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The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need.

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  #1  
Old 07-24-2003, 10:17 PM
ragnik ragnik is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: North East PA
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1084, discoloration??

Ok got a little problem that you all may be of somehelp with,
just finished my second knife a few nights ago.(pictures coming once i get them developed, i really need one of those new fangled digital things ) Anyway I made a wooden sheath for it with leather inserts and also one with felt inserts both for a friction fit. It all looked good so i put it in and left it. Checked it out two days later and where the metal touched the leather it had discolored not really rust but i felt heading that way. So i buffed it out and it was fine tried the felt inserts and got the same results. Ok buffed it out again! this time i made a leather sheath no wood, and no stitching on the leather, found the design on a website! Figured that would solve it since it was more airy, but I am still getting the same problem. Any thoughts?

To fill in the gaps i mirrror finished it, and the steel is 1084, heat treated and tempered myself if that matters! When not in the sheath and just sitting on the table it is fine doesnt change at all.

Any thoughts would be great.


Thanks

Ross

Ps: I know carbon steel will discolor and rust if not taken care of and if that is the problem i understand, but just seems to come on much faster then what I am used to in a carbon steel blade from the ones i have used
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  #2  
Old 07-25-2003, 08:30 AM
Ray Rogers's Avatar
Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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Location: Wauconda, WA
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As a general rule, knives should never be stored in a sheath. This is especially true for carbon steel knives.

The tanning chemicals in the leather may be the culprit, or it may be the glue you used to attach the leather and the felt. or it may be natural chemicals in the wood. Even if you solve that problem, the leather, felt, and wood can hold moisture against the blade and eventually cause rust.

So, wax or oil the blade for protection and only use the sheath if you are carrying the knife...
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Old 07-25-2003, 12:06 PM
fitzo fitzo is offline
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One should always used vegetable tanned leather to make sheaths, it is inappropriate to use chrome tanned material. You usually can't tell unless you specifically buy vegetable-tanned, preferably straight from a supplier like Wickett & Craig or one of many others. Chrome tanned leather will pit a stainless blade if left in the sheath.

What Ray said pretty much covers it about the other materials.

Whenever I sell a knife, I always include a zip case and implore the owner to store the knife in the case, and use the sheath only for carry.

Plain carbon steels are going to discolor with use, regardless. It is sometimes simply better to patinate it right away by rubbing it down with a tomato, pickle, mustard, etc. At least you can work to get even coloration that way, and it presents a bit of an oxide barrier to inhibit flash rusting. The age-old process of pickling steel was done for this purpose.
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Old 07-29-2003, 08:53 PM
ragnik ragnik is offline
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Thanks

Thanks for the input ray and fitzo, it is as i suspected!!!


Ross
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Old 07-31-2003, 07:33 PM
canyonman canyonman is offline
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On the wooden sheaths, I've had fair to middlin' success by using cooking oil to soak the leather or felt friction pads. You might give it a try and see if that helps, of course cooking oils keep you from tainting any meat you may be cutting up, as opposed to WD40 or somesuch.
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