Blade/knife cleaning and wax/polish questions

Stumpy72

Stumpy72

Joined
Jul 5, 2018
Messages
1,063
1--For cleaning general dirt/grime, fingerprints and other oils off of knife blades and handles, I’ve seen Windex recommended as the best product. Is that correct? Would mineral spirits, denatured alcohol or rubbing alcohol be any better? I need something that’ll be safe to use on stainless, non-stainless and damascus blades as well as handles/scales made of micarta, G-10, CF, bone and wood.

2--I’ve seen good reviews of both Renaissance Wax and Simichrome Polish for use on blades and knives in general. Is either any better than the other? Are they the same or any different from each other? Is either recommended over the other?
 
For 1 I always use water in combination with the right type of cloth (I like microfiber when in doubt, but feel free to experiment). You could use some dishwashing detergent if it's really really dirty, but honestly, for the type of dirt you describe anything more is overkill imho.

As for 2... Why would you want to use wax or polish on a blade? If you intend to use the blade I only see downsides. If you intend to store the blade longer I would recommend a thin layer of ballistol (it's foodsafe). I have honestly never heard of using wax or polish on a blade and I have never considered it.

A note on ballistol. It is truly magical stuff. It's superior to WD40 (It doesn't attract grime as WD40 does when left alone). It's foodsafe, cleans off dirt, conserves, lubricates pivots and will probably solve world hunger or something. My point is...You could do worse than having a can of ballistol in your household.

A general note: There are a lot of different opinions and products for cleaning and maintenance. People have their own preference. That's totally fine. But if there is a chance of using your knives on food in the future, even if it's just cutting an apple, please take food safety into account. Don't use any toxic products. Food safe products will usually mention it as a selling point.

Good luck!
 
Don't know what's best. I use Simple Green because I know it works and I have a lot around. I clean and then rinse with water. Then oil (usually Remoil) lightly. Not too worried about using the blade to cut food. For the most part, only kitchen knives get used for that purpose except on rare occasions.

Wax.... I use Renaissance Wax when I use wax which is not often even for knives that have never been used and are essentially in storage.
 
I've used Victorinox Lube with good results. It is food compatible and comes in a small bottle. Not costly at all. I've also used Benchmade's Blue Lube lubricant. I have heard that it is also food compatible but I don't know for sure. Both oils seem to be comparable but I prefer the Blue Lube because I can easily see how much is applied.

For polishing and cleaning, try Flitz Polish. It's designed for metal, plastic, and fiberglass. I used it as needed, wash with a good dish soap and then oil.

I've also tried Sentry's Tuf-Glide but wasn't really impressed. It protects well but, made the pivot feel gritty.
 
I use soap, water, WD40 and Flitz polish to clean and brighten. I use Ren Wax for protection of carbon steel blades and some covers such as pearl and wood. With Ren Wax I apply at the day's end or before storage.
 
Lodd said:
For 1 I always use water in combination with the right type of cloth (I like microfiber when in doubt, but feel free to experiment). You could use some dishwashing detergent if it's really really dirty, but honestly, for the type of dirt you describe anything more is overkill imho.

As for 2... Why would you want to use wax or polish on a blade? If you intend to use the blade I only see downsides. If you intend to store the blade longer I would recommend a thin layer of ballistol (it's foodsafe). I have honestly never heard of using wax or polish on a blade and I have never considered it.

A note on ballistol. It is truly magical stuff. It's superior to WD40 (It doesn't attract grime as WD40 does when left alone). It's foodsafe, cleans off dirt, conserves, lubricates pivots and will probably solve world hunger or something. My point is...You could do worse than having a can of ballistol in your household.

A general note: There are a lot of different opinions and products for cleaning and maintenance. People have their own preference. That's totally fine. But if there is a chance of using your knives on food in the future, even if it's just cutting an apple, please take food safety into account. Don't use any toxic products. Food safe products will usually mention it as a selling point.

Good luck!
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Obcessed said:
Ballistol. The stuff has been around since the 1890s. I use it on all my guns to include the wood. The test of time is the key.
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I like Balistol as much as the next guy. Use it on my firearms and blades alike, but word of warning... its fragrance is... polarizing... I would probably buy a small can and test it on something I didn't care as much about first, just in case you don't tolerate it well...
 
