Do "types" of oils matter?

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Spirex288

Joined
Jul 19, 1999
Messages
108
I had my Rescue Jr. in my pocket today and it picked up all kinds of fuzz. I washed it, dried it, and applied "multi-purpose" machine oil. Is it okay to use this or are there oils that I can buy that are made specifically for knives? If so, any specific brands? thanks! I'm new to this so go easy!!!!!
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Spirex - what you did was perfect maintenance. Some oils work better than others (like any industry). If you want to get into the "oil game", there are many to play with. Chris Reeve has an exceptional oil for action. Many of the gun oils work wonders. But the real issue is "clean,dry & oil".
sal
 
Thanks Sal. One more thing on the cleaning issue. When I clean the knife, is it okay to use Simple Green to really degrease the knife? Or just stick with a mild soap? Will the handle of the knife be able to take the solvents (degreasers)? Thanks again.
 
Also wondering if WD-40, Vaseline or motor oil are acceptable oils to use on knives or am I way off the mark using these?

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ET

 
I used "3 in 1" oil for years and it worked great. I have tried many specialty lubes and most of them don't perform that much better than the "3 in 1" really. I have been using the wax based White Lightening lately and have liked it on many folders though it seems to be better on some designs than others. It does not pick up lint or fuzz though. Tuf glide works pretty well too. I bought some of Chris Reeves white grease and it works OK, but not comparitive to its high price (~$12 for a small syringe). I think it is one of those "whatever works for you and makes you happy works best". I've never heard of anyone using vaseline though. All of this is IMO of course.
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Where I work, we use WD40 as a solvent NOT as a lubricant. I use Hoppe's gun oil, or TUF-Glide for the my knives. If you leave your knife loose in your pocket, you will pick up lots of lint. Regardless of what you use, you have to constantly check for foreign substances that can stop you knife from locking up correctly, and causing an accident. Preventative medicine is best for of defense....LOL, kind of like brushing and flossing your teeth
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ET -- if they're working for you, that's great. But I also think of WD-40 as a solvent, not a great lubricant. And something as incredibly thick as vaseline grabs all kind of muck and never lets go. For knives I'm going to use on food, I always use food-grade mineral oil. For other knives, I've typically been using break-free, but am thinking of trying tuf-glide.

Joe
 
One other thing, turn your pockets inside out when ou wash your pants. You won't accumulate as much lint.
 
I usually first clean all my Spydies with hot soapy water. After drying them, I apply FLITZ to the blades and polish them by hand (for cleaning all stains and other marks off the blades). I then LIBERALLY apply Q-20 (multipurpose water-displacing oil) and let the knives lie (soaked in the oil) for about 5 minutes, except if it's the first time that I've cleaned and oiled the knife, in which case I let the knife lie in the oil coating for about 30 minutes. After that I wipe all the oil off, and apply ANOTHER light coating of oil (which I LIGHTLY wipe off) to leave only a thin coating on the blade.

I've recently started to experiment with oils used on fishing tackle. Thus far it is too soon to make any claims, but it looks as if these kinds of oils perform better (as far as corrosion resistance is concerned)!

I prefer to buy oils in pressurized cannisters that can be sprayed onto the blade. I've found that this type of applicator aids in penetration of the oil into the locking mechanism, etc...
 
I don't intentionally oil a stainless steel pocket knife blade. Corrosion hasn't been a problem and I don't want to worry about contaminating things that I cut. I do lubricate the pivot areas periodically (particularly if I've cleaned the knife in a dish pan). When I lube I go for the minimum posible to avoid collecting dirt and spreading oil where I don't want it.

What I use is Lubriplate, a clean white general purpose grease. I put a minute quantity on a thin piece of wire and apply on and in the knife working areas. After I work the assembly a few times I remove as much Lubriplate as I can with a clean soft rag. I never get grease on my hands or in my pocket, and I don't collect lint.

