Cleaning the hinge area

T

TedGamble

Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Messages
431
I use my pocket knife for peeling apples. I always wipe the blade and the exterior after use. But, some of the sticky apple juice always finds its way down into the hinge area.

Should I soak the entire knife in hot water or is there a better way to clean it?
 
I don't have anywhere near the talent for embellishment that many of the folks here possess.....but I do clean/sharpen knives for my friends and others.
There are many products that will get in the joint/pivot area and help "float away" the bad stuff. One that works for me, and most folks have around is WD40. Here is my routine:

1. Using the small red tube to concentrate the spray, shoot a little bit in the joint/pivot.
2. Work the action 10-12 times.
3. The same amount of WD40 once again.
4. Work the action again.
5. Let it sit on a towel/rag on the backspring area for 5 minutes.
6. Work the action again.
7. I went to a beauty supply store and got eye makeup applicators (yes, I look way cool! :eek: ) that are like a plastic toothpick with small foam sponges on the ends. I use these to then get in the pivot area and between the liners and springs. No fuzzies or strings left behind, like cotton, no scratches like what might happen with a pipecleaner.
8. Blow the knife out with compressed air.
9. Wipe it down with a soft cloth.
10. Oil the joints and treat the scales, if you're so inclined.

Might be anal....but it works for me..... :D

Bill

P.S.
Or, you could use hot water.
 
I had considered WD40. Sounds good to me.

Although soaking in warm water works great, I was hesitant to use it because I feared that I would be promoting rust between the scales and the brass linings and underneath the bolsters.
 
I don't peel the apples, just wash, quarter, cut out the seeds and any bad spots, and always get the knife dirty.

I dip in water (hot works better), work open and close, dry (cotton cloth and shake it), then WD40 (I believe WD stands for Water Displacement), then mineral oil.

Bill, I've used those eye makeup applicators too, when I find them (wife and daughters sometimes leave them around, I try to get one that is clean LOL), they don't seem to be too durable though, I also smoke a pipe and often use a folded pipe cleaner.

Luis
 
Hey guys,
The makeup applicators aren't very durable....but I can clean about 3 folders with one if you shoot it with WD40 (Water Displacement... 40th try at the formula...Well done Luis.. :D ) and gently squeeze them out. It "floats" the gunk out of the little sponges. They do come off the end/fall apart, but at about 10 cents a pop, they're as good as I've found.

The key for me is blowing the moisture out with canned air or a compressor, if you're lucky enough to have a workshop. That's the best way to avoid staining/rust, I think.

Since I'm imprisoned in what used to be my son's bedroom, I have to be quiet and creative. Oh, and open the window when I use the WD40.....or I see funny animals and stuff..... :eek:

Bill
 
Ted,
Thank you so much for the kind offer of help. It seems to me (getting harder to remember) that I may have been busted somewhere before....I don't think it went too well..... :eek:

Back to cleaning my knives now.

TTYL

Bill
 
Hi Ted,
Most of my pocket knives are too small to use Qtips for cleaning down in the blade troughs and hinge crevices. One day while trying to get the Qtip in there anyway, it dawned on me to try some PIPE CLEANERS (cotton).
Can still use wd40 or silicone to dissolve the gunk in there, can even put it on end of pipecleaner instead of spraying everywhere. Forming the end into a P shape adds some rigidity and keeps the end of the wire from possibly scratching something. When the tip gets dirty, bend it back and forth until the Ptip breaks off and make another P end. Plain old 3n1 oil has worked for me,haven't had any spots that needed wd40 or anything else stronger.
Don't tell anyone you heard it from me, might ruin my bad guy image!
 
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