Lodd said:
For 1 I always use water in combination with the right type of cloth (I like microfiber when in doubt, but feel free to experiment). You could use some dishwashing detergent if it's really really dirty, but honestly, for the type of dirt you describe anything more is overkill imho.

As for 2... Why would you want to use wax or polish on a blade? If you intend to use the blade I only see downsides. If you intend to store the blade longer I would recommend a thin layer of ballistol (it's foodsafe). I have honestly never heard of using wax or polish on a blade and I have never considered it.

A note on ballistol. It is truly magical stuff. It's superior to WD40 (It doesn't attract grime as WD40 does when left alone). It's foodsafe, cleans off dirt, conserves, lubricates pivots and will probably solve world hunger or something. My point is...You could do worse than having a can of ballistol in your household.

A general note: There are a lot of different opinions and products for cleaning and maintenance. People have their own preference. That's totally fine. But if there is a chance of using your knives on food in the future, even if it's just cutting an apple, please take food safety into account. Don't use any toxic products. Food safe products will usually mention it as a selling point.

Good luck!
Click to expand...
Well said, but as you note there are a lot of different opinions on this, so I'll express mine, which are pretty much the opposite of yours.

Wax or polish on a blade- why not? Just another form of protective coating on a blade, which may not matter so much on a stainless blade, but could prove useful on a carbon blade, especially if you're looking at long term storage. Instant patina, if you will. Obviously, though, probably not a good idea for knives used around food, although there are a lot of us who never use our EDC knives around food anyway.

Water on a blade?- not for me. I know a lot of us use it and it's recommended by most of the manufacturers, but think about it. You can compress-air it off when finished, but are you really gonna get it all out, especially with all the nooks and crannies in many blades. Again, not desirable for carbon blades. And what's it gonna do to any lube or oil you might have in the knife?- wash it away I suppose. I much prefer a chemical cleaning, and as you mention, Ballistol is a good one- it not only cleans but lubricates as well (you forgot to mention the smell)!

Definitely agree with you about food safety. Ballistol, mineral oil and Frog Lube, among others, are the way to go if you're looking for a cleaner, lubricant or protectant for any knives you'll be using around food.

As always, YMMV.
 
I like the others use ballistol on my guns and knives and have used ren wax on the blades for extra protection and when you're being picky cuts down on finger marks on a nice satin or stonewash blade.
 
Or here's another way to do it:

Rob47 said:
Yep, cold water, gentle cycle and into the dryer on delicate! By mistake of course. It was clipped in the pocket of a pair of jeans. Didn’t realize it until I heard it clanging around in the dryer. Went to see what the racket was and discovered my fully opened minigrip being tossed around with the clothes. No real damage, a screw missing from the pocket clip which I recovered in the lint filter and a slightly dulled blade. Light oiling, replaced and tightened screws and ten minutes with the Lansky sharpening system and fine diamond hone and she’s better than new. Dangerously sharp!
Just thought y’all could use a laugh at my expense.
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bobobama said:
Well said, but as you note there are a lot of different opinions on this, so I'll express mine, which are pretty much the opposite of yours.

Wax or polish on a blade- why not? Just another form of protective coating on a blade, which may not matter so much on a stainless blade, but could prove useful on a carbon blade, especially if you're looking at long term storage. Instant patina, if you will. Obviously, though, probably not a good idea for knives used around food, although there are a lot of us who never use our EDC knives around food anyway.

Water on a blade?- not for me. I know a lot of us use it and it's recommended by most of the manufacturers, but think about it. You can compress-air it off when finished, but are you really gonna get it all out, especially with all the nooks and crannies in many blades. Again, not desirable for carbon blades. And what's it gonna do to any lube or oil you might have in the knife?- wash it away I suppose. I much prefer a chemical cleaning, and as you mention, Ballistol is a good one- it not only cleans but lubricates as well (you forgot to mention the smell)!

Definitely agree with you about food safety. Ballistol, mineral oil and Frog Lube, among others, are the way to go if you're looking for a cleaner, lubricant or protectant for any knives you'll be using around food.

As always, YMMV.
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Thank you for your reply. I guess our difference of opinion has a lot to do with our different use cases. Most (>90%) of my knives are stainless or near stainless. I also make want to be able to use all of them on food. I guess that means we have totally different considerations.

