How to dry a folder knife & how to care for it?

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minibus93

Joined
Dec 30, 2021
Messages
9
Hello knives brothers,

since my first post here, things have gone downhill pretty fast...

I never carried pocket knives at first, but you guys told me that I was missing a beautiful world (and you were right!)...now I've bought kinda too much of them (my waller isn't a fan of you guys btw). One of them is in D2 steel which I know requires some maintenance if one doesn't want it to rust/patina.

I use a knife everyday, from opening boxes to prepping small meal in kitchen (yes, even at home I use my pocket knife, since if I want a sharp knife it's very very likely that the only sharp knife in the house is in my pocket and it's mine) .
I live in south Italy and my knife is always either clipped in my pocket or just loose in my pocket. It get out of there only for two reason: I'm going to use it or I'm going to sleep.
My hands are usually sweaty through all the year and summer temps are around 86 °F - 95 °F and humidity is probably around 70%

Since I know these are pretty harsh conditions for D2 I asked a friend, way more savvy about knives than me, and he told me that food prep exposes the blade to a lot of things that potentially can encourage either corrosion or patina. Cutting acidic foods will leave micro abrasions on the surface of the blade. Cutting meats also have certain elements that can encourage different discolorations and sometimes lay the groundwork for rust on a carbon steel blade. The only way to prevent it is to wash the blade with soap and water after use, then dry. Since he knows I'm pretty lazy he also said that I don't really have to use oil every time, if I'm careful with dry it and I use the knife everyday as I do I may also not ever need to oil it.

Now these things may be pretty simple for you guys, but for me, those are really hard. Let me explain:

when I wash my pocket knife, no matter how careful I'm, some water will end in unaccessible part of the knife (like under the top part of the scales, where the blade is connected, in the ball bearings zone etc etc yeah I suck at explaining I hope you guys can understand what I mean)
How can I dry it really well? I mean, I can't always take it apart (for two reason, one is that I suck at it, two is that I can't disassembly the knife every time I cut some food)

I won't use oil that often, but in some occasions I may want to do it. I have mineral oil (since it's food safe) how to I apply it? Where do I apply it? The handles are made of steel, stainless steel iirc, do I have to put oil there as well? (please think of me like a toddler when explaining...I'm very good at screwing things up)

Hope you guys can answer my doubts and help me.

Thank you in advance
 
D2 is pretty rust resistant. Just dry it off if it gets wet. A little patina won't hurt it at all. If you feel the need lube the pivot with a dab of light oil (I use BreakFree CLP) from time to time, but I've used folders for years without every lubing them.
 
EVERY boy NEEDS a small compressor if you own knives or guns that might get wet and need to be blown off quickly. You know you need one - go buy one. You'll use it for cleaning filters, inflating tires (buy a good tire pressure gauge if you don't own one) and lots of jobs. For cleaning guns a quick soak in solvent and a blow job makes life MUCH easier. When my knives get all funky from use I just run them under scalding hot water, blow them out and relube the joints. It's like getting a new knife.
 
minibus93 said:
Hello knives brothers,

since my first post here, things have gone downhill pretty fast...

I never carried pocket knives at first, but you guys told me that I was missing a beautiful world (and you were right!)...now I've bought kinda too much of them (my waller isn't a fan of you guys btw). One of them is in D2 steel which I know requires some maintenance if one doesn't want it to rust/patina.

I use a knife everyday, from opening boxes to prepping small meal in kitchen (yes, even at home I use my pocket knife, since if I want a sharp knife it's very very likely that the only sharp knife in the house is in my pocket and it's mine) .
I live in south Italy and my knife is always either clipped in my pocket or just loose in my pocket. It get out of there only for two reason: I'm going to use it or I'm going to sleep.
My hands are usually sweaty through all the year and summer temps are around 86 °F - 95 °F and humidity is probably around 70%

Since I know these are pretty harsh conditions for D2 I asked a friend, way more savvy about knives than me, and he told me that food prep exposes the blade to a lot of things that potentially can encourage either corrosion or patina. Cutting acidic foods will leave micro abrasions on the surface of the blade. Cutting meats also have certain elements that can encourage different discolorations and sometimes lay the groundwork for rust on a carbon steel blade. The only way to prevent it is to wash the blade with soap and water after use, then dry. Since he knows I'm pretty lazy he also said that I don't really have to use oil every time, if I'm careful with dry it and I use the knife everyday as I do I may also not ever need to oil it.

