Hey gang,

I was giving a workout to my DMDC in the kitchen tonight to prepare dinner, and after we ate, I was surprised to find some small, black dots (rust, I assume) when I went to do the dishes. Is this typical for SR77?? I guess that I'm disappointed with it. It wasn't sitting there all night...just while we ate dinner.

Any thoughts?
Nick

I've taken a maroon scotchbrite pad to mine (it doesn't take much) - making it more of a satin finish. I don't worry nearly as much about rust, now.

That sounds kind of like a patina is forming on your blade.
I stripped mine and get that on my blade when I use it in the kitchen.

Can you take some pictures of it?

Sorry...I guess that I didn't finish my original post. I took a bit of steel wool to it, and the spots mostly went away. I'll try to take some pics and post them.

lol.i'm sorry this is too funny with the recent conversations about DC finishes rusting.

and like i said,people here have complained about SR77 rusting,wait till certain people get a hold of that satin finished swamprat piece coming out and it rusts the first hour they use it.

NICK,

you cant be disappointed that your knife rusted.thats like being disappointed that your dog barks.it is not stainless steel so it will rust.

but since it seems like your using it and not making it a safe queen it shouldnt matter if it doesnt look perfect since the rust is only a cosmetic thing and doesnt affect the performance at all.

that DC finish is going to inhibit rust.

wish i had seen this sooner. you coulda sent it back to me to see if i could get that out while preserving the dc finish.

I've used my DMDC plenty and have not had an issue with rust..

luckily I am in a dry climate, so hopefully no issue, but I do have a DMDC that is not even unwrapped. One of these days I should check it.

Nick...what did you use your knife for in the Kitchen?

I have to agree with Northern...a D/C finish is a great finish for a tool steel for food prep because it lets you know what residue is on the blade from "food"...onions for instance give an immediate brown/purple stain...so you can clean them off...NO WAY is it RUST in so short a time!!

I can say after 25 years using D/C tool steel...particularly for food prep...that stains do occur...as they will from tanin in fresh wood if you use it to cut branches for Pot holders over a fire or for traps...those who say a "painted combat finish" is better have'nt had the debilitating experience of a dodgy stomach from not noticing the residue from tanin or onions or other foods like raw potatoes on the blade and then use it for further food prep...this phenomenon in the "wild"...particularly say a jungle environment....will give you rotten gut problems if the blade is not properly cleaned...so will the simple stuff like water if not boiled thoroughly...but at least with a D/C finish you know when to "wash" the knife...scotchbrite is'nt needed....a simple soap and scouring sponge used for plates is enough...

Don't get confused with food prep and a knife sent out either not properly finished or left "sweating" from the cold environment of an air cargo hold in a hot hangar...as what probably happened to Bruce...which can cause "rust" if left for hours on end...and the "stains" from food prep.

Given time and "use" of a knife you will come to see these things for what they are...be thankful for a D/C finish...if it was crinkle black and used like this...given time and missing the proper cleaning required...you would end up with a bad dose of the squirts! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

scrub the blade with a scothbrite pad, rinse with hot water and dry with a rage. spray with mineral oil if your using the blade to prep food, or gun oil if your a woods nut.

Thanks for all of the replies, gang! Attached is a pic.



Some replies to your comments...

Northern, no disrespect intended, but I was disappointed that it rusted within 1 hour! That just seemed a bit odd, and I wanted to know if others had similar experiences. I know that it's not stainless, but I thought that it would be better than that. This knife is definitely going to be a workhorse, but I also like to take good care of my stuff, too. I really try to keep things in good working order.

Mag22, what would you use to remove the rust without removing the finish? I really didn't lay into it with the steel wool, and it seems to still have the DC finish. Thoughts?

Steel fan, I was cutting up some venison steaks for a stir-fry that I was making. It turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I don't think that the spots were food residue though. When I washed it with soap and a wash cloth, it didn't want to come off. The steel wool took much of it off, but even then, I had trouble with it.

Overall, I've learned my lesson. Wash and dry it right away and keep some sort of oil on it. I'm just not sure if this is the right knife for hunting/camping if it rusts that readily. When I'm in the field for days, I might not be able to always wash it up and oil it down.