Is There A Special Oil Required For Knives?

fairhaven

fairhaven

Joined
May 22, 2013
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I hope this is not a stupid question but I am new to collecting. I have read here and at other sites (this is by far the best site) that you should put a light coat of oil on your knives that are being stored to keep rust away. Is there a particular oil to use for this?
 
most any will work, I specifically use mineral oil because it's food safe and I use my knives for food prep on occasion.
 
Mineral oil is good at rehydrating handle materials as well as lubricating joints, a massive bottle is only a few bucks from a natural health food store.
 
I bought a bottle of food grade mineral oil at Wal-Mart in the laxative section for not much more than a couple bucks. I only use this on knives that may touch food though. My favorite oil for knives is the same thing I swear by for my guns. Breakfree CLP is perfect for keeping away corrosion and lubricating the joints at the same time. I put a good thin coat on all my knives that are stored in my safe and just reapply once a year or so.
 
Just a thought for some, but frog lube is 100% safe in regards to food and is what I use on my automatic pistols...might have to try some of the oil (not grease) and see how it fairs. The grease you have to warm for it to flow so might not work on getting into a slipjoint.
 
I have used mineral oil in the past. Usually I use the same thing my dad used; 3-in-1 oil. I use it for sharpening on my old oil stone, and for the joints. Small drop of oil on the joints, work the blade a bit, then quick swipe of the joint with a paper towel to remove excess oil. Any light oil will work.
 
for pure rust prevention I use tuff glide, I wouldn't use it for food prep though, try some frog lube, although it can be a P.I.T.A. to apply just remeber a little goes a long way I found that out the hard way with frog lube.
 
I've used food grade mineral oil for years and it's done the job for me.
 
I'll throw my hat in on mineral oil too. Great stuff, cheap, a little goes a long way. I use my pocket knives with food regularly too.
 
The big key is keeping them CLEAN before storage. Any oil will do. I prefer CLP, Remoil, Triflow or any of the tons of protectants far more than mineral oil for this specific purpose.

Kevin
 
I'm a long-time practitioner of the WD-40 immersion method. Should probably think about learning a bit more about corrosion protection, as I hope to get some more high end knives in the future.
 
I just typed a bunch, but it got deleted in what was almost a double post.

I like Mineral oil for most knives now. Tuf-Cloth and Tuf-Glide are interesting to use outside of food prep

Take care
 
I have never had a problem with it, but WD40 apparently can gum up and turn varnish-y. It also doesn't lubricate terribly well. I do use it after washing a knife though (For its original purpose: water dispersal). I use baby oil sometimes. Smells kind of nice.
 
I use Ballistol which is based off of mineral oil with an additive of some sort. It works grand. Not the best lubricant, but excellent at protecting blades. For lubricant I like Lucas gun oil. Though I use Ballistol more often.
 
I read that the Japanese used mineral oil with a tiny amount of oil of cloves in it. I use mineral oil because it's cheap, effective, and it's food safe. It isn't very good at preventing corrosion. I think a patina is much better. However, it's not bad for daily use. I would pick something else for long term storage.
 
MarkPinTx said:
I have never had a problem with it, but WD40 apparently can gum up and turn varnish-y. It also doesn't lubricate terribly well. I do use it after washing a knife though (For its original purpose: water dispersal). I use baby oil sometimes. Smells kind of nice.
Click to expand...

I think the 'varnish-y' reputation of WD-40 must've come about from an older version of it. I'd heard the formulation has been slightly tweaked through the decades. I remember hearing about the gummy problem, and maybe seeing some prior mention of it here on the forums, but in the 20+ years I've been using it, I haven't seen that problem. If anything at all, it might happen if using it in excess, without wiping down afterwards (and I've known some people who'd use it like that). But that would hold true with any petroleum-based lubricant.

When I've used it, I've lightly wiped the blade down with a WD-40 moistened paper towel. Just enough to leave a very thin film. Even then, within a couple or three hours, there's no oily evidence of it on the blade anymore, either by feel or by smell (the solvent). The little bit of oil protection that's left is just enough to help fill up pores in the steel, and I think that's what it was designed to do. Whatever the case, it's worked well enough for me.


David
 
I've been using WD 40 Silicone spray, seems to work well overall. I just squirt a little on the joints, work it in, and wipe off the excess that drips down the blades. I sometimes use Eezox as a blade protectant, a very little goes a long way.
 
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