Sabre Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 my step moms mom wants a spike knife.....all of the others i have ever made seem to get a bit rusty after sitting out for awhile! Has anyone got a coating to put on the knife that is safe and will keep it from rusting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnr Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 give them a coat of furniture wax. They are more for looking than cutting. Finnr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unkle spike Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I got some beeswax/orange oil stuff at Home Depot, in the furniture polish dept, I like it well, it smells good and will hold up for quite a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belargehair Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 Actually, I just finished reading all kinds of good info in the Finishes & Polishes section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canska Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I've heard Carnauba wax (like Turtle wax for cars) works well. I'm going to try it myself, but I wonder if anybody's had experience with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 A fine shiney finish on a carbon steel blade helps as it does not have the little scratches that rust starts in. Another option is to rust it to begin wiht. Birchwood casey makes a browning product to use as a finish on guns. It is a rusting process and with several coats gives and deep brown finish like on old muzzle loading guns. Follow the directions. And of the waxes above will help by I always worry about the future owner calling me after they have neglected the care necessary and wanting me to refinish the piece. If they drive a rusty car, if their house needs paint if they dress as poorly as I do dont expect they are gonna wax or oil a knife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabre Posted December 17, 2008 Author Share Posted December 17, 2008 will the old fassioned oil pinesol furnature oil work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 Be careful, boiled linseed oil is toxic. What's your grandmother want to use it for? They make dandy letter openers and as such a good application of paste furniture polish works nicely and is easy to redo. Look for the stuff with Carnuba and Wantan (IIRC) they dry very hard and durable. You might have to look for this quality wax at a high end wood working or furniture supplier. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabre Posted December 18, 2008 Author Share Posted December 18, 2008 its going in a cabnit, she collects them, i have never met her and she lives in indiana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Most anything should be fine then, non-toxic being a good idea so nobody uses it to carve something someday. I'd warm it up and use paste furniture wax, (Johnson's would be fine) should last a long Looooong time in a cabinet. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabre Posted December 18, 2008 Author Share Posted December 18, 2008 ill give it a shot after school or sometime this week when i go get it, i apply it after all the finishing work is done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Exactly, once it's all polished up and ready to go just warm it to maybe 200f, apply the paste wax and buff out when cool. It'll leave a nice thin, hard coat that will be easy to retouch in the future without heating. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabre Posted December 19, 2008 Author Share Posted December 19, 2008 cool! i found some old bee nest piecesthat are wax, i may try to use them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g_o_rilla Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 I have been making these knives for practice since all of the spikes I find are mild steel and useless for blades. I keep seeing spike knives for sale on e-bay advertised as high carbon steel. Lying or just don't know the differencs?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Mostly folk just don't know the difference. In part it's the RRs fault, they have the spikes speced to be marked HC when they max at 30pts. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junksmith Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Be careful, boiled linseed oil is toxic. What's your grandmother want to use it for? They make dandy letter openers and as such a good application of paste furniture polish works nicely and is easy to redo. Look for the stuff with Carnuba and Wantan (IIRC) they dry very hard and durable. You might have to look for this quality wax at a high end wood working or furniture supplier. Frosty I use boiled linseed oil sometimes to finish things that won't be used around food - or kept outdoors. Interior wall hooks and such. I heat the finished item to blue-ish with a propane weed burner and apply the oil with a damp cloth. I like the look of the finish but I don't want to poison anybody. How is it toxic? Through skin contact? Fumes? All of the above? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Don't eat it. I think it's the additives used when they do the process, there's more than just boiling involved. Be extremely careful what you do with any rags with linseed oil or any oil on them. Linseed oil especially is known for spontaneous combustion, even after up to 50 machine wash cycles. I saw a series of specials on the morning news some years ago and their conclusion was the only safe way to dispose of linseed oiled rags was burning. One test they did was to place the rags in a sealed can filled with water after a couple dozen machine washes with degreaser detergents. One year later they poked a small hole in the can to let the water drain and a couple weeks later the outside of the can was discolored from the smoldering rag. (at least that's how I recall the test being described. I'm probably off on particulars but in general think I'm pretty accurate) Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junksmith Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 Thanks Frosty! I generally avoid drinking it:p Between a stint in art school and having a grandfather who was an old-school sign painter though, I know how to handle oily rags. They all go straight to the burn barrel at the end of a session. Still, I'll limit using it to pieces that aren't going to be in contact with skin very often. Better safe than sorry. That test you mentioned was scary. I knew they were volitale, but wow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aprayinbear Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I'm new to making knives, but not new to preserving steel. I am a blackpowder (highly corrosive) shooter and have learned a few tricks over time. With my guns, after cleaning them with soap and water, I place the parts in the oven on low heat (about 200 degrees). When they are warm I drop them in a bowl of olive oil (any vegetable oil will work well.) The porous, heated metal soaks in the oil, much like when you season a cast iron skillet. Allow the oil to soak in for 10 - 15 minutes and then wipe dry. Works great and its easy to apply a fresh coat cold every month or so just to maintain the finish. Easy to use, truely nontoxic (unlike all furniture waxes and polishes) and readily available. All the best!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBrann Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 I use USP mineral oil from the pharmacy. Its food grade, non toxic, and doesn't get gummy like some vegetable oils can. Cheap too!! Whats the difference between linseed oil and flax seed oil??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Whats the difference between linseed oil and flax seed oil??? The way its processed. Linseed oil also comes in two forms: Raw and Boiled. Raw takes a long time to set up (polymerize) while boiled is half way there. All three are nasty and not good to eat. Don't use flaxseed oil on any food grade item because it gets racid and tastes terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 With all due respect to long held beliefs, steel is not porous. The only place anything can penetrate is at the grain boundaries and if you do that, the steel will fall apart. Hot shortness is sulfur at the grain boundaries and that is one reason Manganese is added to steel: it combines with the sulfur to prevent it from getting to the grain boundaries. Any oil treatments are limited to the surface unless you manage to totally burn the oil and some of the carbon penetrates the crystal lattice a couple of thousandths of an inch. And that is not likely. Cast iron, on the other hand, has a lot of graphite flakes or nodules throughout the iron matrix. Graphite may be slightly porous and absorb a small amount of oil. However, most of the conditioning for cast iron is still a surface treatment. If it were penetrating the surface, why would you need to ever re-condition it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easilyconfused Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 The way its processed. Linseed oil also comes in two forms: Raw and Boiled. Raw takes a long time to set up (polymerize) while boiled is half way there. All three are nasty and not good to eat. Don't use flaxseed oil on any food grade item because it gets racid and tastes terrible. Actually, unboiled flax seed is generally considered relatively safe. Not for human consumption due to other sterility issues and such but, at least up in Canada, it has been labeled for animal use. It's the boiled stuff that's bad. MAKE SURE IT IS UNBOILED THOUGH!!!!!! Anything you use for anything, read the labels and look for the precautions and first aid info at least. Even if it is food safe when set, it may not be while setting. Remember, you're responsible for your safety and the safety of the people using it in a reasonable manner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 (edited) Yes you are correct. I said it tastes terrible and gets rancid. A third factor is that applied to hot iron at the forge it is no longer unboiled nor is it sterile. Edited May 8, 2009 by Charlotte spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easilyconfused Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Sorry, misunderstood that the last sentence was based on rancidity and taste which is true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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