Is rubbing alcohol safe on pocket knives?

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Hi guys.
I just bought a couple cheap Italian military surplus pocket knives from the ww2 era. Plastic handles, 2 steel blades. They were unused but had some light rust and cosmoline (thick shipping oil) on them.
I soaked them in 91% rubbing alcohol, then applied some mineral oil.

I know it's too late now, but is rubbing alcohol safe on knives? Anything I should be concerned about with cleaning via this method?
Any alcohol that got inside the knife I was fully able to wipe away.

Thanks so much!
 
I use rubbing alcohol to clean my blades that I use on food. I don't soak them though, but I haven't had any problems so far.
 
I work in the pharmaceutical industry, and I can tell you we use isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol to laymen) to clean almost everything - and all our equipment is steel, other metals and plastics.

I'm confident your knives will be fine.

Edited to add that perhaps you may not want to repeatedly soak the plastic parts in alcohol, as I've seen some plastic dry out and become more brittle with repeated long term alcohol exposure. But your one time cleaning won't make that happen.
 
Some types of plastics and finishes may be susceptible to damage from alcohol. Particularly older kinds of plastics. Oddly enough, the cellidor used on most Victorinox Swiss Army knives is this kind of plastic, used to this very day, and will dissolve when soaked in alcohol at least to some extent. Victorinox seems to use the stuff probably because it's a dirt cheap legacy material. If you aren't convinced, wet a paper towel in that 91% rubbing alcohol and rub a cellidor SAK handle. You will see that plastic start to rub off and turn the paper towel red.

But their newer designs only seem to use the nylon materials, which is a much more durable and modern plastic, better in pretty much every way.

So I'd be wary of using any type of solvent to clean old unknown plastic.
 
shecky said:
Some types of plastics and finishes may be susceptible to damage from alcohol. Particularly older kinds of plastics. Oddly enough, the cellidor used on most Victorinox Swiss Army knives is this kind of plastic, used to this very day, and will dissolve when soaked in alcohol at least to some extent. Victorinox seems to use the stuff probably because it's a dirt cheap legacy material. If you aren't convinced, wet a paper towel in that 91% rubbing alcohol and rub a cellidor SAK handle. You will see that plastic start to rub off and turn the paper towel red.

But their newer designs only seem to use the nylon materials, which is a much more durable and modern plastic, better in pretty much every way.

So I'd be wary of using any type of solvent to clean old unknown plastic.
Click to expand...

Interesting.
After using alcohol on these handles I don't see any signs of them dissolving or being damaged in any way. I don't believe they are cellidor. They seem like some hard kind of bakelite.
I wiped them down with mineral oil as well after wiping them with alcohol.
 
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"Bakelite (/ˈbeɪkəlaɪt/ bay-kə-lyt, sometimes spelled Baekelite[3]), or polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, is an early plastic. It is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from a condensation reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. It was developed by the Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland in New York in 1907.

One of the first plastics made from synthetic components, Bakelite was used for its electrical nonconductivity and heat-resistant properties in electrical insulators, radio and telephone casings, and such diverse products as kitchenware, jewelry, pipe stems, children's toys, and firearms. The "retro" appeal of old Bakelite products has made them collectible.[4]

Bakelite was designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark on November 9, 1993 by the American Chemical Society in recognition of its significance as the world's first synthetic plastic.[5]
...
By the late 1940s, newer materials were superseding Bakelite in many areas.[39] Phenolics are less frequently used in general consumer products today due to their cost and complexity of production and their brittle nature. They still appear in some applications where their specific properties are required, such as small precision-shaped components, molded disc brake cylinders, saucepan handles, electrical plugs, switches and parts for electrical irons.,[63] as well as in the area of inexpensive board and tabletop games produced in China, Hong Kong and India.[63] Items such as billiard balls, dominoes and pieces for board games like chess, checkers, and backgammon are constructed of Bakelite for its look, durability, fine polish, weight, and sound. Common dice are sometimes made of Bakelite for weight and sound, but the majority are made of a thermoplastic polymer such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Bakelite continues to be used for wire insulation, brake pads and related automotive components, and industrial electrical-related applications. Bakelite stock is still manufactured and produced in sheet, rod and tube form for industrial applications in the electronics, power generation and aerospace industries, and under a variety of commercial brand names.[39]

Phenolic resins have been commonly used in ablative heat shields.[64] Soviet heatshields for ICBM warheads and spacecraft reentry consisted of asbestos textolite, impregnated with Bakelite.[65] Bakelite is also used in the mounting of metal samples in metallography.[66]"

"Although red Cellulose Acetate Butyrate (CAB) (generally known trade names are Cellidor, Tenite and Tenex) scaled Swiss Army Knives are most common, there are many colors and alternative materials like nylon and aluminum for the scales available.[24][25] Many textures, colors and shapes now appear in the Swiss Army Knife. Since 2006 the scales on some knife models can have textured rubber non-slip inlays incorporated, intended for sufficient grip with moist or wet hands. A modding community has also developed, resulting in custom models produced with colorful anodized patterns or wood handles."

" Victorinox uses a plastic called "Cellidor," which is supplied by ALBIS Plastic GMBH of Hamburg, Germany. As far as I can tell, Wenger doesn't specify the plastic used in their handles, but it looks the same."

Today I was using 91% rubbing alcohol to clean the handles of my swiss army knife. When i put the alcohol on the handle the top bit of plastic got really soft, and when I touched it, it scratched very deeply and easily.
Click to expand...
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/760411-Cellidor-handles-Alcohol
 
With all the packaging we do I use rubbing alcohol on my knife everyday. It is not a problem and like stated above it is great for getting the tape and glue off the blade.
 
I used alcohol wipes to clean my Victorinox handles and I left my fingerprints into the scale. I use goo gone to get tape and glue off the blade.
 
I have used alcohol wipes on my blades plenty of times, over the course of years and they are still whole, so I'd say that it is safe. I probably wouldn't soak handles in them, especially old stuff.
Best of luck.
 
I didn't soak the handles, but I did squirt some alcohol inside the mechanism of the knife and some got on the handles.
Would any damage be noticeable right away? They seem fine. Just kind of paranoid now haha.
 
I also use rubbing alcohol on knives (and about everything else!)

TIP: I also use it to clean with in many circumstances. Try rubbing alcohol on a paper towel for your kitchen or bathroom chrome... ;) Then give it a second wipe with a dry cloth or towel.

NOTHING commercially made/sold for chrome works as good, even stuff costing 5x as much.

And (as a germaphobe) I also know everything it touches is likely sanitized.
 
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