my new knife is rusting!

[cracked]

i just bought a new knife, a Gerber, and ive had it two days and have hardly used it and now there are tiny rust spots forming on the blade! why? how can i fix/prevent this?

drew

[daveleau]

It should have a warranty. I know my Leatherman has a lifetime warranty. If I break it or if it rusts, I just send it back and get it fixed. I'd think Gerber, Leatherman's main competition, would have a comparable warranty. There's nothing you could do to a knife in 2 days that'd cause rust, afaik, short of leaving it in some sort of highly corrosive material.

[thekingofpain]

Gerber maintenance:

Knives: Each Gerber® knife comes with a special edge: An edge hand tested by knowledgeable employees with years of experience. Sure, it’s old fashioned. But it’s how we ensure that each knife arrives with the proper edge and sharpness. The high carbon stainless steel we use helps us achieve the superior cutting edge and standard of performance you expect. Exposure to wet conditions, however, corrodes even high performance steel. Proper care and maintenance of your knife will provide a consistent, dependable cutting edge. Use a cotton swab or toothpick to clean out the lock well and the inside of the handle. Allow your knife to dry thoroughly. Coat it with a light oil (3-in-1 or gun oil), making sure to lubricate the hinge area of the folding knives. Sharpen early and often.

[OuTpaTienT]

Stainless steel that rusts...that can't be good.

Wow, that sucks, cracked. I've got a Gerber folder clip-on that I bought at Walmart for $15. Recently I left it on the hood of my truck, drove to some store and came back only to realize I'd left it on my hood. I drove back and found the knife. It'd been run over a couple times and has several dents and scratches everywhere. It's been almost a month and there's still not a drop of rust anywhere.

[OuTpaTienT]

I don't understand how stainless steel rusts. I have a sink made of stainless steel, it gets wet all the time, no sign of rust anywhere. [shrug]

[cracked]

well the knife isnt covered with rust or anything, but there are these little tiny brown spots and they wont come off so i figure its prolly rust. yes it sucks

drew

[RedFury]

Could be stains. Stainless steel stays rust free because of the oxidation that naturally occurs when exposed to air. You might have some luck cleaning the spots off the knife by using a steel polish like Brasso.

[OuTpaTienT]

Funny how stainless steel doesn't rust but it does stain. You'd think they would call it rustless steel.

If it is rust then I would suspect that's a sign it's not a 100% stainless steel blade. I'd return it immediately. But if its some kind of stain then polish like Red said and enough elbow grease ought to get rid of it.

[Target]

Had a similar situation with a Gerber fillet knife....turns out it wasn't the blade at all that was rusting, it was the metal inside the sheath that was leaving rust spots on the blade.

No idea what sort of Gerber you bought, but would be suspicious if the blade itself was actually rusting.