Prudent Prepping: RTFD

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.

I try to have a little fun with everything I write. Erin frequently pulls something out of my text that was intentionally inserted, but other times she will find nuggets on her own to use as the header for my posts. (Editrix's Note: This is true. David originally titled this "Food For Thought", which I felt wasn't a proper title for this post.)

That's what makes writing with this group so much fun! All the different views of common topics makes for interesting reading. I don't mean just the headlines, either; a friend and contributor to BCP, Garry Hamilton,  recently posted on his wall another hands-on test of his many knives. This reminded me to ask a question about maintaining a knife of my own.

Caring For Carbon Steel

I listened to Garry, Erin and several others talk up the various Morakniv models they own and how useful they are. I also have one, in my fishing gear stored at my parents house. It is very old and beaten up, and since it lives in a tackle box I'm not all that concerned about it's condition. 

However, I also have a new knife, the Morakniv Garberg Full Tang Fixed Blade Knife with Carbon Steel Blade. 

https://amzn.to/2zqwg7D

It's several months old, but I haven't used it very much.

I decided to carry it in my lunch box/first aid kit/carry everything box. I don't use any blue ice blocks to keep lunch fixings cold, just the glass bowls I pack and the occasional soda can, which limits the amount of moisture or 'sweat' that might be collected on everything. Even with all these steps, though, there still is some moisture or humidity that collects inside, plus the accidentally spilled water that I've dumped when carrying my washed bowls home. 

Something I sorta knew, but didn't really understand, was exactly what kind of steel was used to make the blade. At it turns out, it wasn't stainless steel, but carbon steel. 

Here is info from its Amazon page:

• Full tang carbon steel knife with MOLLE multi-mount system is powerful enough to handle harsh tasks without the risk of breaking
• Top grade carbon steel blade features razor sharpness, high hardness, and exceptional toughness and corrosion resistance
• Molle Compatible mount system securely fastens knife to vehicles, walls, clothing, or packs so that it’s instantly accessible in any situation
• Square-edged ground spine blade can be used as a striker with fire steel (sold separately)
• Total length 9.0 inches (229 mm); blade length 4.3 inches (109 mm); blade thickness 0.13 inches (3.2 mm); weight 9.6 oz. (272 g)

Please note Point #2 above. I've no problem with the first three features mentioned there but I do have a slight issue with the claim of "exceptional toughness and corrosion resistance." I discovered that it is in fact possible to develop some corrosion on the blade if the knife happens to get damp. 

1. Admission #1: The way the knife got wet was completely my fault and definitely preventable. I didn't dry my dishes well and dripped water everywhere. I didn't think the knife got wet, but when I looked at it a week later, there was a small amount of rust on the edge of the blade and also on the end of the hilt. 
2. Admission #2: None of my knives are the equivalent of a Safe Queen. They all get used, some of them harder than others, so I'm not heartbroken about what happened. What I do want to try is preventing this same thing happening in the future if and when I spill more water, which is guaranteed to happen.

I sent a message to Garry, asking what I might do to keep this from happening in the future. Garry said, "I'm thinking wax will be your best bet. If you don't use it for food, there's always Turtle Wax." That's right, the solution he recommends is a coat of wax. Plain old car wax! 

I went on to say that this is an emergency knife and if used on food, a little wax will be the least of my problems. 

I used a non-stick scrub pad and Dawn dish soap to clean the blade. After rinsing and drying everything thoroughly, I wiped the blade with a coat of car wax, letting it haze over and then buffing it with an old sock. This is how the blade looks now.

Slight pitting

I'm happy to be on top of maintaining this knife, and any others that I may be buying, in the future.

The Takeaway

• If I'm buying something different than what I have now, it pays to Read The Freaking Directions/Description of what I buy.
• It pays to have a wide circle of friends with many different skills, so I can get myself out of trouble cheaply and easily! Thank you again, Garry.

The Recap

• Nothing was purchased this week, but you can find this Morakniv Garberg Full Tang Fixed Blade Knife, from Amazon for $92.88 with Prime

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Just a reminder: if you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!

If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.