Drying out a SAK?

G

GarageBoy

Joined
May 23, 2003
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Ok, I gave my SAK a wash with water. Now, I can't get the water out of the toothpick/tweezer holes and some water is trapped under the scale. How do I dry it?
 
If you're that worried, you could always just pop the scales off and dry under them... The scales just "pop" on and off of the three rivet heads. I use a second SAK to do it: Use the li'l screwdriver on the can-opener blade to get under the scale at the tweezer hole and "pop" the first rivet. Then use the flathead driver/bottle opener to slide under the scale up to the other two rivets and pop each of them in turn. Dry, then pop the scales back on. Easy.

(Incidentally, I don't know how well the scales would hold up if you did this over and over, but I've done it at least five or six times on one of my SAKs without any problems)
 
I used blow dryer. No sign of visible water. I was gonna use Water Displacement 40, but I didn't wanna fill it up and not be able to get it out
 
WD-40, then blast it out with canned air.
 
When I wash a knife, I wipe it with a towel, shake it hard to displace more moisture, wipe again, air compress, and then blowdry.
 
I just shake it, wipe the blades as well as possible, and put it back in my pocket.
 
DO NOT USE WD-40!

The one time I used it on the red scales of a Vic' SAK it dissolved the plastic somewhat and they were "tacky" from then on.
 
I've gone swimming in a lake with a SAK in my pocket. Afterwards, I just open up all of the tools/blades, wiped them off, took out the tweezers and toothpick, and let it sit open until dry. I haven't seen any signs of rust or corrosion of any kind (and the one in question, a Tinker, has the transparent red scales, so I'd see it if there was a problem).

I have a vague recollection of seeing surface rust on the tweezers once or twice, but I've never seen rust on the tools or blades and I've gotten them wet many times with minimal care (as above) afterwards.
 
Yeah, as Keith said, they don't take much maintenance. I just have oxiphobia :D And the tweezers are (more than likely) made out of a different metal than the real blades, so the rust on them is forgivable.
 
I think SAKs are in their own category when it comes to being "rostfrei." I've got one that I hate (a Wenger) and I'll dip it in some salty water tonight and see what, if anything, develops over a few days.

I suppose the aluminum liners could show oxidization with serious neglect but I haven't run into that so far.

A carbon steel knife is a whole different ballgame. Just yesterday I had to remove a bunch of rust from a carbon steel (1095) Schrade stockman that I just got from my son.
 
The problem with WD40 in your toothpick hole is "taste", and I don't mean "good taste!"
 
Good point, bruce. I also heard that it gets kind of cruddy in certain conditions and turns to sludge/glue.
 
2 things to remember when trying to dry an SAK with sprays,(WD 40, Breaklean, and a some of the other sprays) some contain solvents that may melt or soften the plastic handles, or propellants that might freeze and crack the plastic.

Hairdryers can also raise the temp of the scales too fast and cause them to warp if you're not careful, (for what it's worth).
 
Keith Mayton said:
I think SAKs are in their own category when it comes to being "rostfrei." I've got one that I hate (a Wenger) and I'll dip it in some salty water tonight and see what, if anything, develops over a few days.
Click to expand...

Keith, I would like to know the results of your experiment when complete... I am going to be in and around salt water in a couple of weeks, and I would really like to have my SAK along with me. (However, I would rather not have to replace the knife afterwards!) :(

Does anyone else have any experience with SAKs and salt water?

Thanks, -Alex
 
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