Getting the gunk out?!?

dslteck

dslteck

Joined
Sep 15, 2006
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505
Let me start off by apologizing if this topic is or has been covered numerous times before. Which I'm sure it has:rolleyes:!!!
I am relatively new here so please have mercy:o

Anyhow I have recently acquired two new case knifes a medium Jack and a CV sod buster and I love em both!
However, both of them have so much dirt and gunk in them (the joints and the springs) that I can actually feel it when I open the blades!

My question is: How on earth do you clean that gunk out without damaging the scales??? I'm leery about using harsh chemicals/solvents as I don't want to do more harm than good.

And once they are cleaned out what is the best lubricant to use on the joints?

Thank you for reading:)
 
I have no experience with this but i would bet that some aerosol silicon lubricant would do the trick. Buy some stuff that looks like WD-40 but isnt WD-40 and spray it into the joints and wipe up the excess. I don't recommend WD-40 because ive heard that it can get sticky over time and form a hard to remove varnish.
 
I just put a few drops of light lubricating oil or Japanese sword (choji) oil inside the knife handle and in the joints and let it sit for a hour or so, then use a combination of partially-denuded Q-tips, blunted toothpicks, and sharply-folded bits of paper towel to patiently work the dirt out a little at a time. I've been able to completely de-grunge delicate century-old slip joints this way with no worries about over-cleaning or harsh chemicals.
 
Rick said:
I just put a few drops of light lubricating oil or Japanese sword (choji) oil inside the knife handle and in the joints and let it sit for a hour or so, then use a combination of partially-denuded Q-tips, blunted toothpicks, and sharply-folded bits of paper towel to patiently work the dirt out a little at a time. I've been able to completely de-grunge delicate century-old slip joints this way with no worries about over-cleaning or harsh chemicals.
Click to expand...

Should I actuate the blade open/closed a few times to allow the oil to penetrate??? or just let it sit there and soak?
 
dslteck said:
Should I actuate the blade open/closed a few times to allow the oil to penetrate??? or just let it sit there and soak?
Click to expand...

If they're really dirty, I'd probably do an initial rough cleaning first just to avoid flushing too much dirt into the pivot/spring area, though slip joint pivots are tight and tend to be more or less "self-cleaning," especially those with half-stops. No big deal either way. Just work slowly; a few drops of oil, wait, clean and repeat. Trying to do too much too quickly is where you can run into those "oops - I shoulda..." situations. ;)
 
If it's an older knife, I'd do what Rick says above. For newer knives, I use a product called Powder Blast, from the local gun shop. It's made as a one-stop cleaner for guns, cleaning out all the little crevices, and it works great for knives. It comes with a straw so you can get into the small areas really easily, and it evaporates too, but it somehow gets most/all of the crud out. So far it hasn't done anything to any of my scale materials.

I just hold the joint down, so the fluid (that doesn't evaporate quickly enough) runs out of the joint onto a towel on the floor, move the blade a few times, and repeat until clean. Then I oil the joint with 3-in-1 oil.

thx - cpr
 
All good advice (almost). WD 40 is wonderful for flushing out dirt.
Tooth picks, a brush and hot soapy water, then dry with paper towels, THEN flush with WD 40 to remove both water and dirt.
 
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I've had the same issues with Case (and a few other slip joint makers).

I've used light machine oil at first; flushing and blotting with sharply folded paper towels. I do this at least three times; increasing the number of times I work the blades with each application (I've found that cleans the gunk out more rapidly). Once I'm more or less happy with the action, I flush out the oil with Tuff-Glide, at least twice. The solvent in the Tuff-Glide cleans out oil which would overwise attract more grit.

Obviously, everyone has their favorite method, but this has worked for me on many occasions.
 
warm water and soap,,toothpicks ,q -tips,paper towels,,wash ,dry,,then lube with mineral oil..
 
i have bought 100s of used vintage folders on ebay. lots have arrived with gunked-up tangs and 'packed' liners.
first i use a set of narrow angled picks to pull out as much of the 'liner gluff' as possible and clean the tang area in both open and closed position.
then i submerse it in a sink of moderately hot water with dishsoap and scrub all surfaces with a nylon brush.
then dry it thoroughly with cotton cloth.
then use pipe cleaners(wirey type are best if you can find them; smoke stores are disappearing) to dry out and remove anything left between liners or tang area.
then thoroughly spray tang areas and between liners with WD-40 x2, allowing it to dry inbetween sprayings.
then final swipe with pipe cleaners
then a drop of mineral oil to tang areas and work blade to make sure it's smooth.
finally, if handles are wood, stag or bone, rub in a light coat of mineral oil
i'm open to adjusting this regime if more experienced collectors find it lacking.
roland
 
Keep old tootbrushes handy, these like pipe-cleaners are really useful for cleaning out Traditional knives. Like others have said, washing up liquid/mild soap warm water,dry out with a hairdryer. Use a small amount of WD40 wipe off excess and some gun oil or similar.Mineral oil can be good too but contrary to what many think, it doesn't ALWAYS agree with some types of bone.At least, I've found that soaking knives in it overnight can lead to 'brass-bleed' discolouration by the liners onto the bone, a wipe over is better in my experience.
 
My method for years has been a good flushing with HOT water (soap is optional) followed by a quick trip out to the shop for a good blow dry with an air compressor. Then a tiny drop of oil on each pivot point.
 
Daniel said:
An ultrasonic cleaner works very well.
Click to expand...

We do have and ultrasonic cleaner at work. Unfortunately we use a cleaner formulated to clean steel. I have seen what happens to aluminum when it is in our sonic....not pretty.....wonder if it will effect brass the same way?
 
Ultrasonics should not be used on aluminum.
It should work fine on your knives. WD 40 afterwards to remove residual moisture.
 
I use a toothbrush to scrub everything, then I use an air compressor at 120PSI to blow it out, and I oil it up with 3 in 1 oil.
 
I like to drip some hand soap into the pivot, and work the pivot under hot running water. Repeat until you see no more gunk, dry thoroughly, oil lightly.
 
I bought a couple of old flea market beaters that were so gunked they wouldn't hardly open and promptly forgot about them in the pocket of a pair of work pants. You know where this is going dont you? Washed and dryed em before I realized it.:eek: Took em out and oiled them and they are still working fine. Super clean and no damage. Both bone handles and carbon steel.I dont know if I would do it again intentionally but it works.--KV
 
Thank you all for the tips and pointers! I used the dish soap tooth brush method and it worked great. Blew in some shop air to remove the moisture. A drop of 3 n 1 and they open smooooth as silk now:thumbup:
 
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