Looking after your knife / sword. Maintaining, and caring for your knife. Keep the blades dry, wipe moisture off after use. This is important especially with carbon steel blades. Oxidation is a normal property of carbon steel. This tarnish protects the knife from rust, it is blue / gray in colour, rather than the rusty red / brown. Quality oil applied to the blade will provide excellent protection. Wax and silicone is also good protection for the blade. If you do see oxidation develop, or some type of tarnishing, this can be the start of rust, this should be cleaned off as quickly as possible as it will ruin the blade over time. You can use a standard metal cleaner or polish. Stainless steel knives are not rustproof / blemish proof, but are resistant to these problems, they do still need to be looked after.
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One of the main ways that oxidation / discoloration can start is through finger prints, always be sure to wipe these from your blade prior to putting it away. Sweat has salt in it, this is one of the worst things that can be done to a knife.
Also any area for storing a knife / any type of blade should be a cool, dry area. This will ensure that the blade will last for longer with less maintenance required, although it is not a substitute for looking after it properly.
