Corrosion Reports

[JRinFL]

Almost looks like food residue under the handle on that mule. A closer picture would help.

[Coastal]

Almost looks like food residue under the handle on that mule. A closer picture would help.

`
Good call, I hadn't even thought of that. I'll try rubbing it off with soap and a soft cloth when I get a chance at the kitchen or restroom (house being cleaned now). If it comes off, you'll be right. If not, I'll try Naval Jelly. In any case, I'll report back.

Hope you're right!

[JRinFL]

Almost looks like food residue under the handle on that mule. A closer picture would help.

`
Good call, I hadn't even thought of that. I'll try rubbing it off with soap and a soft cloth when I get a chance at the kitchen or restroom (house being cleaned now). If it comes off, you'll be right. If not, I'll try Naval Jelly. In any case, I'll report back.

Hope you're right!

Let's hope!

Either way, it is useful information on this steel. Drop a post in the Mule Team forum as well.

[bleasure]

got the minty m4 a bit ago. i love the combo, but also i qvetched about getting brighter colors, specifically pastels etc. months back and then they were delivered unto us, so felt like i was obligated to get one or would be a jerk.

i tried patinaing this with a secret method i discovered - and i swear to god this is true - playing with my carbone opinel while watching Knives Out a few years ago. i'm really happy with at least the side you see here, and more or less overall, though i let it go way too long and it's more etching than patina.



i then took a trip to new orleans in june and brought this with me. it was 95+ all week and this was in my pocket the entire time. the only rust it developed was on the spider, which was probably double-etched after my treatment, and a few other spots where the acid actually pitted it a little. that said, i expected much worse, esp after abusing it right out of the box.



this m4 has held up much better than expected, and i'm a lot less worried about neglecting my cruwear now. really looking forward to polishing the 2ndary bevel back up, and the whole thing darkening further over time

[vivi]

Looks like I may have rusted the bug on my CE Resilience after a few days of sweaty summer carry. Cleaned up easily enough at least.

[ZrowsN1s]

I was worried about the rex45 chief in my sweaty pocket this July, but it hasn't really been an issue. Developed a blue/purplish patina you can see if the light hits it just right. I'm pretty good about keeping my blades and pivots clean and oiled though.

I've done some nice forced patinas on m4 with some frenchs mustard dabbed on with a paper towel.

[vivi]

Finally got around to putting together an FRN Resilience with the blade and liners from my G10 version. Didn't realize I had rusted these liners a bit until I went to put the knife back together.



Blade was fine. Like I say, the blade is a lot easier to maintain than skeletonized liners.

[JD Spydo]

One corrosion problem I've mentioned in the past that I should include in this thread has to do with ZDP-189. ZDP-189 is still one of my favorite blade steels for plain edges to this day. But it's extremely vulnerable to some really bad corrosion problems. Food acids in particular don't do well with ZDP-189. Back in 2009 I was growing several varieties of tomatoes. I was testing a few samples one afternoon and I had with my ZDP-189 Caly Jr. After slicing a few samples I forgot to wash it off after I used it not thinking.

The next day when I found the blade it was as though I had soaked in some type of industrial strength acid or extremely corrosive chemical. It was particularly bad on the exposed ZDP-189 edge because that blade was laminated with 420 J2. The 420 J2 laminate also had some minor corrosion as a result but nothing like the exposed ZDP-189 did. The corrosion was so bad on the edge area that I ended up sending the folder back to Spyderco. Not sure what all they did to remedy the problem but I'm sure a lot had to be done to bring it back from all the damage.

Needless to say ZDP-189 is very vulnerable to food acids and probably any other corrosive materials. Since then I've been extremely careful with my ZDP-189 blades. But always make sure you clean and protect all your ZDP-189 blades.

[Vaugith]

Another new shaman I started carrying, another corroded stop pin. Really noticing a pattern here. After I dissasemble clean and treat they don't seem to have this problem any longer. Just before dissasembly.

Separately: I've been rotating carrying my different steel shamen at work (I've decided it's my personal "folding mule" platform). It's been in the upper 80s to mid 90s most days and my current job has me wearing a FR jumpsuit over my clothes which means I sweat a fair bit. I'm really noticing a difference between steels and rust and thought about going forward and documenting it. Might post here later.

