What is the best lubricant and/or rust inhibitor?

I use sunflower oil (or any oil used for cooking really) for mine (keep in mind I am learning on the subject of knives, just heard from it from my pal which has some knowledge, hehe). That way I can use my knives to cut bread etc. withouth getting some serious stomach warfare. :)

you mean for the blade right? not the pivot?
 
Thanks to each and every one who has responded to this thread. It has given me a lot of food for thought.

I just experimented a few minutes ago and took apart a Kershaw 1650 Vapor, cleaned it and tried some Silicone Grease that I got at Ace Hardware some time ago. Pretty thick stuff. How'd it work? Well, it's plenty smooth, but slowed deployment down. On opening, it feels like my Emerson Commander. Can't complain about that, but it's a bit slow, at least for me.

So, I think I'll traipse over to the local Ace Hardware and get some of the Super Lube and see how that works, on the same pivot, of course.

Thanks again for all the suggestions!
 
I use the spaceage lubricants called VG10, 154CM, and S30V. I find that I rarely worry about rust on my carbon blades since switching to these lubes. My carbon blades also stay much sharper than before I moved to these. I highly recommend 'em. :)
 
I use a product called Ballistol on my knives and guns - the guys at Blind Horse Knives sent me a can with one of my orders because I inquired about what to use on my knives - I've been using it ever since - works good, lasts long time!!!
 
Eezox is great stuff. I used to use Militec-1, but I like Eezox better.
 
Two different subjects.

Lubricants are not necessarily good rust preventatives, and rust preventatives are not necessarily good lubricants. Both are often substances I would not want in contact with my food.

For long term storage, Lee's Liquid Alox is as good as anything readily available to the consumer. It's sold as bullet lubricant in any store that sells casting equipment, but it's really thinned auto body undercoating. Steel coated with it and stored will stay rust free for decades.

For short term protection of blades in use, I favor beeswax. Just let the blade heat in bright sunlight and rub with a lump of wax. This has the great merit of being tasteless and food safe.

A readily available food safe combination lubricant/rust preventative is petroleum jelly, better known as Vasoline. It's pretty good in both roles and non toxic in trace amounts although a tablespoon or so is an effective laxative.
 
Well folks, Ace didn't have the Super Lube they had advertised on their website.

So I headed over to Menards (a midwest hardware store chain) and checked out what they had. No Super Lube, or Breakfree, or Eezox. But they did have a product that was new to me, and which has PFTE in it. It's made by Slick 50, and is called One Lube.

Gollee gee whiz, is that stuff great.

I took my Kershaw Vapor apart and cleaned out the silicon grease that I'd put there, and instead applied One Lube with a Q-Tip to all the bearing surfaces around the pivot: to the blade and pivot hole, the washers, and the frame, put it back together, adjusted it, and whoa.... it's smooth as butter, and flicks open almost as easily as a Ripple with the IKBS ball bearing system. This stuff is incredible.

And then I coated the blade surface with the stuff. I had previously sanded off the titaninum nitride finish on the blade, and scotch brited it, and polished it a bit.

I let the One Lube coating sit on the blade for about half an hour and wiped it off.

Gosh, it's like silk...

Water beads up on it.

For the time being, this stuff will be my lubricant of choice.

Folderguy
 
every one uses something different i use skateboard bearing oil : bones swiss speed cream.it stops rust and i keeps the blade action smooth.personal favorite.

another plus is that it has extremely low viscosity.
 
You must be needing a lub for your folder because if its a fix blade the best rust inhibitor in my book is a good patina. Let the good rust keep the bad rust away. I hear of guys putting their fixed blades into a mixture of tomato past and potatoes and a mixture of other fruits and veggies and let a patina build up on the blade.

Yessir, for folders.

BTW, the One Lube from Slick 50 is plenty good...
 
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