Classic folder cleaning question

T

Tacticaltimmy12

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Jun 7, 2015
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Question for anybody who used folders like the Buck 110 and other classics like the small ones with three blades like this one
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When the inside get all dirty, what's the best way to clean them? I don't wanna use anything that's not food safe. I especially hate it when the pivot has dirt and sounds like it's grinding.
 
Hot soapy water. Blow dry with air can. Then lightly oil pivot areas. On food knives I use extra virgin olive oil. Works for me.
 
What EyeDog said. I like Dawn dish soap and an old toothbrush, and scrub down well. Rinse under very warm running water. Dry well, blast with some canned air if you like. Then I like mineral oil. The Olive oil will work, but make sure it's extra virgin. Rachel Ray will approve the use of 'EVOO' as she calls it!:D
 
To add on- For some harder stuff, some baking soda and water mixed into a paste and scrubbed with toothbrush. Then soap and water, blow it out and my favorite food safe lube, coconut oil.
Bruce
 
Thanks!
One problem with the tooth brush is getting it in such a small spot. The bristles won't get down low enough. I could probably use a narrow gun brush.
 
I got some mascara brushes that my wife was going to throw out. They are like a miniature bottle brush. They can be bent into what ever shape you need. I use them on knives like your Buck stockman. These particular ones have a 1/8" shaft, so they fit in the 1/8" collet of my Foredom flex shaft tool. The Power Brush!

Tooth picks and bamboo skewers are also very handy.

Ric
 
Cleaning, i don't know. But i would second the mineral oil over the olive oil. olive oil can go rancid while mineral oil is food safe.
 
To get down inside mine like that I use wooden coffee stirrers, wrapped with a torn off piece of paper towel soaked in whatever solvent I may be using, or dry paper towel to dry it out. You can use your knife to shape the stirrer if needed. Washing in a grease cutting dishwashing liquid like Dawn under the hottest water you can stand will help also, assuming you then dry it out well and lightly oil.
 
Pipe cleaners are good inexpensive way to clean between the liners. Also check out the angled gun brushes made by Birchwood Casey they are great for getting into hard to reach areas.
 
If a toothbrush doesn't reach all the way down a nylon brush for painting will and you can trim it down a bit to try to make it firmer so there isn't as much play in it. I have also used q-tips before.
 
WD40 not suggested; it tends to act like a sealant and magnet for debris. It makes cleaning much more of a consternation. It works in a pinch.

Would cooking oil make a decent lubricant on a carbon steen blade (Opinel No. 9)?

In the BSA, back when there was still a semblance of it, we were from the BSA handbook instructed to use toothpicks with paper towels cut off or torn from the corner; pipe cleaners worked also. Use hot or warm water if you must, since this dries faster. You could retemper the steel if not careful. The above worked for field use. Compressed air is a useful, yet expensive thing. Be careful not to leave any debris from the cleaning tool behind, and to get out all water to avert rust on that attractive knife.

Clean bandanas are also useful for a multitude of reasons, from medical, to fighting, to cleaning gear. :)
 
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