Protection for blades

[Rich Hale]

No matter whether you make you damascus, forge or grind blades or just have some carbon steel knives to look at and enjoy,,There is an issue of rust. I use a product called renaissance wax. Most knife supply houses carry it and although not real cheap it is a bargain. When I get knives ready for sale I protect them with a couple of coats , blades, fittings and handle material,,,I think of it as an insureance policy agains rust or stains. If I lived in a more humid environment I would likely check them daily but not here.. enjoy

[me miller]

Flitz also leaves a nice film that makes fingerprints easy to remove and helps polish everything.

[oakwoodforge]

Higher end automotive carnuba waxes for painted and chromed surfaces will also work in a pinch. Meguire's Diamond cut, medium cut and fine cut buffing compounds will remove rusty fingerprints or spots from a blade and leave a protective film. Its amazing what sort of knifemaking supplies you can find at the autoparts store.

Jens

[Quenchcrack]

I use Sentry Solutions TuffCloth. Can be purchased at many knife dealers on the web. About $6.00 and it will go a long way. It is not a wax or oil or silicon. It is sub-micron Molybdenum Disulfide and makes folders very slick as well as protecting from rust. Works well on firearms, too.

[ApprenticeMan]

Be careful using rennaissance wax it will remove any darkness from the inside of an etch.

[HWooldridge]

Brownell's Gun supplies sells a product called #2 Polar Active Rust Preventive - or something like that - which is very good on guns so might work well on knives as well. It forms a film that is quite rust resistant.

[Mike Turner]

I have been using Mother's wheel polish on the recommendation from Ed Caffrey who is a ABS Master Smith. So far I like it but only time will tell. Before that I was using butchers wax, it worked well as well.

[ApprenticeMan]

Hammer finish is a great rust resistant!

[Ken Ra]

Most of the answers here are about applying something to the blade to protect it. I have been making scabbards that are self-oiling. Hollow out two pieces of wood ( I Like cedar ) so that the blade would rattle inside them then hot glue foam ( like old carpet padding ) to the insides. Then plane / band saw it level to the wood. Next hot glue felt to the inside edges of both pieces. And then to each other. Wrap the assembled scabbard with plastic packing tape. Lastly Sew a fabric / leather skin for it. And add oil to the insides. Results in a scabbard that is self oiling, protects the owner and is decorative. One of my swords has seen twenty years of service and looks like new. A neat thing is that you can hold it upside down and shake and it will not fall out. One failure was from the guy who left it on the tent floor during a cloudburst and it was 4 inches underwater.

[ThomasPowers]

Most foams degrade when exposed to oil and it's hard to clean out a sheath

why not go traditional and use a real wool felt without the foam? Sometimes the old ways are *better* then the new ones. We sometimes cover the felt with a layer of cotton velveteen.

Thomas