Care and feeding of high carbon steel

So high carbon steel is a bit more susceptible to the elements. Whats the recommended way to keep a high carbon steel knife looking like new? Is oil the preferred method? What about "gun wax"? The wax would seem to be a little nicer on its surroundings and not leave the oily residue.

Try Renaissance Wax. A little pricy, but excellent long lasting wax. Used by many museums.

My personal favorite is avaliable at most Walmarts...... Mother's Caranuba cleaner/wax. Renaissance is good too, I just feel that it's price doesn't justify it's worth. I dislike recommending oils because they draw dirt and crud.....and protection time is very limited.

does Renaissance wax dry to be food safe? I called the Briwax people and they say it does....just wonder about other products?

Edit: That's what I use is Briwax....I leave my 1095 edc blade in a leather sheath 24/7. With a good patina and then a good wax every so often or after hard use, I've never seen a spot of rust.

Just about any "wax" will be considered "food safe". Once it's applied and then rubbed/buffed off, there is such a tiny amount, it's generally considered insignificant. Actully, the "drying" aspect of Renaissance is one of the things I dislike about it.....if you happen to get a fingerprint in it, and it dries before you rub/buff out that print......it's a pain in the butt to get out. For me it took acetone and #0000 steel wool on several occassions......but I suppose that could be considered a plus by some......it dries hard and durable.

Yep, I like Ren-wax for long term use. Ed is correct about it drying hard & durable so apply it very lightly. I applied it too thick in a few places once or twice and trust me its a pain to buff if you apply it too thick. Both products can be used on steel, wood, & leather. I always clean thoroughly with denatured alcohol before applying the Ren-wax. If you apply wax over anything that may cause corrosion you just seal it in. They also make a renaissance cleaner but I've never used it. Anybody tried it?

it might be interesting to try Deftane, an oil based polyurethane. it dries crystal clear, it not effected by water or solvents, is difficult to remove with mild abrasives(got a drop on a blade while doing handle and it took a lot to get it off.)