Storing knives - best practices

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mauichef

mauichef

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Aloha.
We are about to move to another country. I have a fairly sizable collection of knives most of which will come with us.
But the move will mean the container is placed in storage for several months at least.
I am curious as to the recommended method to store and protect my blades.
I usually oil and then wrap in VCI paper. But some say the is not correct. Others say to then wrap that all in plastic wrap to stop the oil from drying.
You would think I'd know this with the size of my collection, but 4 very rare and now corroded Konosukes are testament to my ignorance!!!!!!
Mahalo for the help!
#Mauistrong
 
mauichef said:
Aloha.
We are about to move to another country. I have a fairly sizable collection of knives most of which will come with us.
But the move will mean the container is placed in storage for several months at least.
I am curious as to the recommended method to store and protect my blades.
I usually oil and then wrap in VCI paper. But some say the is not correct. Others say to then wrap that all in plastic wrap to stop the oil from drying.
You would think I'd know this with the size of my collection, but 4 very rare and now corroded Konosukes are testament to my ignorance!!!!!!
Mahalo for the help!
#Mauistrong
Click to expand...
I stored a lot of knives for the past 1.5 years while I have been living overseas. I stored them oiled and in their boxes or cardboard sayas, usually with rust paper. I didn't have any problems with rust, although the oil had dried on some when I came back and checked on them. All the knives then went into a big plastic tub with clamp down sides (like tupperware) and in the tub I kept some big desiccant packets to absorb excess moisture. I have also stored one special knife that's been oiled and kept inside a plastic saya/cover for 8ish years and I've only had to oil it like twice, so I suspect there's a good bit of truth to the plastic-wrap method.
 
Thanks mate...pretty much what I have done. Unfortunately I missed those Konos!!!!!! Might try the plastic wrap this time too. I also use a clamp down plastic box system with some VCI cartridges taped to the inside. Aloha!
 
Couldn’t hurt to throw some silica gel desiccant packs in there too.
 
Plastic does have humidity transmissivity. How much depends largely on the humidity levels and duration. Metalized bags outside/over the plastic can help quite a lot.
 
Renaissance wax, and then fresh vci paper.
Oil negates the vci paper - if the paper is covered in oil, it can't off-gas the protective compounds.
And some nice fresh dessicants in the storage box.
 
Moooza said:
Renaissance wax, and then fresh vci paper.
Oil negates the vci paper - if the paper is covered in oil, it can't off-gas the protective compounds.
And some nice fresh dessicants in the storage box.
Click to expand...
Yes I was thinking that might be the case. Never heard of renaissance wax.
 
You may consider finalizing, by wrapping each knife individually in tin foil, considering the climate where you live.
 
air is your enemy. compressing while wrapping provides an additional barrier which exudes most of the air which will still be inside.
 
Agreed, I’d skip the oil and do straight VCI paper in the bag. Maybe give the knives a day or two bagged in with VCI before vacuum sealing to give the inhibitors time to work. Source: I’ve had carbon knives in VCI in sayas for months with no rust.
IMG_7730.jpeg

https://www.armorvci.com/rust-resources/vci-technology/
 
Vacuum sealing will give you the most protection. Less moisture and air, less oxidation. VCI paper would just give peace of mind. Just make sure it hasn't past it's shelf life.
 
Ray stated that he already purchased a food saver prior to my posting. Foil is in addition to plastic wrap. For that matter he could dbl/triple shrinkwrap. Whatever eases his mind, and if one layer which should be fine makes him happy, great.
 
Judging by the likes…Kamon prefer oil, paper and vacuum…correct? If so that’s my plan. But I also understand the no oil approach. Does anyone have a preferred VCI paper or are they all similar?
 
Big mahalo to everyone for the suggestions. Looking forward to getting my sealer and getting my babies all wrapped up tight and secure. 🙏🤙 Gonna be a while till I get to use them again. But now I won’t be sweating about them.
 
I just sealed my first knife and it looks good. Very easy to do. But it has resulted in a slight issue in that the knife wont fit in the original box anymore. So in addition to making the safe packing all of my blades more difficult I will end up with several shipping boxes full of empty knife boxes. I have a rather large collection so this is not a minor issue. Meanwhile I am still unsure if I should use oil and paper or just paper before sealing them. Got to decide now as its getting close to moving time!
 
Thanks Matt. I guess the oil/paper thing is personal taste in the main. I do see how the oil might negate the paper's effects. But I like the look of the vacuum sealed knife. Aloha!
 
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