New Ka-Bars

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CountingCoup

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I recently got 4 Kbars for my birthday and and Im really pumped. My only question is whats the best way to store them? Is it that bad to store them in the leather sheaths they came in? For my nextgen I was looking at upgrading to a cordura, but I dont know if its worth it. Anyway, I am so happy with them- :D

Heres my Next Generation and Bowie-

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Yes it is that bad to store things in leather but they're yours do what you want.

Is it that bad to store them in the leather sheaths they came in?
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FREX kydex or other synthetic materials are better but not perfect. Oil, grease or assorted rust preventing chemicals can be hard on the leather as well. Of course the coated blades are reasonably well protected and in a dry state. Perhaps the steel is 1095 or similar which is relatively more vulnerable to corrosion than many other steels. How much time will the blades spend in storage and how are the conditions going to be otherwise? Obviously a fair amount of time in the sheaths and a fair amount of time out of the sheaths has worked for hundreds of years. Best is probably a knife block or zipper case with sheathes stored separately.
 
They will need to be stored for many months soon (as I go to recruit training), right now they are stored in regular old socks. What is a knife block, or zipper case?
 
A knife block is what the knives in many kitchens are stored in. It's a wood or plastic block with assorted size slits cut in it for the knives to sit in. Look at the Russell catalog for knife zipper bags for storage. They are similiar to gun rugs, but sized for knived. Smokey Mountain Knife Works also has them.

Chrome tanned leather contains acids that will attack carbon steel. Vegetable tanned leather is better, but will also discolor carbon steels. It just takes longer.

A thin grease, then wrapping them in Saran wrap will protect them during non-handling storage.:)
 
Nice Knives

I'm sure oiled knives in socks would be just fine. Where's the other two pics?
How'd ya get FOUR knives for your birthday??

:D
 
Environment

I have a standard Ka bar that I got years ago. It is really unused so far. All I did was treat the leather sheath and grip with neatsfoot oil. Keeps the leather parts from drying out or shrinking. And they look better. The blade is coated carbon steel so it is protected. The edge is bare steel but it was touched with some rust preventative and is still perfect. I have stored this knife indoors, in the original box. Nowhere near any moisture or excess humidity. You may get rust in a sheath, if you carry it in the field that way, or store it say, under a car seat or in the trunk. I cannot see it ever rusting in a home environment around here, like in a closet or drawer. Don't sweat it but you will have to take care against rust on exposed carbon steel in the field, except maybe in a very dry climate. You could grease it and put it in plastic, or such, if you thought it would be exposed to elements anywhere outside the home. Man, alot of people have a thing for old socks for guns, knives, etc!
 
Don't store knives in sheaths since this can trap moisture and accelerate rust.

If you're going to put them up for a while then coat the blades with "White Lightning". (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000C838F/002-2980986-2861667?v=glance&n=3375251)

Squirt it on liberaly and spread it around. Let it dry to a haze and just sock them up and put them away.

I've got thousands of dollars of custom knives that I store this way.

You can also get Ren Wax and brush it on and let it dry.
 
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