Storing fixed blade knives

[jc000]

Ok this is a pretty dumb question but Ive only recently picked up some non-stainless fixed blade knives and my question is – how do you folks store them? My understanding is that keeping them in the sheath will promote rust. Right now I just have them sitting unsheathed on my counter but that seems not-optimal. I don't have a gun safe or anything like that, seems strange to store them there anyway. I carry one everyday as a defensive blade, the other though is pretty much for fire making duty.

[voodoo_man]

Coat them with lube, preferably something that will prevent rust - like froglube or seal1 then you can keep them anywhere you want.

[orionz06]

Mine sit in their sheaths in a plastic shoe box, well a few plastic shoe boxes. Haven't had any rust issues, even on the ESEE carbon knives.

[Cookie Monster]

I have had knifes rust when stored in leather sheaths, no issues with kydex.

I store all pointy things in the gun safe but I got little ones. A simple tool mechanic tool drawers might be a good thing for organizing your tools.

Anything with metal I give a coat of Ballistol.

[Isaac]

I think I read baby oil works for cheap. Not pos tho.

[Drang]

In addition to protecting from rust, you might want to find a way to protect the edge from damage.
Amazon.com: knife blade guard (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_12?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=knife+blade+guard&sprefix=knife+blade+%2Caps%2C307)
You can also improvise a blade edge guard or protector from cardboard or from a plastic milk jug.

[Bigghoss]

My area is fairly arid but I just leave them in the sheaths with no concern or thought for rust. It's never been an issue with any of my blades and I have a bunch of uncoated blades that I put away dirty covered in sap and dirt.

[jc000]

Well it turns out the one fixed blade steel is stainless (s35vn), so I'll continue to keep that lubed in it's kydex sheath. The knife I was more concerned with is an 80crv2 blade that I mainly use on firewood. It seemed to be getting some discoloration which is where the concern originated. Also, the sheath has a felt lining. I used some barkeepers friend on it which cleaned it up nicely. now that the discoloration is gone I think I'll just keep that one lubed in it's sheath as well and see how it does. Thanks, all.

[FLC Knives]

Sounds like you have a Winkler or 2.
Regardless of the steel type it's considered good practice to wipe them down and give them a light coat of oil when your done with them. Depending on the person, where they live and typical use this will vary from never to obsessively. Experience is the best guide here. If your concerned about it then more is better. There are a lot of good oils and lubes out there. I prefer to use an oil that has more than one use so I use 3 in 1 oil as it has found more than a couple uses around my shop. Another thing to consider is if your processing food with your blade you may want an oil that is food safe.

[DI1]

Mineral oil that you can purchase in any drugstore will work just fine if you intend to use the knives for food prep.
Clean the knives after use and apply a thin layer of mineral oil to the blade, then store in a plastic sleeve, not in leather sheath.

[jc000]

The only knife I use for food prep is stainless and I treat it pretty poorly. But in general I use frog lube or rem oil on my blades – only because it's what I have handy. My main question was really about how / where members might store unsheathed knives but it seems the consensus is that sheathed with oil on it is good, so I will continue on that path. Thanks all!