I guess I did forget about the smell of Ballistol. :) Call me crazy, but I actually love the way it smells. I can imagine it being a problem if you don't, though.
 
My wife thinks Ballistol smells like cat p1$$. I don't mind it, but I rarely use it on my knives. I pretty much stick to soap and water or even a little rubbing alcohol for cleaning a dirty blade. As most of my knives are carbon steel, I tend to wipe them down with a mix of mineral oil and bees wax after hard use. Just a light film to protect them from moisture. Mineral oil for general lube goes on all my folding knives. New ones get a little dot of moly paste in the metal on metal areas to ease break in.
 
DB_Cruiser said:
My wife thinks Ballistol smells like cat p1$$.....
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Thanks for that tip. The last thing I need is a bunch of stinky-ass knives with nearby women busting my chops about unpleasant odors and possible hazardous/toxic materials, so Ballistol just got crossed off of my list. I’ve already taken enough heat about the odors of different gun care products to last me 100 lifetimes, so I don’t need more heat about knife care products. When I choose to go “food-safe” with specific knives, it’ll be with mineral oil.
 
number9 said:
I usually wipe the blade on my pants and put it back in my pocket.
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This is my most frequent approach as well. I seldom clean a blade other than if I use in to cut something that stays on the blade. In most cases, I simply rinse with water and wipe off with a paper towel. I don't make this a big deal.
 
I use hand soap and water to clean my blades.
I use mineral oil to clean, protect and lubricate them.
Mineral oil is food safe, doesn’t smell bad, and cheap. You can get a big bottle for $3-$7 at most drug stores. You’ll find it with the laxatives.
I treat my carbon and stainless blades both the same. I’ve had carbon blades sit unused for a year with just a thin coat of mineral oil on them; no problems.
It easily cleans off adhesives, tree sap, drywall... I’ve never needed anything beyond that.
I suppose if I owned a knife that cost $1000+ and was putting it in storage I might use something like Renwax.

I knew an old fella who had two jars of mineral oil that he stored his traditional slip joints in. Had five or six in each jar. The knives standing on end next to each other like pickles. Most had delrin covers, some were bone.
 
Odog27 said:
I suppose if I owned a knife that cost $1000+ and was putting it in storage I might use something like Renwax.

I knew an old fella who had two jars of mineral oil that he stored his traditional slip joints in. Had five or six in each jar. The knives standing on end next to each other like pickles. Most had delrin covers, some were bone.
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I have the ones I am using or newish lying in a flat tray on my desk or bookshelf (both actually). I keep pens, pencils and so forth in a modern version of the old "pickle jar". I would never just soak them in any kind of lubricant unless I am trying to remove rust.

I have had knives for 30 years stored without any kind of protection (oil, wax, and so forth). They still look like new and they are "new" even if I have little interest in them anymore. I just would not store knives in an non-conditioned basement or garage.
 
Stumpy72 said:
Thanks for that tip. The last thing I need is a bunch of stinky-ass knives with nearby women busting my chops about unpleasant odors and possible hazardous/toxic materials, so Ballistol just got crossed off of my list. I’ve already taken enough heat about the odors of different gun care products to last me 100 lifetimes, so I don’t need more heat about knife care products. When I choose to go “food-safe” with specific knives, it’ll be with mineral oil.
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It really does stink, not as bad as Hoppes 9 but close
However, as far as guns go as an overall cleaner solvent protector...I've never seen anything as good, and I dare say I may have tried everything (-:
 
Stumpy72 said:
Thanks for that tip. The last thing I need is a bunch of stinky-ass knives with nearby women busting my chops about unpleasant odors and possible hazardous/toxic materials, so Ballistol just got crossed off of my list. I’ve already taken enough heat about the odors of different gun care products to last me 100 lifetimes, so I don’t need more heat about knife care products. When I choose to go “food-safe” with specific knives, it’ll be with mineral oil.
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Ballistol doesn't stay stinky forever...…. Once the solvents evaporate I never notice the odor...…. I have the little Ballistol wipes and I also have it in liquid form which I put in a small needle oiler.... It is a good addition to my lubrication arsenal....
 
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