I'm in mourning... (Knife Lube Info Requested)

Tuf-Glide for those 1 or 2 drop applications. Rem oil for everything else. WD-40 with push button spout to blast out crud from blade well when cleaning...... Breakfree on guns. Have a one ounce full bottle of Moebius Clock oil from Switzerland, inherited from fathers watch making school days when he was young man before WW2. That would make it 75 year old oil, like fine wine.
I use it on my one or two fancy carry knives, just to connect with him......he was switched to airplane instruments.

I live in the middle of the country, in a down home area, will search the small town hardware stores for 3 and 1 in metal and if I gather up a couple will say so and will send for no profit. (Actually just looking for excuse to wife to stop at little hardware stores.)
300bucks
 
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Too many responses for me to comment on all, but many thanks again to all you guys for the input. I'll try the test that Mike (Latham) mentioned; now that I'm doing longer term storage, I hadn't thought of that. As far as lubes & protection, I think Rem-Oil is the first I'll go with, then I'll work my way down this thread and see what results I get. Like 300 Bucks said, I used this stuff (3-in-1) as much for sentimental reasons as anything else. I'll check the old hardware stores here myself.

thx - cpr
 
Durwood said:
If you really want a good smelling protectant try Ballistol:D
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Thats what I use for sharpening stone lube, and folder pivots... It stays where you put it but don't gum up and won't freeze solid. Smells like licorice to me.. :cool: I've never oiled blades themselves, never did see the point to that.


G.
 
orca8589 said:
Too many responses for me to comment on all, but many thanks again to all you guys for the input. I'll try the test that Mike (Latham) mentioned; now that I'm doing longer term storage, I hadn't thought of that. As far as lubes & protection, I think Rem-Oil is the first I'll go with, then I'll work my way down this thread and see what results I get. Like 300 Bucks said, I used this stuff (3-in-1) as much for sentimental reasons as anything else. I'll check the old hardware stores here myself.

thx - cpr
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For long-term storage coat the blades with a thin layer of vaseline and wrap them in waxed/parchment paper. This is the way military swords and knives were often kept when in armory storage. Of course they used cosmoline, but that's just a crude form of vaseline.

Funny enough, a common way many soldiers removed the cosmoline was by showering with the sword. The hot water would liquefy it, and there was no risk to the soldier since swords weren't carried sharp, and only sharpened in times of conflict relatively close to their time of use. :D
 
Oh, I also forgot to mention. An even better choice for long-term storage is Renaissance Wax.

180px-Renaissance_wax_tub.jpg


It's a bit pricey compared to a lot of other protectants, but well worth it. A little dab can coat an entire knife no problem. I've had a jar for around six years now, and I'm only about a third of the way through a jar--and I've used it on full blown swords and spear blades. It forms a completely transparent coating that would wear off with use, but is completely unnoticeable and stable. Real primo stuff!
 
I'm still using the original Break Free for lubricating everything, but mostly because I found a case of it for $1/bottle at a closeout store 25 years ago. I think I might be down to my last bottle because I can't seem to find any more of them.

For protecting blades I use plain old Johnson's Paste Wax. For food knives I recommend unsalted lard.
 
JTR357 said:
For my carbon blades(for corrosion resistance) I'll either use A.G Russel's Rust Free or a Tuf-Cloth.
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So do I. Both are terrific products.

I have carbon steel/tool steel customs that I treated with Rust Free more than two years ago, and they're still absolutely perfect.

I use Tuf-Cloth on my day-to-day knives; it works great and leaves no oily residue which could gather lint, etc.
 
I use Tetra Gun. It’s meant for guns, but it smoothes the sliding of slip joints or lock joints. Unlike oil, it dries dry and doesn’t collect dust. I don’t use it to protect the surface of blades. But for the pivots of slip-joints or multi-tools it’s really hot stuff.
 
3 in 1 smells a bit like citronella to me. Not bad, IMO.

I kind of like Marvel Mystery Oil for various lubrication needs. I like the odor better, sort of a minty aroma. It seems a bit thinner than 3 in 1, perhaps because it has a little bit of solvent mixed in. Like 3 in 1, it's mostly napthenic oil.

I also think the food safe warnings are a bit overblown. Basically, if you can taste the oil, you've used too much. You'll likely be repelled by the taste well before any toxic effects might be felt.

For knives, if you must oil at all, plain old mineral oil works great. It's cheap, food safe, taste neutral, and the main ingredient in most lubes on the market anyway.
 
I've used 5w-30 motor oil before, worked pretty well till I could get my hands on some regular oil :D

anything is better than an uncoated blade.

I just started using blue lube from benchmade, it seems to work allright.

~Jon
kniferights.org member 606. how about you?
 
Shawn B. said:
Is it just me, or does 3 in 1 oil stink to high heaven.
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Yup. I didn't like it for the longest time, but it kind of grew on me after a while. Plus, it's what I remember growing up. WD-40 for loosening up the stuck equipment in the spring, motor honey (30weight, 40weight, etc.) for engines & such, and 3-in-1 for pretty much everything else.

Oh, and lard: the hog knife out in the shed got coated with it after hog butchering & rendering, and left hanging on the wall until the next year.

thx - cpr
 
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