Any lubricant for steel and plastic?

N

Naphtali

Joined
May 20, 2002
Messages
148
I have a pocket knife whose frame is Zytel®. Its blade has become very "stickie" and requires substantial force to open. I've thoroughly cleaned the knife and applied with a needle a droplet of Extreme Duty CLP at joint. Now the blade is still stickie and the knife smells.

Please identify a lubricant that will actually reduce friction between blade steel and plastic frame.
 
Zytel is usually pretty slick, being a plastic resin filled with glass fiber. On knives that are sticky or hard to open, it may just be some other embedded grit, dirt or other particles or debris stuck in the pivot. Might also check for burrs at the edges of the tang, where it rubs against the Zytel (see if the burrs might be leaving tracks in the Zytel; that's a clue to their presence). Burrs can be scrubbed away with a file, or wet/dry sandpaper, or a ceramic hone.

For other grit or debris stuck in the pivot, the only way I've ever gotten rid of that is to keep exercising the pivot with the knife immersed in some soapy water (use liquid dish soap). Embedded grit might also leave scratches or tracks on the blade's steel tang as well, as another clue to what might be in there.
 
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