[vivi]

Carried my satin finished Resilience on a mountain run today. Not surprised to see a few specks - 8Cr is a little less corrosion resistant than most steels.




Further reinforces my feelings about coated blades and corrosion resistance. My black blade Resilience has been exposed to much worse conditions many more times with no detectable corrosion so far.

[VooDooChild]

Another new shaman I started carrying, another corroded stop pin. Really noticing a pattern here. After I dissasemble clean and treat they don't seem to have this problem any longer. Just before dissasembly.

Separately: I've been rotating carrying my different steel shamen at work (I've decided it's my personal "folding mule" platform). It's been in the upper 80s to mid 90s most days and my current job has me wearing a FR jumpsuit over my clothes which means I sweat a fair bit. I'm really noticing a difference between steels and rust and thought about going forward and documenting it. Might post here later.

If theres no problem after cleaning then it is probably just surface contamination from the factory. Maybe the stop pin box is to close to a belt sander or something.

My most carried Shaman has dlc blade and hardware and the dlc stop pin has been just fine.

[dlum1]

As an experiment, I took my k390 endura saltwater fishing. Temperature was approximately 90F and extremely humid. After being on the water for roughly 12 hours and completely soaked from sweat, the blade developed a few small spots of rust near the spine, and I oiled it right before heading out. I should have taken a picture but the staining was so mild that it completely disappeared after hitting it with some flitz polish. I mainly used it to cut line; K390 excels at cutting braid -- better than both h1 and lc200n. I'd bring it saltwater fishing again, but I'd probably rub the blade down with some carmex at least once to keep any corrosion at bay. I wouldn't bring it if I was expecting to swim.

I still bring it freshwater fishing (and I often wade out into streams). I try to keep it dry, but I'm not always careful. I initially had a rusty liner and pivot after it got doused, but after treating the liners and pivot with Vaseline, I haven't noticed any corrosion in several months.

[vivi]

whatever spyderco uses for stop pins isn't very corrosion resistant. I rusted the stop pin of my old 204p Military after a single day of carry. My early model DLC Para 2 with uncoated hardware, the stop pin developed 2-3mm thick layers of rust.

like I say maintaining blades it pretty easy. if they do get some rust it polishes off pretty easily usually. but nested liners, the bottom side of stop pins, etc. those are tougher to keep corrosion free.

can't thank spyderco enough for developing salts.

[dlum1]

whatever spyderco uses for stop pins isn't very corrosion resistant. I rusted the stop pin of my old 204p Military after a single day of carry. My early model DLC Para 2 with uncoated hardware, the stop pin developed 2-3mm thick layers of rust.

like I say maintaining blades it pretty easy. if they do get some rust it polishes off pretty easily usually. but nested liners, the bottom side of stop pins, etc. those are tougher to keep corrosion free.

can't thank spyderco enough for developing salts.

I agree. I had a military arrive in the mail with some slight rust on the stop pin (presumably from the factory or warehouse?). After that experience, I coat all my stop pins with either oil or vasaline. Vasaline will plug any gaps, dry, and leave a thin waxy layer. Seems to work well.

[Senfkarte]

After I wasn't able to put a patina on my Rex 45 Manix, even after cutting fruits with it, I really was surprised, how corrosion resistant Rex 45 seems to be for me. I don't like to keep my blades oiled and clean all the time, so I was ready to start a little experiment with my personal corrosion resistance of Rex 45 and decided to put it in my pocket during a 4 hour bike ride. Weather was not that hot, somewhere around 22 °C and no real climbs. All in all, a soft ball for a bike ride, but still a bike ride.
This is the result:

The part of the blade, not covered by the scales, had brown rust on it. Nothing too bad, as the rust could be removed with the hard part of a dish sponge.
I guess I just have to work a little harder on a patina for the future.

