It appears that high carbon knives need to be kept oiled in order to prevent rust. My question is since I use my knife mostly for cutting food items and do not want machine oil on my food. What do you suggest. Can I use cooking oil or what is the best or normal solution.

Thanks Tom

Buy yourself a bottle of pharmaceutical grade mineral oil (used as a laxative and available at any drug store chain).

It is non toxic and won't get rancid. Works great on steel and for conditioning wood and other natural materials.

Carbon knives used in food preparation will eventually develop a 'pickled' discoloration that is itself mildly rust inhibiting. Get yourself a high carbon Mora and impale some innocent russet potato overnight. In the morning fry up the potato while admiring the almost damascene patterns in your blade. A little mineral oil and your set. Some steels rust with just a dirty look. It's part of the territory.

I've been using olive oil and it seems to work pretty well. Just don't let the wife catch you dipping the knife in the bottle. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I've used spray on PAM which works very well.

HI tom iuse my silicone gun cloth works fine


regards Breaker

I'm a true-blue carbon steel fan and I second the mineral oil suggestion.

todd

I always found that using them EVERY day, clean and hand dry ASAP, and a light wipe with veg oil (never gets a chance to go rancid - see the use every day part) works fine - in fact, the are nicely grey pickled, and have been for years, so the wipe is kinda optional

My experience with carbon steel butcher's knives, used-washed-dried very frequently is that they needed NOTHING ELSE. YMMV, but I inherited my Grandfather's then my Father's actual commercial butcher's knives: 80+ years of use and no problem. They're beautifully discolored, but none of it "rubs off" (which is my test for rust vs patina).

Thirded...

Mineral oil and food grade grease both work well. The mineral oil is easy to find and works well so it is my choice now that I am no longer in the industry. Incidentally it is also what you need to use on the wooden handles of your knives and on the wooden or bamboo cutting boards.