Well yes - and no.

Kitchen Knives - I like magnetic knife racks for these 2 reasons.

1 - the knives are easily within reach (obs depends on where the rack is situated but in my case above the bench where I do food prep).

2. I like looking at them. There’s no real “proper care’ reason for a magnetic rack, it’s mostly aesthetics.

Disclaimer - I also have a few kitchen knives in the cutlery drawer, because they just don't all fit on a magnetic rack. I also have a knife block with knives in it on the kitchen bench.

The main takeaway for kitchen knives is to store them however is convenient for you, as long as they are kept dry ( carbon steel knives ) you won't have any issues with rust.

Camping Knives.

The camping / outdoors knives I make come with a leather or Kydex sheath, they do a good job as a means to carry your knife. There are some issues though with storing a knife in leather or Kydex and it really comes down to how you dry a knife before putting it in its sheath.

Generally, I wash my camping knives in fresh water and dry them thoroughly before storing them, and also leave it out of the sheath when I get home for a day or so in case any residual moisture is inside the sheath, just to give it a chance to dry and air out.

The same goes for stainless steel as an outdoor knife, rust will still appear on a stainless steel knife if not allowed to dry before storing, granted not as much as carbon steel but enough to be annoying. A little wax or oil goes a long way in keeping your knife rust free. If you only use a camping knife a few times a year you can also seal it in a vacuum bag removing all oxygen in a water tight environment to prevent rust appearing.

The moral of the story for Knife storage is keeping a dry knife when not in use and using some type of water repellent coating for extra protection.

It can be beneficial to take a little more care of your knife by coating the blade in some type of water repellant - either a wax, oil or even just wd 40 even more so if you’re in a salty humid environment like in coastal Queensland where I am.

Here’s some of what I use, remembering if you use your knife to prepare food you want to stick with natural or food safe coatings.

Carbon Steel Knife Oil - 100% organic Cameilla Oil

Renaissance wax

Mineral Oil

Tool/ machine Oil

Bees wax

Vegetable oil

WD-40

Carnauba wax

High Carbon Steel

I generally use a high-carbon steel called 1084 for kitchen knives, there are many different types of carbon steel but this would be the most common and widely used.

The benefits of high carbon steel for kitchen knives are its strength and ability to hold a sharp edge with repeated use - so less frequent sharpening and less likely to break if dropped.

High-carbon steel knives age with use and develop a patina, they also will rust if not taken care of - But don't worry, they are easy to look after.

Stainless Steel

As with carbon steel, there are many types of stainless steel. I don't have a favourite, but I only use premium cutlery stainless steel.

I have and use both at home, and I like to use both, the stainless kitchen knives I use tend to be thinner and lighter than the carbon steel knives which for some can be a consideration.

Stainless steel also costs more than high carbon steel, not significantly more although a finished knife in stainless steel may be $60 to $100 more.

Takefu Japanese Stainless Steel.

Tafefu Special Steel Company manufactures VG-10 Stainless steel one of the most highly regarded Japanese stainless steel for cutlery. This is generally a lot more expensive due to the high quality.

The most commonly used material in the knives I make is wood. There are hundreds of possibilities. The wood can either be stabilised (impregnated with resin ) or natural. I tend to use either local to Queensland wood or reclaimed hardwood, usually blackwood and sometimes teak. It’s nearly always natural unless I'm buying a specific wood for a particular custom knife.

The other option is Micarta and G10, both are synthetic materials. I use Micarta quite often, it’s very versatile and also waterproof. It can be finished to a high polish or textured for a satin look.

Another option is the use of spacers and liners in the handle to give it a pop of colour, or I use classics like brass, stainless steel or black g10 sheet.

You can convert dirty rust into magnetite (patina) by immersing the blade (blade only) in boiling water for 15 - 20 minutes, then scrub it with dish soap and steel wool or scotch brite. This process will convert the rust to magnetite (patina)

Or if you have 1200 grit wet/dry sandpaper you can sand the blade and lubricate it with glass cleaner (with ammonia). Make sure you wash with dish soap and dry after - this will remove rust but also take the blade back to a shiny steel look - it’s a good place to start if you have an old neglected knife that you want to restore. Then just let time do its thing with the patina.

1 - Light wash in hot water and dry - oil if you want ( I live in a humid environment, so oil definitely helps )

2 - Let Patina develop - Forced or naturally - Most of the carbon steel knives I make have a forced patina.

3 - Remove dirty Rust - heat blade in boiling water, scrub and dry.

4 - Enjoy and wear your patina with pride.