Cleaning crud off blades

[DR.BOOM]

At work I cut a lot of cardboard boxes and I keep running into a very thick glue at the end of the day. I scratched my Delica up pretty bad by using a scotch bride pad to get it off. I have tried different methods but have not had the best luck. Tonight I sprayed my barrage with some vegetable oil and let it soak. Absolutely spotless when I checked it and I was happy I don't have to scratch this one. Anyone have issues/solutions like this? I would like to hear more ways to keeps blades clean.

-Justin

[Tsujigiri]

Try lighter fluid, like Zippo's.

[singularity35]

For really heavy tape goo, I use WD-40. Spray and wipe. Repeat until the goo is gone.

[CA357]

I use acetone and it takes to glue off pretty well.

[1SHOT1KILL]

For really heavy tape goo, I used WD-40. Spray and wipe. Repeat until the goo is gone.

+1 on that. I also use MEK and then WD-40...it does the same thing...only faster.

[fatherhudson]

rubbing alcohol or acetone (nail polish remover). pretty sure there'd be no soaking involved with a good solvent like acetone. also try mineral spirits(paint thinner). it should wipe right off.

edit: whoops someone beat me to the acetone. also, if you're having really serious problems with glue, leaving a good coat of oil on the knife when you're using it might keep it from ever getting gunked up. read might.

[yoda4561]

Goo-Gone, or your favorite CLP/wd40/whatever. Goo gone seems particularly adept at removing adhesive residue (it was designed for it after all) without being harmful to most handle materials.

[Phydeaux]

I use WD40 on some 0000 steel wool. Acetone based nail polish remover works pretty good too, becareful, the acetone can cause damage to certain types of plastic. Micarta and G10 don't seem to be affected by it.

Ric

[HotSteel]

I use Eezox primarily for rust prevention, but also for lubrication. It seems to remove any gunk I get on my knives, but I can't speak for your glue.

[riversidedep]

Gasoline works fairly well too........But with the gas prices lately, it's a rather expensive choice lol.

[stoffi]

Lol!

[bgentry]

My knives see a lot of boxes too. I mostly get sticky residue from the tape used to hold the boxes closed, and since I usually attack the tape instead of the actual cardboard. Seems like less wear on the edge to me.

For a long time I was using straight up oil on the blade to remove sticky residue. The same oil I use on the pivots. It usually takes some work though to get everything off if there's a lot on it. Then one time I tried isopropyl alcohol. It works SO much better. Very fast to remove residue. I always rub a light coating of oil over the blade after though, as I think it strips off any protective oil that was on there to start.

Alcohol is extremely cheap at something like $1 for a pint or so. I don't think there's any better value in "de-gunking".

Brian.

[Bastid]

Like bgentry I use 90% Isopropyl alcohol because it works easily and is cheap.

[parbajtor]

+1 on that. I also use MEK and then WD-40...it does the same thing...only faster.

MEK & IPA have been replaced in commercial use (within EU) by a non-VOC solvent/degreaser based on Limonene (it has that orangey smell). It works very well as a label/glue solvent.

[Robs92XJ]

Acetone for cleaning off gunk. Once clean, sometimes I rub the flat of the blade on a loaded strop. That works well for removing discoloration and brightens up the finish.

[maximus83]

I soak 'em in Ballistol.

Advantages:

* Cleans extremely well, while being fully "safe": it's non-toxic and food-safe and skin-contact safe, plus it does not harm other common materials on your knife: G10, wood, micarta, etc.
* Also lubes and provides corrosion protection.

Downsides? Some don't like the smell of ballistol. I actually like the smell (smells somewhat like the scent from an anise plant, reminds me of a salve that I used to smell in our horse barns when the vet came to our place), but my wife and kids don't like it. But either way, the smell dissipates within a couple of minutes on contact with air, once you dry the knife off.

The things I like about ballistol are that it is similar in purpose to WD40--it's a near universal lube, cleaner, and protectant. But unlike WD it's food-safe, and also unlike WD (especially on guns) Ballistol is a better type of lube for long-term use. Plus you can use it on an even wider variety of materials: leather (even boots, jackets, etc.), wood, plastics, rubber, metal, etc., and it has cool properties such as that it emulsifies with water (meaning that it mixes with water molecules without actually bonding to it, thus enabling the water to serve as a "carrier" for the ballistol that does not dilute its effectiveness). Black powder shooters actually make a mix of ballistol + water that they call "moose milk", and it's awesome for cleaning out their bores without causing rust.

There are a lot of things that work out there, and that I've used, but Ballistol has become my favorite because it's so widely useful while being non-harmful to people or the environment. And if you buy it bulk (by the gallon)--compared to most similar solvents like BreakFree CLP--you can get it at a pretty reasonably price-per-ounce, and a lot of popular retailers, gun shops, etc., carry it now (check out prices at this place, they are consistently competitive: http://www.wisementrading.com/hunting/ballistol.htm).

[Komitadjie]

I use denatured alcohol, then wipe lightly with oil. It's a lot milder than acetone and doesn't have anywhere near the vapors. I tend to use the least-aggressive solvent I can to do a job, no reason to use something excessively harsh and strip all the oil from the pores of the steel if you don't need to.

[michaelm466]

WD-40 works for me

[ibute21]

Gasoline works fairly well too........But with the gas prices lately, it's a rather expensive choice lol.

I use gas on my beaters. I was using a mini ak-47 at work one day cutting up some Grace Ice & Water and that stuff sticks to blades so much. Ended up just sticking the blade in a cup with some gas. A minute or so later, all cleaned up, albeit smelling like gasoline...

[Seals]

Williams Lectric Shave melts glue better than anything.Weird but true.Scarey that people put this stinking stuff on their face,but i use it all the time for glue release and cleanups.