PS. WD-40 may work as a solvent, but that is not it's design function. It is a combination of a solvent and light oil carrier with a heavier non-volatile oil. The idea is to be able to shoot WD-40 into a hard to reach place using aerosol pressure and the thin nature of the mix. Once in place the lighter oil components evaporate and leave the heavier oil to do the long term lubricating. It does leave a residual medium oil that can collect dirt. WD-40 can be a problem if used on guns that are taken to artic climates. The residual oil turns to a wax consistency when it gets really cold and can cause misfires. So don't confuse WD-40 for a solvent. It has useful solvent properties, but it leaves a potentially gummy residue.
 
I'm essentially lazy, so my knife maintainance is as little as possible. For lube, I use either break-Free or Chris Reeve's lube, which I get from work. Which gets used depends on what's closest when I need it. Whenever I'm wiping down a firearm, I also give the Police Model a wipe with the ol' Tuff Cloth. Thank God California is fairly dry, or a bum like me would actually have to work at maintainance.

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A flute with no holes is not a flute, but a donut with no holes, is a danish.
 
Spirex, the oil you use, is fine. I now use a three in one oil(found in any hardware store, sewing machine repair shop, gun shop), for most of my knives(well all of my folders).

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PRIGGER


 
Yeah, I went out and bought a can of 3-in-One today and oiled up my other knife. I like it's consistency better than the oil I used before. It doesn't have that strong oil smell either. I'm one satisfied user now. I have a can of Super Lube on the shelf at home for my reels and wonder how its gonna react on the folders. It sprays as a liquid but when it dries, it leaves behind a synthetic light grease. I guess I'll try it on my cheaper knives and see how it holds. Thanks again to all who replied.
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Am I the only one who thinks the questions of lubes, oils, special sharpening techniques, and such have gotten out of hand?

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Walk in the Light,
Hugh


 
I see nothing wrong with asking a few questions. Nothing gets out of hand. Heck, it's the information age. :P
 
I am sorry, Spirex, but you apparently read it differently from how I intended it. What I was trying to get at was that people seem to get compulsive over the minutest details. I guess that it should not surprise me, that is part of the addiction for some. My compulsions have more to do with history and other such things.

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Walk in the Light,
Hugh


 
Hello one & all,

FullerH - I noted, with interest, your above response statement.

Do I understand you correctly, or am I putting words in your mouth, that you are essentially implying that these (i.e., lubes, oils, special sharpening techniques) are frivolous threads/questions?

I, by no means, mean to personalize the issue, yet if that is indeed your position then you might wish to bear in mind that:

1.) BladeForums.com is ever growing in the number of new members (forumites), hence many of which may not have had ample opportunity to discuss such topics.

2.) The BF "search feature" has been disabled by Spark until such time as a newer, more reliable, software application can be installed (ergo in the interval we shall all have to rely on one another).

3.) Spirex288 is indeed right in as much as this is the "information age," yet BF forumites (or at least such has been my personal experience) have always "gone that extra mile" for one another ("One for all & all for one!" to quote Alexandre Dumas).

So, all that having been said, have a great week & stay sharp,

Michael Cedric Swiney

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"You learn something new every day!"



[This message has been edited by MCSwiney (edited 28 July 1999).]
 
Let me murky the waters a bit. I interpreted FullerH`s comment like this:

It used to be that one had limited choices of steels, oils, sharpeners, etc, etc. Could it be that sharpening "systems" have replaced skill and experience with a blade and a stone? Is it possible that you don`t really NEED another synthetic blade lube? Could it be we`ve taken something that`s beautifully simple and made it perversely complicated? Could it be that all this stuff has gotten "out of hand"?

I didn`t think that FullerH was commenting on
Spirex`s question in specific, I thought that he was posing a rhetoric question to the group. (And a really good question at that!)
 
I am truely sorry with the miscommunication. Please except my apologies. I fully understand what you are saying now FullerH. Let's leave it the way it is now and call it a day.
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