Military swims in the Atlantic Ocean

[vivi]

So I'm sipping a Terrapin High & Hazy IPA after a full moon night run on the beach. Got my Military clipped IWB in my board shorts.



Oops.

I meant to bring my SE LC200N Pacific Salt with the fade dye:



But I instinctively reached for my Military, and didn't realize my mistake until 2 hours into the drive.

Oh well.

Then I made another oops.

Went swimming in the ocean with it clipped IWB by accident. So used to carrying it tucked behind my right hip IWB that I forgot it was there.

Then I made a third oops.

Meant to rinse it out with fresh water, but was so distracted by the days activities I didn't remember until now.

Anyways, here's the results of being 100% submerged in salt water for an hour, then clipped to salty, wet board shorts for 7 hours:




corroded lock interface



dried salt on the DLC and in the pivot - very gritty action



Rusty bevel



The only rust I found on the DLC area. It rubbed off completely with my thumb.

That's all the corrosion I found giving it a once over without the tools to break it down. I'll give it a full cleaning once I'm home.

Not bad all said and done. Between this and my DLC M4 Manix corrosion experiment I have no idea how DLC's corrosion resistance boosting properties aren't more widely accepted.

[Freediver]

I appreciate your mistake for our benefit and will consider more blades with DLC now. I also really like your dye job on the Pacific Salt. The plain green is nice but a little loud for EDC. Your fade job is awesome.

[Wartstein]

Vivi, Millie in which steel?

[knifemovieguy]

Definitely not bad, luckily it wasn’t stonewashed bead blast s30v which earned pitting all over the blade from sweat during my bicycle ride

[vivi]

I haven't owned many stonewashed knives but I swore off bead blasted knives over a decade ago for similar reasons. I remember going skateboarding one day, building up a sweat, then putting my pocket knife back in my pocket. Half an hour later it was covered in rust spots. Pretty sure it was a Kershaw Vapor.

Vivi, Millie in which steel?

S30V DLC non CQI.

The current version should fare even better, as the hardware and liners are coated. Judging by the corrosion on the DLC I pointed out, I'm expecting something on the clip side liner. Took a quick glance inside the handle and didn't spot anything surprisingly, just some sand or salt on the backspacer.

Flushed it out with tap water and the action is fine.

Edge still shaves too.

With a bit of lube in the pivot and a fresh sharpening to grind off the bevel rust it'll be good as new I'd imagine.

[DSH007]

Wow, that held up a lot better than I would have expected! Good to know, thanks for sharing. Also.. I really like your fade-to-black dye job on that Pac Salt :)

[Evil D]

Not bad at all considering the environment. I could swear there was a thread once about rust developing UNDER the DLC, but I've also heard that it bonds with the steel and that's not possible. Maybe someone confused DLC with Cerakote.

[Gtscotty]

DLC is no joke, and of course protects the harder to inspect pivot area as well. I wish Spyderco offered their K390 lineup with a DLC option, I'd for sure get one.

I know some folks like patina, but as an ME who has worked on corrosion control issues in a past life, it all looks like corrosion to me, something to be avoided or treated, not admired.

[ChrisinHove]

If there were more tool steels with dlc I would have even more Spyderco’s!

I picked it up on a whim as a user, inexpensive because if had been dyed and also the dlc scratched a little, but I am really impressed with the one I do have, the dlc M4 N5.

[vivi]

If there were more tool steels with dlc I would have even more Spyderco’s!

I picked it up on a whim as a user, inexpensive because if had been dyed and also the dlc scratched a little, but I am really impressed with the one I do have, the dlc M4 N5.

Same way I feel about my Manix XL. It made me a big fan of tool steels in DLC. Hope to see the Chief, Military or Manix XL in DLC 4V someday.

[ladybug93]

i cleaned up a friends manix xl after he took it in the ocean all day and then forgot about it for a week or so. i cringed so hard when he handed it to me.




i was shocked how well i was able to clean it with just a little oil and qtips and by how wel s30v handled the abuse. it was basically good as new when he got it back, minus some discoloration on the liners that i couldn't remove.

