Can not open opinel No.8

S

snorkem

Joined
Aug 12, 2009
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410
I just bought an opinel number 8 and it got wet after I washed the blade off and it is so hard to open now it is almost impossible. The blade feels like is is stuck shut. I think this may be because the water caused the wood to swell up but I am not sure it is temporary. Is there any way to fix this?
 
Yes, opinels will swell and the blade will be almost impossible to open. Just wait for it to dry, and it will be normal
 
Dont get it wet

:) sorry couldnt resist.

But no, I dont think there is a permanent solution
 
Also, if you read the directions, there's the opinel whatever they call it. You hold the handle with the spine of the blade facing up between your thumb and index finger and smack it near the pivot on the side of your shoe. it opens the blade enough to pull it open.
 
I've heard people soak them in stuff or coat them with wax, things like that. But I guess it's probably better to just not get them real wet. It's easy enough to rinse the blade off and not get the handle wet if you hold the blade pointed down. If it gets really filthy, maybe consider using something else that rinses off easier?
 
Shellac will also help waterproof it. You'll need to work the blade occasionally as the shellac dries, to prevent sticking.

I use one in the kitchen, and I just leave it open all the time.
 
snorkem said:
is there any way to prevent swelling in the future?
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Since 40 years the numerous Opinels i've owned have been treated with a mixture of linseed oil and turpentine (about 50/50). Let the knife one night in the mixture.

dantzk.
 
dantzk8 said:
Since 40 years the numerous Opinels i've owned have been treated with a mixture of linseed oil and turpentine (about 50/50). Let the knife one night in the mixture.

dantzk.
Click to expand...

This is a very practical solution & you needn't disassemble. Nothing here will hurt the blade. Linseed oil by itself, at a 100% solution, is OK too but it will never seem to really dry, that's why the cut with turpentine. The idea of soaking overnight is to saturate the wood with oil so that it will no longer absorb water & then not swell in the future.
 
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The answer is simple. Make sure the lock is undone and, with the blade facing downward, tap the end of the handle on a table top or other hard surface. The blade will pop out enough for you to grasp it and pull it open. This is the traditional way the French have solved the problem, and they even have a name for it, though it escapes me at the moment.

I also sanded out an "easy open" notch in the handle so I can just pinch it when there isn't a hard surface around. :)
 
Smokinape said:
I don't understand the constant praise these knives get...
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They are time proven, simple, and have FFG carbon steel blades.


In 1985 the Victoria and Albert Museum in London published its “Good Design Guide”, a collection of the “100 most beautiful products in the world”. One of those products is the Opinel knife. It is also exhibited by the New York's Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) as a masterpiece of design, alongside other industrial objects which have defied time. The simple but ingenious design, which has remained virtually unchanged for a century or more, is widely felt to have made the Opinel into something of a design classic.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinel
 
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This happens occasionally with my Opinels. I just grab a pair of pliers and pull it out. Dosnt usually happen to the one that's in my pocket, just the ones that sit in a box.
 
I treat new opinels like this:

1: Disassemble it (there should be plenty of videos and step-by-step guides)
2: Take the file of my multitool and slightly widen up the pivot area
3: strip the handle with some fine sandpaper (think 300 grit, YMMV)
4: Let the entire knife soak in oil overnight (I often end up using olive or sunflower oil, just normal kitchen stuff)
5: Dry it. Best way to do this is over a fire, be careful not to set it on fire
6: Reassemble, enjoy.
7: (optional) take the blade to the abrasive of your choice (bench grinder works just fine) and reshape the blade tip to a spear point. Makes the tip less prone to breaking. While I'm at it, I normally square up the spine for firesteel striking.

Take care, and ask your mommy if you're allowed to use power tools. If she says no, ask daddy to do it for you :D

maethor
 
The "proven design" seems to be one that is high maintenance and difficult to open at times...

I don't understand the constant praise these knives get...
 
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