A warning on keeping knives in old ammo boxes.

[FishyFolk]

A month ago my brother gave me an old .50 cal ammo box. Great for storing my knives in a thought. And threw in some of the blades I seldom use, and put it away, allong with my sharpening tools.
Wen't to fetch a knife just now, and when I opened the lid, the smell of mould greeted me.

The entire interior of the container was covered in it. Including my little strop, and the leather sheats. Even the plastic mora sheaths had a dusting of mould on them. And my Mora 162 whitling knife was covered in rust.

It might not be the container itself, it may be something elese. But I have work ahead saving the sheats and fixing my blades...

[FishyFolk]

Ah *slaps self*

I think I know what happened. My wet stone was in there too. The last thing I did before throwing everything in was to use it on my Opinel #8, then I threw it in the box while still soaked!

The ammo box is sealed with a rubber gasket on the lid. So it is air proof. And the box has been sitting on the floor in t he hall way, irrittating my wife for a month.
That floor is electrically heated. So my stuff has been sitting in a heated, air proof and damp environment....the perfect incubator for mould....and rust.

Out with the drill...that thing need a vent or two...!!

*rams head into wall"

[FishyFolk]

Oh yeah and one thay I'll have words with the entity that came up with the idea that achieving sharp tools must come in return for a blood sacrifice.
Managed to stab myself in the thumb with my whitling knife while trying to restore the edge to it's former glory.

[Primerib]

Sounds like a good reason to go out and replace those mouldy blades. You can't be running around with those things publically without being pointed at.... At least that is what I would tell my wife

[saxonaxe]

It's the leather Rune, it's a prime mould growing medium. Damp, warmth and lack of circulating air and the little mould spores think it's Christmas and will spread even to things like Kydex. They hide in the fibrous leather even if it's oiled and wait until some kind person provides cosy conditions to grow...

[Valantine]

I had a sheath that went mouldy and I cured it by using mould/fungus killer in a trigger bottle and then let it dry before waxing.
Check the label some contain a large amount of bleach, not a good idea to use on leather.

[Wolfman Zack]

I throw some of those silica gel desiccant packets in my ammo boxes to prevent that issue, no mold, no rust.

[FishyFolk]

Thanks for the advice :-)

Meanwhile I think I have managed to clean out my stuff. At least I can't smell anything suspicious anymore :-)

Cleaned the inside of the box itself with bleach...

[Wolfman Zack]

Thanks for the advice :-)

Meanwhile I think I have managed to clean out my stuff. At least I can't smell anything suspicious anymore :-)

Cleaned the inside of the box itself with bleach...

Glad to hear you got your stuff cleaned ok, I had a sheath go moldy once, and it was nasty.

[FishyFolk]

Glad to hear you got your stuff cleaned ok, I had a sheath go moldy once, and it was nasty.

I caught it early. The stuff had only been in the box for a month.