[Notsurewhy]

I am mildly surprised that Vivi doesn't have a spare pac salt in the vehicle at all times. :D

Glad the corrosion appears to me minimal on the military.

[ladybug93]

I am mildly surprised that Vivi doesn't have a spare pac salt in the vehicle at all times. :D

Glad the corrosion appears to me minimal on the military.

same. if i had as many pac salts, i'd have them stashed all over the place. :D

[vivi]

i cleaned up a friends manix xl after he took it in the ocean all day and then forgot about it for a week or so. i cringed so hard when he handed it to me.

i was shocked how well i was able to clean it with just a little oil and qtips and by how wel s30v handled the abuse. it was basically good as new when he got it back, minus some discoloration on the liners that i couldn't remove.

The nice thing about most satin finished stainless steels is when they do rust is wipes off very easily.

[MFlovejp]

Just goes to show you that corrosion resistance, while nice, is not among the most important steel characteristics for *most* knife users. I’m beginning to think that ease of sharpening is probably the most important for myself and perhaps the average user...

[ladybug93]

i cleaned up a friends manix xl after he took it in the ocean all day and then forgot about it for a week or so. i cringed so hard when he handed it to me.

i was shocked how well i was able to clean it with just a little oil and qtips and by how wel s30v handled the abuse. it was basically good as new when he got it back, minus some discoloration on the liners that i couldn't remove.

The nice thing about most satin finished stainless steels is when they do rust is wipes off very easily.

when i opened it, it was like my worst nightmare. by the time i was done, i realized, while i still prefer salt models, s30v is really perfectly fine for most of my applications.

as much as i like coated blades, i realized i don't have a single dlc blade from spyderco (pac salt is coated, but it's ticn). i need to change that, but i'm kind of holding out in hopes for a dlc caribbean.

[ladybug93]

Just goes to show you that corrosion resistance, while nice, is not among the most important steel characteristics for *most* knife users. I’m beginning to think that ease of sharpening is probably the most important for myself and perhaps the average user...

i would agree with this, but i'm sure glad spyderco has a variety to choose from. when i lived in hawaii, i carried quite a few different steels, but a salt model was always on me in case i ended up at the beach.

i suppose the people that prefer the ultra hard steels that hold an edge forever feel the same about those knives as i do the salt series.

[MFlovejp]

Just goes to show you that corrosion resistance, while nice, is not among the most important steel characteristics for *most* knife users. I’m beginning to think that ease of sharpening is probably the most important for myself and perhaps the average user...

i would agree with this, but i'm sure glad spyderco has a variety to choose from. when i lived in hawaii, i carried quite a few different steels, but a salt model was always on me in case i ended up at the beach.

i suppose the people that prefer the ultra hard steels that hold an edge forever feel the same about those knives as i do the salt series.

Oh I absolutely agree, and I tend to carry my Salts when I’m out near the [salt]water. Before I found Spyderco though I did some pretty salty things with basic stainless knives and never had much issue. I also love carrying my hard tool steels whether I’m cutting for extended periods or not. I absolutely love having the options, which is why I have mostly Spydercos these days. I’ll even change knives several times a day depending on what I’m doing haha.

[vivi]

I am mildly surprised that Vivi doesn't have a spare pac salt in the vehicle at all times. :D

Glad the corrosion appears to me minimal on the military.

When I get home I'll switch out the Buck 110 lightweight in my glove box for a Pacific Salt.

[James Y]

Very interesting thread, vivi. When I first read the thread title, I had thought you might have accidentally dropped a military overboard into the ocean. :eek:

I would love for Spyderco to come out with a Native Chief with all steel parts DLC-coated. It would be a near-perfect non-Salt model for corrosion resistance, since it is linerless G10.

I remember emailing Spyderco many years ago (over a decade ago, I think), asking if DLC enhanced corrosion resistance. The representative who answered said that no, it does not. But your (and others’) experiences are showing that yes, DLC does indeed enhance corrosion resistance. There are still people out there who say that it doesn’t, or that Spyderco’s DLC coating is too thin to be effective for that. I don’t know if they’re speaking from personal experience, or just parroting something they’ve heard from someone else.

Jim