Help Avoiding Opinel Rusting at Pivot

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flarp

Joined
Sep 7, 2011
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So, I have an Opinel I use exclusively for food (to avoid accidentally consuming the poisonous cleaners I use on my normal EDC knives). As with my other food knives, I wash the Opinel with soap and water after every use. I notice water and suds would make their way into the pivot area, and I would shake the water out best I could.

Recently, I've noticed the blade getting harder and harder to open. So, I disassembled the knife and saw that the tang around the pivot had quite a bit of rust built up. I am assuming this is from water I failed to get out of that area after each washing. Does anyone have any tips for avoiding this rust build-up? Oil was one thought, but the last time I tried that (was just trying to lubricate the pivot for smoother opening), it made the knife fairly difficult to open.

Here are pictures of the disassembled knife and a close-up of the tang. I had already removed the rust using steel wool, but you can see where it was rusting. Now, the blade opens/closes smoothly again, but it seems like it's only a matter of time before it starts rusting again.



 
One thing to try is to get some metal protectant that stays put (Tuff Cloth is a good example).

Take the tuff cloth and rub the pivot.

Or, a dab of oil every once in a while. You will be golden.

Also, when I wash my carbon steel folders, I just try to keep the water out of the pivot.
 
A little mineral oil or food safe silicone grease will give you protection. I use the grease on my dive knives and have no problems. In the case of the Opinel, due to its construction, you should disassemble, clean and lube periodically.
 
Personally, I'd just get a stainless one. I love carbon steel and EDC a No. 8 in carbon, but if you're going to be washing it that frequently rust will simply occur at the pivot unless you switch to a stainless one. Nothing severe, mind you, but rust nonetheless.
 
Paraffin oil. It's edible, protects from corrosion AND protects the wood from elements (it's used here to preserve wood in saunas).
 
For reference, paraffin oil is also known as mineral oil in the US. :)

To the OP: Based on your screen name, I have to ask--do the names Team Scourge and Team Charge mean anything to you?
 
yep mineral oil is the ticket - get it at any cvs or walgreens and hit the pivot up every week or so.
 
Dip the pivot area in citric acid to get a protective patina, wash off residue and dry.Then lube it with something greasy and wipe it off. Assemble knife. It Won't rust again.
 
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I tried mineral oil not long after I got the knife to try to lubricate the pivot for smoother opening. It actually had the opposite effect. Similar to when you get water in the pivot, the liquid actually increases the friction of the blade against the handle, making it noticeably harder to open. I'll look into Tuff Cloth, as I've seen that recommendation before as well (leaves less residue, so maybe it won't interfere with the opening action).

Forcing a patina was another thought. It does helps protect against corrosion, but I don't know how well it would work when you have water forced in contact with the steel (the wood handle likely soaks up a little water and will hold that against the metal). I was actually also wondering about installing bushings (ie. sand away a little of the wood and put bushings between the blade and the handle). That way, the blade isn't in contact with the wood, so maybe oil in the pivot area won't cause the blade to stick. It might be more trouble than it's worth for such an inexpensive knife though. Stainless may be the easier route...

Thanks for the suggestions.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Personally, I'd just get a stainless one. I love carbon steel and EDC a No. 8 in carbon, but if you're going to be washing it that frequently rust will simply occur at the pivot unless you switch to a stainless one. Nothing severe, mind you, but rust nonetheless.
Click to expand...

^ I agree.
 
A forced patina stands up pretty well to rust. When you apply the oil, you must thoroughly dry it off. Otherwise, you'll just saturate the wood like you said. Another thing you can do is to impregnate the wood itself with something suited for that purpose. This way, it won't swell later. If it does swell a little when you apply the "wood oil", you can just sand a bit off where it meets the blade. Bingo!
 
flarp said:
I tried mineral oil not long after I got the knife to try to lubricate the pivot for smoother opening. It actually had the opposite effect. Similar to when you get water in the pivot, the liquid actually increases the friction of the blade against the handle, making it noticeably harder to open. I'll look into Tuff Cloth, as I've seen that recommendation before as well (leaves less residue, so maybe it won't interfere with the opening action).

Forcing a patina was another thought. It does helps protect against corrosion, but I don't know how well it would work when you have water forced in contact with the steel (the wood handle likely soaks up a little water and will hold that against the metal). I was actually also wondering about installing bushings (ie. sand away a little of the wood and put bushings between the blade and the handle). That way, the blade isn't in contact with the wood, so maybe oil in the pivot area won't cause the blade to stick. It might be more trouble than it's worth for such an inexpensive knife though. Stainless may be the easier route...

Thanks for the suggestions.
Click to expand...

Do something to make it too loose.

You have it apart, heat the wooden handle, file/sand it looser, etc.. You could carefully heat it assembled ie, a heater, a hot car, a very low oven.

Anyway, get it floppy loose and THEN soak in mineral oil.
 
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