Now these things may be pretty simple for you guys, but for me, those are really hard. Let me explain:

when I wash my pocket knife, no matter how careful I'm, some water will end in unaccessible part of the knife (like under the top part of the scales, where the blade is connected, in the ball bearings zone etc etc yeah I suck at explaining I hope you guys can understand what I mean)
How can I dry it really well? I mean, I can't always take it apart (for two reason, one is that I suck at it, two is that I can't disassembly the knife every time I cut some food)

I won't use oil that often, but in some occasions I may want to do it. I have mineral oil (since it's food safe) how to I apply it? Where do I apply it? The handles are made of steel, stainless steel iirc, do I have to put oil there as well? (please think of me like a toddler when explaining...I'm very good at screwing things up)

Hope you guys can answer my doubts and help me.

Thank you in advance
Click to expand...
When we had to dry (remove the water from) volumetric flasks in the chemistry laboratory, we first added a little alcohol to remove the water and then a little ether to remove the alcohol. The ether evaporated quickly and left the interior of the flasks bone dry.
 
I wouldn't worry much. A good cleaning followed by compressed air, and a drop of oil in the pivot.

You can always disassemble the knife for a more thorough cleaning if you are concerned about internal corrosion.
 
A good pairing knife can be had very cheaply, and work a lot better in tge kitchen.

While its fun to use one of my pocket or hunting knives in the kitchen. I enjoy using a sharp kitchen knife exponentially more.

Victorinox would be a good choice. Dexter Russel sani-safe knives are fantastic cheap and dishwasher safe.
 
D2 rusts very quickly where I live in Florida. My solution: don't buy D2 knives anymore. I have become very fond of 14C28N.

But when I need to dry a knife without taking it apart, I use a small electric leaf blower made by DeWalt. It has many other uses, also, such as blowing cats off couches and herding sheep. A strong blow-dryer for hair might work even better, since heat aids drying. I do not used canned air, because it is cold and causes water condensation. An air compressor would work better if it generated some heat while compressing.

As a side-effect of the pandemic, I have several thousand tiny alcohol wipes that are very effective for cleaning a blade. The alcohol dries within 5 or 10 seconds, and it will kill lots of germs. If you need to soak the knife in alcohol, then ether, as suggested by tiguy7, sounds like a good idea, but I would guess that a blower would also work well for evaporating the alcohol.

You might try FrogLube for preventing rust if you can get it. I order it from Amazon. It is food safe and does not need to be applied frequently. https://dayattherange.com/?page_id=3667

P.S.: I agree with eveled about Victorinox paring knives. They are very cheap, very sharp, and very easy to maintain.
 
The exhaust from a vacum cleaner will also work as a source of warm air. Some will even acept the hose. Be sure the filter is in place and use a clean hose.
 
You can also use compressed air in spray cans.
Personally I only buy knives with rust resistant blades.
I got tired of worrying about stuf like this.

Don't worry about it too much, enjoy using your knife.
 
minibus93 said:
Hope you guys can answer my doubts and help me.
Click to expand...

Carrying a knife sure does sound complicated. In addition to the knife, it sounds like you need to carry around a compressor, a vacuum cleaner, a bottle of alcohol, a bottle of ether, as well as a bottle of oil.

I have an affinity for tool steels, which are prone to patination. If I'm using the knife for utility purposes, I just fold it back up and stick it in my pocket. If I've been cutting food, I wash it off under running water, dry it with a rag, and stick it in my pocket. If I'm out in the wilderness and don't have access to running water, I might just wipe it on my pants and then stick it in my pocket. Our knives are tools, and should be used as such. If a pocket knife requires maintenance after every time it's used, then it's more of a burden than a benefit.
 
Put it in rice.

Jokes aside, I use a can of compressed air then drop of oil.

Or, shake vigorously (the knife...)

Good luck!
 
A simple squirt of WD 40 will displace water, and leave a thin film of mineral oil on all the parts.
 
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