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blue your chavetta

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webmost

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WLT chavettas appear to be made of high carbon steel which was blued before the edge was ground. As a result, the edge can get some rust, once you start cutting damp tobacco. I suggest you blue it.

I usually blue my pocket knives using a lemon. It just so happens I have a bottle of gun blue in the garage. So I sanded the rust off the edge of mine and smeared a touch of gun blue on it. You just wipe it on, give it a minute, rinse, and dry. Blueing does a pretty darn good job against rust. Pictures don't pick up the irridescent coloring you get from blueing. In life, you get rainbows; whereas in pictures, it looks fairly black.

But it works:

chavettablue.jpg
 

DGBAMA

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Nice. Keep in mind "liquid bluing will still rust fairly easily, sometimes faster than well polished bare metal. Still need to wipe it down with a preservative. Veggie oil would suffice.

Heat bluing might be a better option, as you are not soaking "salts" into the metal.
 

deluxestogie

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And then there's PAM with Canola. Spray it on, wipe it off. The lecithin allows the spray to penetrate even the finest scoring on the blade. Then you can even fry an egg on your chaveta.

Bob
 

webmost

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Keep in mind "liquid bluing will still rust fairly easily, sometimes faster than well polished bare metal.

Here's a pic of my Old Timer.

oldtimer.jpg


Bought this before a year-long motorcycle camping trip in Mexico. Blued it with a California orange. Lived in my pocket. Used it for everything. Then I used it five years building my schooner. Then I took it five years to sea. Lived in my pocket 24/7. On deck, below, in the bunk, even snorkeling. Made sure never to be without a stabber. Repeatedly soaked in salt water. Usually washed in salt water. Yes, it would rust on the newly honed edge if I hadn't the chance or fruit to re-blue it. Never otherwise. You can see how much use it got by observing how the blade lost about an inch of length, just by repeated honing. I ground the nether shoulder of the blade several times to sink the folded blade back between the cheeks:

oldtimer2.jpg


but eventually the bronze spring had nothing left to lock against. So I replaced that knife with this similar, locally made high carbon steel Queen Cutlery knife:

tidiouteknife2.jpg


I bought this Tidioute knife firect from the factory workers who made it, off a card table they'd set up in front of the Tidioute PA Ace Hardware during the July 4th parade. I blued it on the spot with a lemon from the grocery next door. When I got home, I removed that blue and used the same gun blue I used on the chavetta yesterday. That was ten years ago.

Now, granted, that is just two blades. Not much of a sample. I also have the big high carbon kitchen knife I took to sea. I could take a picture of that; but that's still only a three blade sample. However, it's clear that rust is no problem on any of the blades which I have blued and carried daily in all weathers, other than on the newly honed edges. Never used Pam. I do, however, cut all my meat with my pocket knife, and often spread butter with it. Perhaps that helps.
 

webmost

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The Old Timer is still about 8 1/2" open today. Prolly was 9 1/2" when new. The Tidioute is about 8 1/4" open; same as when new, cause it doesn't see the hard constant use the Old Timer used to put up with. I like them big enough to eat with. For a short while, between Old Timer and Tidioute, I used to carry an Office knife (that's what is said on it: Office) about 3 1/4" closed, 5" open. Surgical sharp shiny steel. But way too short for cutting meat. I hate when you go to a restaurant and they hand you a cheap serrated Chinese pot metal saw to haggle your steak. Just crap. So I went back to big. I use the surgical steel Office to uncap cigars in the garage. But I carry the big un.

I don't understand men who don't tote a knife. How do they get thru the day?
 

pacman

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so tell us more about bluing a knife with citrus. it sounds like a temporary thing til you can get gun blue? I'm going to try it on my knives. Carry one at all times here.
 

rustycase

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Nice looking chaveta!
I'll need to give it a try, soon.
Got my eye on an old shovel... should be reasonably hard steel.
Any sharpening or even honing will take the bluing right off the working edge, so I'll probably do an oil quench which will slow oxidation down a tad.
rc
 

webmost

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so tell us more about bluing a knife with citrus. it sounds like a temporary thing til you can get gun blue? I'm going to try it on my knives. Carry one at all times here.
no not temporary at all. Lasts just fine. Looks more black than blue. Just take a fresh knife and cut a lemon. Takes longer than the bottle stuff.
 
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