DLC coating question.

DoKnowHarm · #1

hey guys and gals!

i have a question about DLC coating. i carry a satin finish military as my edc knife on and off work. while im working the knife can often be exposed to sweat if i forget to take it out of my pocket before putting my turnout gear on. can you tell me if DLC coating helps mitigate rust or any corrosion. its not a big problem for me but i would like to avoid it. i do know about the salt series knives and keep a salt 1 in my gear and carry a tasman salt as my secondary edc to complement the military but really want to stick with the military for my primary edc knife. so will dlc coating help me out?

thanks,
bryan

PMBohol · #2

I will venture to say that the DLC coating does protect the blade from rust and corrosion. The edge is still there though so one should wipe the blade and maintain it as usual. Just a good habit to keep on any blade.

Evil D · #3

Actually I recall a thread talking about DLC somehow holding moisture to the blade and promoting rust formation. I think it may have been a quote from Eric or something. I haven't had any issues with it myself.

DoKnowHarm · #4

thats kind of confusing to me. you would think that anything that creates a barrier between the steel and the moisture would help prevent rust.

Evil D · #5

I'm not entirely sure if I'm right I just recall reading about a connection between rust and DLC. I've had my DLC knives wet all day and never had any issues.

MatthewSB · #6

DoKnowHarm wrote:thats kind of confusing to me. you would think that anything that creates a barrier between the steel and the moisture would help prevent rust.

Unless it's porous like parkerizing (designed to prevent rust by trapping oil on the surface) and just holds moisture to the blade. Actually, I can say that the DLC coating definately holds oil on the blade, I rubbed my Military down once and it took weeks for it to look dry even after wiping it constantly with paper towel.

I've never had S30V rust or patina and I go out of my way to keep oil off of my SS folding knives.

Clip · #7

I haven't had any issues, but I imagine it's like any coating. If there's not a good bond between the coating and the surface, it allows a slight gap to form that could collect moisture and initiate corrosion.

The Deacon · #8

Evil D is correct. You might wish to review this thread: http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?44114 as it contains posts by Kristi and Mike Janich on the durability and purpose of DLC and other blade coatings.

Michael Janich · #9

In my previous employment, I worked for a company that produced a number of knives in A-2 tool steel that were DLC coated. I saw a number of these that had been subjected to some pretty severe use and harsh environments. The exposed steel at the cutting edge was definitely vulnerable to rust (A-2 only has 5.25% chromium), but the remaining DLC-coated area of the blade was untouched. Very importantly, none of the edge corrosion I saw crept under the adjacent DLC.

It's good stuff.

Stay safe,

Mike

Evil D · #10

Someone just needs to take one for the team and leave a DLC blade in ocean water for a while and see what happens.

DoKnowHarm · #11

i should mention that with my satin finish military the rust spots i get are almost small little freckles on the steel. im not getting major blobs of rust or any thing even close to that. next time it happens i will try to get a few pics so you can see what i am talking about.

Ray Allen · #12

I have owned and used both DLC on a knife and Walter Birdsong's Black T on a custom .45. Both are good finishes but, as is true with so much of life, it ties into expectations. The DLC will scratch if used hard, but will also tend to burnish over different parts of the blade with normal usage. This can lead to visual effects which a owner may or may not like. Living where I do and being around the salt water of the San Juan islands here in WA st, I keep just a light coat of Slip 2000 on my working and carry blades and have had zero issues. That said, I now prefer satin blades.
Best...

Evil D · #13

DoKnowHarm wrote:i should mention that with my satin finish military the rust spots i get are almost small little freckles on the steel. im not getting major blobs of rust or any thing even close to that. next time it happens i will try to get a few pics so you can see what i am talking about.

If you don't use your knife for food, or if you don't use it a LOT for food, you should try some Tuf-Glide or something like that. If you're only having minor rust problems, that stuff should sort it out for good. I've also heard it won't flat out poison you if you use your knife for food prep, but I wouldn't use it all the time just in case.