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Post by Elf-knight444 on Aug 9, 2014 19:18:06 GMT
Hello everyone! I am pretty new to the forums here so you probably don't recognize me, and this is my first new topic. Anyway, I am a big fan of practical, super durable swords, and tactical seems to fit that niche the best (plus its cool ), and I have been wondering about cleaning and caring for these kinds of blades, especially ones that have painted or baked on finishes. Cold steel's machetes, for instance. Does cleaning the blade take off the coating? Does the coating eliminate a need for cleaning and oiling, beyond wiping off the remains of whatever you just cut? Also, I have never owned a ZT tac, but I have been playing with the idea of getting the apokatana or the deuce II. The blades look kind of antiqued, in a way, like they have a decorative finish. Does the finish have any special purpose beyond visual, and does it come off? Thanks!
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Post by wazikan on Aug 10, 2014 6:20:55 GMT
Im no expert. But all the coated knives i have had i just clean and oil rub with what ever oil you use. But with modern coated steel the oil isnt necessary. I just like doing it. If the coating is cheap it will come off while using the blade more than cleaning it
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Post by Elf-knight444 on Aug 10, 2014 16:52:33 GMT
Thanks.
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Post by MOK on Aug 11, 2014 9:53:52 GMT
Some coatings are more durable than others, but all will eventually start to wear off with time and use. No coating eliminates the need for proper maintenance; what they do is give you a bigger safety margin and more leeway on when you need to maintain the blade. An untreated high carbon steel blade can rust if left dirty for an hour or two, but a good corrosion resistant coating (or "stainless" steel, which also really means corrosion resistant, not immune) can give you much more time, days or weeks or months, before any harm occurs. You'll still need to take care of it at some point, though, even if you can put it off for a good long while. Oil is still also beneficial, just not crucial like it is with bare steel. In any case, very few blades are coated all the way to the edge...
I think Cold Steel uses some kind of paint that can be sanded off or stripped with suitable chemicals. ZT blades are finished with a mild acid wash; it's mostly for looks but actually very durable.
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Post by Elf-knight444 on Aug 12, 2014 3:55:13 GMT
Thanks!
So exactly what would you recommend, as far as the "taking care of it" bit? Im pretty sure ZT still need to be oiled and cared for mostly like a regular sword for the best performance, based on my recently looking at their "care and feeding" page, but as far as cold steel, other than cleaning it off after use, what would you do?
I guess you can't really go wrong just caring for it like a regular blade, as long as the coating isn't stripped in the process...
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Aug 12, 2014 3:59:08 GMT
Regular cleaning and oiling the bare edge after use should do the trick.
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Post by Elf-knight444 on Aug 12, 2014 4:13:22 GMT
thanks guys!
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Post by MOK on Aug 12, 2014 6:52:21 GMT
Exactly.
Adrian is right, but personally I'd just oil the whole blade like normal while I'm at it. It takes maybe ten seconds more, and ensures you won't get rust in random spots even when the coating starts to wear off. As a cautionary tale, my dad had to scrap a billhook because it developed rust at one point where the coating was scratched, the black finish made the staining easy to miss and the rust spread under the coating until it started to flake off in chunks...
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Post by Elf-knight444 on Aug 13, 2014 0:22:19 GMT
Ahhh, thats too bad about the billhook... I can see that that would be a possibility. Thanks again for the advice!
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