Best Way to Clean a SAK

L

Locust

Joined
Sep 30, 2008
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539
I am sticking this in the multi-tool forum because this pertains to SAKs specifically. If this belongs in maintenance and tinkering I apologize. Anyway...

A friend of mine has a Victorinox SAK that is about 25 years old. It seems perfectly serviceable but needs a very good cleaning. I assume a good way to go about it would be to open up all the tools, blow out debris with compressed air, flush the knife out with water, dry it, poor a bit of mineral oil in, and then wipe any surface rust off with steel wool. Does this sound good or am I way off base
 
Adding some dish soap to warm water helps to get fine sand from tight places.
 
There shouldnt be rush on it, it's nickel coated. Just throw it in a dish washer, or clean it with dish soap and a tooth brush. Its up to you whether it needs oil. If it rides in a pocket a lot and it used near dirt or sand, don't bother. itll do more harm than good. they can be run dry. i run all mine dry except my victorinox swisstool, which rides in a sheath.
 
SuzukiGS750EZ said:
There shouldnt be rush on it, it's nickel coated. Just throw it in a dish washer, or clean it with dish soap and a tooth brush. Its up to you whether it needs oil. If it rides in a pocket a lot and it used near dirt or sand, don't bother. itll do more harm than good. they can be run dry. i run all mine dry except my victorinox swisstool, which rides in a sheath.
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Umm..SAKs aren't nickel coated, they're just very highly polished. You can find rust on a SAK but it's uncommon enough. Victorinox don't recommend putting it through the dishwasher, but I have also heard of it being done without problems.

Here is a little experiment: http://www.sosakonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=434&Itemid=35

I tend to give them a good going over with a toothbrush and a big kiddies paintbrush to get rid of the loose stuff. I then use a wooden coffee stirrer that you can shape down to scrape any more solid stuff away. If there is any rust then I go at it with a green pot scourer, be gentle though as it can still leave marks. Next I go with the warm water and washing-up liquid, leave it to soak for a little while and then open and close the tools until they are moving smoothly. Last is just a dab of oil on each of the pivots.
 
I could have sworn right in the directions they recommend putting it through a dish washer. Somebody on this forum told me they were nickel coated, so i always thought they were. But anyways, i've been putting my SAKs through the dishwasher for years without any effects.
 
I've put alox models through the dishwasher without incident, but don't put cellidor scaled models in the dishwasher. The scales can warp because of the heat. Sosakonline.com recently had an article showing warped scales after a trip through the dishwasher.
 
MH13750 said:
Anyone ever try the multitool oil sold by Victorinox?
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Waste of money. It is good, but then so are dozens of other lubricants, including plain old mineral oil that many people use. Not to start another lively discussion on the topic but WD-40 is not the best choice. It is great for water displacement but is a so-so lubricant that attracts lint and crud that is not good for the pivots on a SAK. I know, many of you have used it for years and love it. Each to his own.
 
felinevet said:
Waste of money. It is good, but then so are dozens of other lubricants, including plain old mineral oil that many people use. Not to start another lively discussion on the topic but WD-40 is not the best choice. It is great for water displacement but is a so-so lubricant that attracts lint and crud that is not good for the pivots on a SAK. I know, many of you have used it for years and love it. Each to his own.
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You recommend mineral oil as a lubricant but not WD40. I was under the impression that the main ingredients in WD40 are mineral spirits, which displaces water, cleans, evaporating quickly, and mineral oil that coats surfaces, protecting and lubricating until worn away. This seems to be same as applying plain mineral oil. What in WD40 creates problems?
 
