Hey guys I'm new to this forum. I own a Victorinox Ranger Grip 79, from the delemont series. The problem is, these knives are less common so there are no resources online to help me. First off, most videos show people first rinsing their SAK's then drying them, is this safe even though it is stainless steel? I fear that the water may tarnish the brass on the inside (not fully sure but I think the rivets and spacers are brass). Will water also affect my scales, they have rubber grips on them, and it looks like I can only take one off easily because both the toothpick and tweezer are on one side. After cleaning I plan to lube it with some of this oil. Can you guys give me some advice on the best way to clean it? It has rope and wood shavings in it.
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Cleaning and oiling my SAK
- Thread starter vain
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- Jul 13, 2011
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Fully disassembling a SAK is no easy task, but you shouldn't need to. SAK stainless is something like 15% chromium -- designed for corrosion-resistance (and sacrificing a lot in edge-retention), so you shouldn't have to worry about it rusting out quickly (unless you leave it in water or never wipe it in a very humid climate), but I personally don't wash my folding knives in water. Then again, my folding knives never get truly cruddy with mud, blood, etc. It sounds like yours just has some rope fibers and wood shavings in the guts. Blowing it and brushing it out would be your best bet, in my opinion. Bamboo toothpicks, cotton swabs, and a Giottos Rocket are your friends. Just my 2 cents. Once you have a Giottos Rocket, you will wonder how you ever lived without one. I've got three. It's like an endless can of compressed air. 
For oiling the joint after your cleanup, mineral oil is fine. I've been using Nano-Oil just because I have a tube, but I think Hoppes oil is fine, or any sewing machine oil. Laxative type mineral oil is very heavy, but lots of people here swear by it (and it's cheaper), so there you go!
For oiling the joint after your cleanup, mineral oil is fine. I've been using Nano-Oil just because I have a tube, but I think Hoppes oil is fine, or any sewing machine oil. Laxative type mineral oil is very heavy, but lots of people here swear by it (and it's cheaper), so there you go!
Fully disassembling a SAK is no easy task, but you shouldn't need to. SAK stainless is something like 15% chromium -- designed for corrosion-resistance (and sacrificing a lot in edge-retention), so you shouldn't have to worry about it rusting out quickly (unless you leave it in water or never wipe it in a very humid climate), but I personally don't wash my folding knives in water. Then again, my folding knives never get truly cruddy with mud, blood, etc. It sounds like yours just has some rope fibers and wood shavings in the guts. Blowing it and brushing it out would be your best bet, in my opinion. Bamboo toothpicks, cotton swabs, and a Giottos Rocket are your friends. Just my 2 cents. Once you have a Giottos Rocket, you will wonder how you ever lived without one. I've got three. It's like an endless can of compressed air.
For oiling the joint after your cleanup, mineral oil is fine. I've been using Nano-Oil just because I have a tube, but I think Hoppes oil is fine, or any sewing machine oil. Laxative type mineral oil is very heavy, but lots of people here swear by it (and it's cheaper), so there you go!
The rope fibers and wood shavings are stuck there, blowing at them won't do much. There is also some crud I need to get out. Here are pictures of the knife and the inside.
Pictures: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0Bxizdak6KqwqQTg2V2EyUlRKaGs&usp=sharing
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2011
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In this case, I'd run it under hot water (as hot as you can stand) until you've gotten all the dust/fibers out. Shake it out thoroughly, let it dry overnight, and re-oil the joints the next day. It sounds like you are worried about ruining a brand new SAK. Don't worry about that. SAKs are work tools. Occasionally washing them with hot water and air drying them will not hurt them. Just shake it out afterward, let it air dry overnight, and oil the joints the next day. You will not hurt anything -- not the liners, not the handles, not the blade, nothing.
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The only SAK I've seen damaged by water was one owned by someone I know. He left it in his salt water tackle bag. The aluminum liners corroded a bit and locked it up. I think I got it loosened up again after a while, but it took some work. It probably sat in that bag for a year though. I've bought/given him a couple of knives, but he has this habit of not keeping track of them, so they get left in the tackle boxes, not the greatest environment for any knife.
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Wash the knife in hot water & dish soap (like Dawn, Ivory Liquid, etc) and exercise the joints while doing so. When fibers & stuff are wedged into the pivot like that, moving the blades with some soapy lubrication is about the only way to dislodge them. Might utilize a good pair of tweezers or forceps for picking fibers out of the pivot, if they're still stubbornly hanging on. Don't worry; the soap & water won't faze the knife at all. The hot wash & rinse will warm up the internals and help evaporate off any residual moisture when drying. I've only had one SAK rust (a Victorinox), and I had to 'forget' it (literally) in a toolbox in the covered bed of my pickup for 2-3 years to make that happen in muggy/rainy Central Texas. And even then, it was still salvagable with some cleaning up, leaving the pivot a little stiffer and some pitting as well. You have to make a real effort to ruin one.
David