Do you oil your EDC knife?

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manny767

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Aug 27, 2012
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I have a fixed blade custom in a kydex sheath that I carry every day. I didn't know if I should keep it oiled with wd-40 or not? I know you should keep knives oiled up but I've also been told it's bad to keep knives in a sheath all the time when oiled, well it's an EDC knife so it's always in a sheath.
My guess is to keep it oiled anyway? it is 154 cm steel.

thanks
 
What's the handle material? I'm sure it couldnt hurt the steel to oil it once in a while with some wd-40 154cm is pretty stain and rust resistant. If the handle material is g10 it certainly won't hurt it. I would try to avoid wd-40 on bone or natural materials though. I use a lot of mammoth and buff horn that Ill take a corner of a paper towel, twist it up and dab a little wd-40 on to clean the screw holes out with but thats about it.
 
I don't oil my stainless blades except once a mouth when i do a very though cleaning and edge check. I don't see a problem with oiling it unless you use it with food, and you might not want to use WD 40 and keep it in a sheath but i don't know much.
 
I would say you could probably oil it regularly, but maybe not with WD-40. I've found that WD works really great on getting sticky residue and things like that off your blade, but not much for protecting it. I personally use Ballistol on all of my guns and knives, and when speaking knives it lubricates the pivot great (I know this is a non-issue for you) as well as leaves almost a satiny coating on the blade that protects against most everything. Ive also found that you can use ballistol on anything without damaging it really (so far), I even use it to protect wood. My .02.
 
scoobtay said:
I would say you could probably oil it regularly, but maybe not with WD-40. I've found that WD works really great on getting sticky residue and things like that off your blade, but not much for protecting it. I personally use Ballistol on all of my guns and knives, and when speaking knives it lubricates the pivot great (I know this is a non-issue for you) as well as leaves almost a satiny coating on the blade that protects against most everything. Ive also found that you can use ballistol on anything without damaging it really (so far), I even use it to protect wood. My .02.
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I use Ballistol on my gun and knives too, I carry a edc's fixed blade in my pack oiled with ballistol, I carry my puma folder but oiled with vegetable oil cause I use it to cut food and such.
 
So why do you think you need to oil stainless steel?

Look up the properties of 154 CM...

-IF you had a carbon steel knife, it may need oil, however, the problem with "oiling" your knives is that most people tend to overdo it to the point where it is dripping the stuff. In the case of kydex sheaths, it helps keep dirt & grit to stick in there, that leads to scratching. If it was a leather or cordura sheath, having them soak up oils isn't a good idea either.
 
I lightly oil the joints and blades on my Case Peanut and Swayback Jack about once a week.-Jim
 
Thanks for the responses everyone, I think I have what I needed to know. I do keep a light coat of wd-40 on my folding knives but for my fixed edc blade I think I'm just going to leave it unoiled or have a VERY light coat of wd-40 on there.
 
I usually wipe mine down with one of those silicon impregnated "rod and gun" cloths. It has worked for me this far, not sure if it actually helps anything, but it hasn't appeared to hurt them. Anyone else use these or can comment on their effectiveness?
 
During the summer months I wipe down my EDC knives with a bit of oil, I have a very active lifestyle and they sometimes get a lot of sweat on them (my sweat seems to be quite corrosive) or if they've been wet for a while (working outside during storms, floods and such). I carry them dry, otherwise the oil gets everywhere and it also attracts dust and random crap that sticks to the knife.
 
Franciscomv said:
During the summer months I wipe down my EDC knives with a bit of oil, I have a very active lifestyle and they sometimes get a lot of sweat on them (my sweat seems to be quite corrosive) or if they've been wet for a while (working outside during storms, floods and such). I carry them dry, otherwise the oil gets everywhere and it also attracts dust and random crap that sticks to the knife.
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:thumbup: yup, the blades I like using are carbon steel so they rust very easily.
 
Wd40 is NOT oil. It is a solvent used to clean as well as displace water (hence the wd, wd40 stands for "water displacement 40th formula" ;)).

But to answer your question, I do not typically oil stainless fixed blades unless they are going into storage for an extended period of time. I use just a drop of tuf glide on the pivots of my folders but that's about it. Keep it clean and dry and you should have no problems.
 
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mkjellgren said:
Wd40 is NOT oil. It is a solvent used to clean as well as displace water (hence the wd, wd40 stands for "water displacement 40th formula" ;)).

But to answer your question, I do not typically oil stainless fixed blades unless they are going into storage for an extended period of time. I use just a drop of tuf glide on the pivots of my folders but that's about it. Keep it clean and dry and you should have no problems.
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Haha, our crazy janitor at work was telling someone about WD40. At any rate. I don't oil my stainless fixed blades. However even on stainless, don't put it in a wet sheath, or sheath a wet knife and let it sit overnight. My CPM154 custom had some rust spots appear after putting in a sheath I thought was totally dry, but it cleaned up easily.
 
mkjellgren said:
Wd40 is NOT oil. It is a solvent used to clean as well as displace water (hence the wd, wd40 stands for "water displacement 40th formula" ;)).

But to answer your question, I do not typically oil stainless fixed blades unless they are going into storage for an extended period of time. I use just a drop of tuf glide on the pivots of my folders but that's about it. Keep it clean and dry and you should have no problems.
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It's a light oil with additives.
 
I woudl never use WD-40 for anything but cleanng and freeing seized components. Also since my knives get used for food often, I would only use veggie oil on non stainless blades, and then very sparingly.

Just keep the stainless ones clean and dry. They'll be fine. Oil just attracts dirt. Dry lube is better for folders.
 
No need to oil a stainless fixed blades. It's already corrosion resistant and there aren't any moving parts to lubricate.

On folding knives I find a quick swab of the pivot with q-tip dipped in mineral oil is all that's really needed and it's food safe and won't go rancid. If you even need to oil it. I only rarely oil my folders, and it's usually after they've received a semi-annual deep-cleaning.
 
I doubt it' s necessary with 154CM unless you live in a REALLY high moisture area. I personally don' t oil the blades of any of my stainless knives.
 
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