Wrapped in Plastic - Stiletto Storage Question...

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NorthCarolinaDude
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Wrapped in Plastic - Stiletto Storage Question...

Post by NorthCarolinaDude »

I would like to toss a question into the massive depth of knowledge I have found here on TB. Honestly, I trust most of everything I've read here in regards to metals, scale mediums, etc., when it comes to stiletto collecting. And the information I've learned here is sincerely appreciated.

Now, onto the question:

Most frequently I'll buy a stiletto and find it shipped to me in a plastic zip-lock of sorts. Not long ago I acquired a batch of "acid-free", "archival storage quality" plastic sleeves. Made of the sort of plastic sleeve material you'd trust your comic books or baseball cards to be stored in.

Is this a good long term storage capability? Or is it possible for the plastic to interact in a negative manner with certain metals or scale type?

Not long ago I "found" a couple of Edge stilettos that had been in my possession stored as such for over 20 years. The plastic sleeve didn't appear brittle nor was it binding to the knives in any way.

Is it really safe though, to keep my lightly oiled and polished knives in such a stored manner?

Luckily, the Edge knives aren't that valuable, outside of sentimentality, but it got me wondering if storing knives in such a way is a valid option? I've seen older plastics from the 60's or earlier where the plastic had turned color, became brittle, and even stuck to the things that were originally packaged in them. My assumption was that these older plastics had some sort of acid or other component that made them only useful for very short periods.

Are the modern plastic sleeves, the type branded as being "acid-free" safe for storing some of my knives in? Anyone have any feedback, or can point me to where this topic may have been discussed here previously? I tried searching but didn't turn up much so I thought I'd ask publicly.

Thanks in advance for any wisdom into this topic. Sincerely.

Scott
sammy the blade
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Re: Wrapped in Plastic - Stiletto Storage Question...

Post by sammy the blade »

Kershaw puts a cilica bag in the plastic bags their knives are boxed in and I'm sure there is a reason for it. My guess is to keep the rust off.
Last edited by sammy the blade on Fri Nov 18, 2022 2:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Tom19176
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Re: Wrapped in Plastic - Stiletto Storage Question...

Post by Tom19176 »

I have many manual knives for the 70s on that are in the factory wrapped plastics. No issues with them 50 years later...
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frosolone
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Re: Wrapped in Plastic - Stiletto Storage Question...

Post by frosolone »

I found the best thing you can do to preserve your vintage automatic knives is to send them to me and I'll treat them as if they were my own.
sammy the blade
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Re: Wrapped in Plastic - Stiletto Storage Question...

Post by sammy the blade »

frosolone wrote: Fri Nov 18, 2022 11:54 am I found the best thing you can do to preserve your vintage automatic knives is to send them to me and I'll treat them as if they were my own.
[/quote. Generous offer!
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john
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Re: Wrapped in Plastic - Stiletto Storage Question...

Post by john »

I store all my knives in a plastic sleeves with a desiccant packet. All of my knives with natural scale materials such as horn have shown no I’ll affects of them being stored in a plastic sleeve. However, I really don’t know if knives scaled with synthetic materials could deteriorate more or less quickly in an air tight plastic sleeve. At this time my synthetically scaled knives show no issues.
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Jackalope
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Re: Wrapped in Plastic - Stiletto Storage Question...

Post by Jackalope »

I have had good luck with the vac-u-seal bags.
Another trick is to put pieces of blackboard chalk in your storage. The chalk acts as a desiccant to absorb any moisture.
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boots
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Re: Wrapped in Plastic - Stiletto Storage Question...

Post by boots »

Jackalope wrote: Sat Nov 19, 2022 9:49 pm I have had good luck with the vac-u-seal bags.
Another trick is to put pieces of blackboard chalk in your storage. The chalk acts as a desiccant to absorb any moisture.
Jeez guys, these knifes will outlive you why seal them in plastic?
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Jackalope
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Re: Wrapped in Plastic - Stiletto Storage Question...

Post by Jackalope »

I only do it on my higher end knives to protect them from rust and bugs.
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NorthCarolinaDude
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Re: Wrapped in Plastic - Stiletto Storage Question...

Post by NorthCarolinaDude »

I also use the desiccant packs. I keep my knives in these plastic sleeves and then populate the drawer with the packets, inside a climate controlled environment. The longest stored with no issue are these two EdgeCo knives I've mentioned before, and that's been 30+ years in the plastic, at least, Those two are in an older plastic that's stiffened a bit over time but I haven't seen any issues that would concern me, yet. Being such a damned nerd, I like the fact that the plastic sleeves are original or I'd move them into one of these newer sleeves I have. I was just curious if anybody has ever seen any chemical or bio reactions and it sounds as though that shouldn't be a worry.

Thanks for all the feedback brothers.

Scott
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