. · Cleans and disinfects simultaneously
( this might fit your needs better if your dealing with mushrooms )

[yablanowitz]

I’m just wondering why you would need to sterilise your knife?

Common practice in horticulture, especially in budding and grafting. Cross-contamination can have unpredictable and undesireable results.

[JRinFL]

High concentrations of chlorine (think pool tablets or liquid pool chlorine) will damage H1 and likely the FRN. Since you will be using much, much lower concentrations it should not be a worry.

There was an old thread about someone leaving an H1 in contact with either a pool tablet or pool chlorine and it damaged the blade. I'm still trying to find the thread, but only finding references to it. Maybe it was on BF?

[VooDooChild]

Well bleach comes in a plastic container so...
I think it will be ok.

[JD Spydo]

It's been my experience throughout my adult life that chlorine bleach is something you have to be really careful with. It is extremely corrosive and has a lot of destructive properties to it if not used cautiously.

I add small quantities of bleach a lot when I'm cleaning and disinfecting>> but I never soak anything in pure bleach at all. I don't even use 50-50, bleach/water solution to soak with for extended time periods. And when I add bleach to my dishwashing water or to any other type of cleaning solution I mix together I use very small, modest quantities of it. It doesn't take much bleach for your cleaning solution to have good disinfectant properties to it. Truly a little goes a long way.

I've had great luck cleaning FRN and other handle materials with the "Bar Keeper's Friend" products. Especially the powder version of Bar Keeper's Friend that comes in a sprinkle can similar to what Ajax and Comet come in. But again I don't use Bleach or any other cleaning compound to soak with>> and I immediately rinse it off with water when finished cleaning. You can also try Ballistol for cleaning FRN. I've had great luck with Ballistol and Bar Keeper's Friend both on G-10 and FRN handles.

[ChrisinHove]

I’m just wondering why you would need to sterilise your knife?

The main concern is that we’re going to be working with several types of mushroom mycelium, and want to avoid cross-contamination.

Thanks for the responses everyone. I do believe I’ll be ordering up an Aqua Salt later today!

Thank you for explaining! Living & learning, here ….

[TheGiant80]

I’m just wondering why you would need to sterilise your knife?

The main concern is that we’re going to be working with several types of mushroom mycelium, and want to avoid cross-contamination.

Thanks for the responses everyone. I do believe I’ll be ordering up an Aqua Salt later today!

Thank you for explaining! Living & learning, here ….

No worries. That’s what it’s all about!

[kennethsime]

I think the #1 thing you can do is to rinse it in clean, fresh water after sanitizing. Should be fine.

[Evil D]

Well bleach comes in a plastic container so...
I think it will be ok.

But there are lots of different kinds of plastic. I worked a year in "polyethylene extrusion" which was a fancy word for making "plastic" films, and I was shocked at the number of differences and just how many things "plastic" can do that we don't put much thought into, for example the film that wraps a pound of ground beef at the grocery store is able to let gasses escape through it but prevents them from going into it. We handle some pretty high tech plastic everyday and don't even realize it.


Anyway...point was that the plastic that bleach comes in may be specifically designed to withstand bleach. I can't say for sure because I didn't do injection molding and didn't make that sort of plastic.

[VooDooChild]

Well bleach comes in a plastic container so...
I think it will be ok.

But there are lots of different kinds of plastic. I worked a year in "polyethylene extrusion" which was a fancy word for making "plastic" films, and I was shocked at the number of differences and just how many things "plastic" can do that we don't put much thought into, for example the film that wraps a pound of ground beef at the grocery store is able to let gasses escape through it but prevents them from going into it. We handle some pretty high tech plastic everyday and don't even realize it.


Anyway...point was that the plastic that bleach comes in may be specifically designed to withstand bleach. I can't say for sure because I didn't do injection molding and didn't make that sort of plastic.

I know, I was just making a joke. I use painters tarp plastic on the floor of my shed when I do epoxy work. That type of plastic is about the only stuff epoxy doesnt stick to.

With that said many types of plastic are non-reactive to certain chemicals.