[vivi]

After I wasn't able to put a patina on my Rex 45 Manix, even after cutting fruits with it, I really was surprised, how corrosion resistant Rex 45 seems to be for me. I don't like to keep my blades oiled and clean all the time, so I was ready to start a little experiment with my personal corrosion resistance of Rex 45 and decided to put it in my pocket during a 4 hour bike ride. Weather was not that hot, somewhere around 22 °C and no real climbs. All in all, a soft ball for a bike ride, but still a bike ride.
This is the result:
IMG_20220901_172524.jpg
IMG_20220901_172503.jpg
The part of the blade, not covered by the scales, had brown rust on it. Nothing too bad, as the rust could be removed with the hard part of a dish sponge.
I guess I just have to work a little harder on a patina for the future.

viewtopic.php?t=89329

[Senfkarte]

After I wasn't able to put a patina on my Rex 45 Manix, even after cutting fruits with it, I really was surprised, how corrosion resistant Rex 45 seems to be for me. I don't like to keep my blades oiled and clean all the time, so I was ready to start a little experiment with my personal corrosion resistance of Rex 45 and decided to put it in my pocket during a 4 hour bike ride. Weather was not that hot, somewhere around 22 °C and no real climbs. All in all, a soft ball for a bike ride, but still a bike ride.
This is the result:
IMG_20220901_172524.jpg
IMG_20220901_172503.jpg
The part of the blade, not covered by the scales, had brown rust on it. Nothing too bad, as the rust could be removed with the hard part of a dish sponge.
I guess I just have to work a little harder on a patina for the future.

viewtopic.php?t=89329

Thanks. Have red your threat back, when you started it. But to be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of forced patinas. They just don't look right to me. But to be honest, this might be more in my head. Don't know, if I could tell a old real one apart from a good forced one.

[Vaugith]

Some folks on IG were doing a one knife carry for the month of August challenge. Sort of inspired me to keep the XHP in my pocket for the month and really run it, take the time to figure out the steel a bit more. I learned a lot, and this steel definitely has unique characteristics. Specifically about corrosion resistance though : this month was hot in my area, well over 100 a few days. Im wearing an FR jumpsuit at work every day, so I do end up sweating quite a bit. For reference I already know that in these conditions zwear and Rex45 will form a light surface rust that can be easily wiped off with a rag or thumb after about three to four days after being oiled, while M4 developed small black spots that just might be pitting after only a day or two. The XHP knife I tested here was new in the box, never disassembled, and I did not oil it during this month, only used a rag or thumb to wipe debris/gunk off of the blade.



The blade looks great! I do not see any visible signs of corrosion. The hue of the steel seems to have slightly changed over the month, perhaps a sort of patina, but the change is very slight. I even took a picture of the surface with my microscope -



Upon disassembly I did find one tiny spot. Really tiny. Its in an area that is exposed when the knife is closed but hidden in the tang when the knife is open - I most likely missed it when I would wipe the blade down open.



Under the microscope it looks much worse!



Overall I would say XHP aced this corrosion test. Its really crazy to me how large of a difference I see between how this steel behaves vs Zwear, considering Larrin rates XHP as 6.5/10 corrosion resistance and Cruwear as 5.5/10. It looks like I have found the exact amount of corrosion resistance required to prevent any rust in my pocket!

Note: Im ignoring the stop pin and the spider here, as those areas are already known and documented as being quicker to corrode.

I understand blade finish plays an important role. This one is Stonewashed. I know bead blast leaves a surface that is more prone to corrosion than Satin. My other blades I have to test are Satin. Does anyone know where Stonewashed finishes fit into this?

Im likely going to keep doing this with other steels, this coming month is going to be quite hot as well. 111F on Monday... I dont think I am willing to let rust build up for a whole month just wiping down with a rag or thumb without getting rid of it, but maybe the test will be to see how long each steel goes. Dont know, will improvise.

[Soanso McMasters]

Awesome report, @Vaugith

[nightoil]

`
MagnaCut Mule after 6 months in the kitchen. Rinsed and towel-dried after each use, which was maybe once a week. No dishwasher. No corrosion preventative under its G-10 scales, but there will be from now on!

My Watu gets rust patches on its liners - under the scales. I was surprised, considering they're stainless steel (no idea what type). Like yours, used quite a bit in the kitchen, never dishwashed - just the blade washed, rinsed, dried - handle splashed a bit.

But now, seeing rust on your MagnaCut mule, under G-10 scales, makes me think that it may be trapped films of water that are the downfall of virtually any steel. Particularly given that corrosion resistance is one of MagnaCut's strengths.

I'm currently experimenting with simply a coating of grease on the liners under the scales. Will see how that works out next dismantling.

Was also thinking of laying thin transparent adhesive tape (e.g. Scotch packing tape) over the concealed inner surfaces of the liners and cutting it to shape. May try that next.