Cleaning the Umnumzaan?

[The_Guide]

Hey guys,

I use my umnumzaan as my main work knife, and seeing as I work in dirt my knife gets kinda dirty... My regular Friday routine is to take it apart, clean, oil, and sharpen it up while watching a movie. Everytime I take it apart, I find more and more places for dirt to collect. For the most part, a q-tip works, but there are those little holes in the pivot bushing, that also get encrusted, and it takes a fair bit of finnicking around to clean them.. Today is the first time I really cleaned it, and I got down right into the tiniest of holes... i just put a little piece of cotton from a q-tip in there, and move it around with an allen key smaller than the hole Im cleaning.

I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions to make my job of cleaning er up a bit easier? I was thinking of putting a little duct tape or masking tape over the pivot and any other little holes (cut to fit, no gawdy looking work here...) so dirt doesnt find its way in there in the first place. But id rather not...

Yes I am very picky about my knife, but I like the ritual and the maintenance.

:thumbup:

 

[Realist1954]

Small ultrasonic cleaner like the ones made for optical products . . .

 

[joewoo]

toothbrush?

 

[BlackEnd]

When I get down to thorough cleaning I use canned air. Works pretty good at getting small loose crud out.

 

[RevDevil]

I dismantle mine in a plastic tupperware container with warm soapy water. I use a Scotch Brite (blue) sponge and I clean everything. I rinse the knife parts with cold water and set them on a clean shop towel to dry. Once dry, i reassemble the knife and bypass the pivot lube. The knife is smooth, clean, sharp, and locks up really well.

 

[lemmuhj]

I dismantle mine in a plastic tupperware container with warm soapy water. I use a Scotch Brite (blue) sponge and I clean everything. I rinse the knife parts with cold water and set them on a clean shop towel to dry. Once dry, i reassemble the knife and bypass the pivot lube. The knife is smooth, clean, sharp, and locks up really well.

I'm going to try this way of cleaning next time i dismantle mine. How does this method compare to using lube? Is it that you would just rather not have any lube to dirty it up?

 

[cofade2black]

this is why I like to have a large sebenza, this knives are more simple to take apart.

 

[The_Guide]

The umnumzaan is pretty easy to take apart, I am more struggling with the little holes and such that gather dirt. The sebenza has similar holes, they are just shaped differently.

I am also curious as to the non-use of lube. I always add a couple drops of 3 in 1... (I have more CRK flourinated grease on the way) .

The point of lube is to reduce friction and wear... I would worry about reducing the life-span of the knife if I stopped using it.

:thumbup:

 

[batosai117]

The umnumzaan is pretty easy to take apart, I am more struggling with the little holes and such that gather dirt. The sebenza has similar holes, they are just shaped differently.

I am also curious as to the non-use of lube. I always add a couple drops of 3 in 1... (I have more CRK flourinated grease on the way) .

The point of lube is to reduce friction and wear... I would worry about reducing the life-span of the knife if I stopped using it.

:thumbup:

I'm also a user of 3-in-1, stuff works on everything :thumbup: If I don't have any on hand I'll toss in some Rem Oil since I carry some in my cleaning kit at home and at work for my duty weapons.

 

[marthinus]

While I do enjoy taking my Sebenza apart (dont own an Umnum yet) I dont do it that often due to time constraints. I just use warm soapy water and apply some fine machine oil. Good to go.

 

[The_Guide]

I'm also a user of 3-in-1, stuff works on everything :thumbup:

Yup! It is my go to oil (I use it on all the moving parts on my guitars, putting a little 3 in 1 under the strings on the saddles reduces string breakage, and if you have a trem bar, putting some in the nut slots helps keep it in tune better, also tuning machines, switches and pots as well)

... I use it to oil my blades as well, and it works great in preventing rust. Though I am thinking about switching to a more food safe oil like camellia oil or something. I have to wash my blade before I use them for food prep. Though now that I think about it, most of the blades i use for food prep are stainless, and dont get oiled. Just my tool steel knives get oiled. (unless they are folders and have moving parts)

:thumbup:

 

[RevDevil]

I'm going to try this way of cleaning next time i dismantle mine. How does this method compare to using lube? Is it that you would just rather not have any lube to dirty it up?

The lube always gave me the impression that it was a lint and dirt magnet. I find the knife is still very smooth after the intial cleaning. I did try it once with Blue Lube and it did not smooth the action out, it had the opposite effect; almot as if friction became a factor. Give it a try, you will be plesantly surprised.

 

[The_Guide]

What kind of lube did you use? I hear some are worse than others regarding dirt and lint

 

[batosai117]

The lube always gave me the impression that it was a lint and dirt magnet. I find the knife is still very smooth after the intial cleaning. I did try it once with Blue Lube and it did not smooth the action out, it had the opposite effect; almot as if friction became a factor. Give it a try, you will be plesantly surprised.

I cleaned my Sebenza today and when I put it back together with a little oil in the pivot it froze up having the opposite effect. I remembered this thread and ran the pivot under warm water and repeatedly opened and closed the blade while under the tap and it cleared right u. I dried it off and blew out the remaining water and was good as new

 

[The_Guide]

Ill have to try that sometime. It always worried me, that not using oil would cause too much friction thereby reducing the lifespan of the knife.

When my flourinated grease gets here, I will do a side by side comparison of no lube, 3 in 1, and CRK flourinated grease.

 

[RevDevil]

I cleaned my Sebenza today and when I put it back together with a little oil in the pivot it froze up having the opposite effect. I remembered this thread and ran the pivot under warm water and repeatedly opened and closed the blade while under the tap and it cleared right u. I dried it off and blew out the remaining water and was good as new

I thought I was nuts for doing it at first too. It goes against everything you logically know about pivot friction and adding some oil. I have been using my Umnumzaan steadily everyday for the last 2 weeks and it's so much smoother now. No damage or marring from the washers on the Ti or blade.