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Here are ingredients of WD-40:

Composition/Information on Ingredients:

*Aliphatic Hydrocarbon 45-50%
*Petroleum Base Oil 15-25%
*LVP Aliphatic Hydrocarbon 12-18%
*Carbon Dioxide 2-3%
*Non-Hazardous Ingredients
Mixture <10%
 
SuzukiGS750EZ said:
I could have sworn right in the directions they recommend putting it through a dish washer. Somebody on this forum told me they were nickel coated, so i always thought they were. But anyways, i've been putting my SAKs through the dishwasher for years without any effects.
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The dishwasher thing was discussed on another forum. The consensus there was that Vic did, at one time, recommend the dishwasher. I suspect that they stopped due to being sent a lot of SAKs with warped scales. I'm guessing it's fine just so long as the wash cycle isn't to hot.

Taken from the Vic website:

"When cutting or peeling fruit, fruit juice often runs down between the blades, sticking them together once it has dried. Open and close the blades in warm water several times and the tools can be easily moved again. When they have dried it would be good, but not always necessary, to apply a small drop of oil between the blade or tool shank and the spring. On the locking mechanism sometimes a drop of this excellent gliding oil could be helpful. Do not put penknives or other multi-tools in the dishwasher! "
 
Ahh, well at least i'm not going crazy. I knew i wasnt going crazy :-). I threw my super tinker in the dish washer once in a while when i had a dish washer. Now i just use brake cleaner. On my vic swisstool i use an air compressor and oil because it's sheathed.
 
i have put mine in the dishwasher. But I put it on the top shelf. So it is far away from the heating elements that are on the bottom oh the dishwasher. Put it in the bottom rack, like the silverware holder, it can get to hot.
 
I've been using Tuff Glide and a Tuff Cloth on my knives for a couple of years with excellent results. It's great to use on old stiff knives. Just soak it in Tuff Glide, let it dry overnight, and wipe off any excess the next day. It will never attract dirt and grime as it's a dry crystalline product that lubricates and protects from rust. I swear by it.
Cheers,
Rob
 
The article Gareth linked to shows pics of semi-melted scales from a dishwasher. That should be enough to convince you not to do it.

Tim is right, WD-40 is an excellent cleaner, but not a good lubricant. It's basically Stoddard solvent.

Tuff-Glide is good, if you can get it locally, I have used it but it seems I can only find it at knife shows. I am out so I use Break-Free CLP. It is excellent for both cleaning and lubrication. That's available almost everywhere, even walmart sells it in the sporting goods department with the gun cleaning stuff. Wipe off all the excess for the next day or two if you get a lot inside.

Don't overlook Q-Tips for getting down inside to clean, they work well. Even the stick with the tip cut off is useful for scraping gunk on the really bad ones.

[ETA:] Compressed air is great for cleaning too. A compressor is a must for a thorough cleaning, but a can of air is good for pocket lint and for drying after a wash.
 
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I put my super-gross SAK in a friend's ultrasonic cleaner a while back, and it came out looking brand new. If you don't have access to one, most jewelry stores do, and will do a run for a nominal charge.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys. We will try to do this on a budget first time around. I'll try canned air, q-tips, and soapy water with some sort of scrubber. I'll let her know about the jewelry store ultrasonic idea though. No matter what anything will help (aside from the dishwasher idea). I don't think this knife has been cleaned in 25 years of use which includes camping I'm told.
 
felinevet said:
Here are ingredients of WD-40:

Composition/Information on Ingredients:

*Aliphatic Hydrocarbon 45-50%
*Petroleum Base Oil 15-25%
*LVP Aliphatic Hydrocarbon 12-18%
*Carbon Dioxide 2-3%
*Non-Hazardous Ingredients
Mixture <10%
Click to expand...

:confused: That doesn't contradict my post about the WD40 recipe:

Aliphatic Hydrocarbon = Stoddard solvent = mineral spirits
Petroleum based oil = mineral oil
LVP Aliphatic Hydrocarbon=same as above, except Lower Vapor Pressure
Carbon Dioxide = propellant
Non-Hazardous ingredients mixture = The Shadow knows ;)

So...what disqualifies DW40? :confused:
 
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