keepin your sak clean

RescueRiley

RescueRiley

Joined
Mar 22, 2006
Messages
5,944
I mentioned this in a thread over on the maintenance forum as well..figured I'd bring it up here as well....I usually just stuff a sak in my pocket and don't think about it until I need it...but my past few saks have developed serious ginding problems when I go to open the main blade..I addition to grinding the action gets real stiff///I know plenty of folks that have been using the same sak for years with no problems...but I can't seem to get an edc to last 3 months without this problem. The only thing I can attribute this to is debris from my pocket or my bag getting into the pivot. I know I can send them back to vic but I'd rather avoid the problem all together so I was wondering what you all do to keep your saks clean and how often....In addition to trying to follow some of the steps mentione in here I think I'll start carrying mine in a pouch.
 
Liquid soap and an old toothbrush in hot water, scrub it good and dry it out and re-oil.
 
I wash 'em out with hot water and washing up liquid. Use WD-40 to chase out any water. Dry, and give a frugal hint of Dryslide on the moving parts. Oil attracts lint and other debris, not good. Graphite powder for fine mechanisms [chronographs] works well. I've never tried dipbait's baby powder idea. Dunno how well it would compare to pulverizing a pencil lead with a hammer.

How often? Depends on a bunch of things. My Outrider lives in a pouch so it doesn't get much crud in it. Then the dog gets on a roll of bringing back snacks we weren't especially looking for and I have to clean the gum out often. One in a suit pocket can go yonks without cleaning. Stick one in a pocket of a pair of trousers that you mistakenly washed with a bit of arse-wipe in the pocket and you'll be in lint hell for the next few washes. The answer is performance based not temporal.
 
SAK's are very easy knives to maintain. I've brought mine in the shower to clean them, sat them in a cup of water, etc... The nice thing about them is that they are so dang hard to ruin and won't corrode if I mistreat them.
 
when i carried an SAK more regularly as an EDC, i used to get grit in the pivot alot more. i got into the habit of blowing on the pivot hard before i opened it, to knock debris away from the pivot so it wouln't get down into the action. as far as i can tell, it worked well.

i have since mostly relegated my SAKs to water knife duty, one of which i keep in the pocket of my swim shorts. it works great and is pretty much maintenance free apart from sharpening.

i do want to get a farmer though to play with ...
 
To tell the truth, I can't recall when the last time I really cleaned my sak out. Usually I'll just tear out a paper match from the book and use the torn end to wipe it out. If it's got food stuff in it like BBQ sause, I'll use warm water and Dawn dishsoap on a toothbrush or old parts cleaner brush, and just shake out the water and drop back in pocket. I rarely use any oil on my sak's.

Are you in some sort of profession where you get alot of grit in your pocket, like sandblasting or machine shop work?
 
RescueRiley said:
Thanks bear claw...About how often?
Click to expand...

Whenever one starts to get that "gritty" feeling when opening and closing the blades, or if I get something in the works that gums it up.

I scrub them out, them usually sit them in front of a fan to blow dry them instead of using something to get the water out.

Then just lightly oil the pivots, to much oil just attracts more lint and junk.

One thing I will pass on, that I learned the hard way years ago, NEVER spray an SAK with one of those aerosol gun scrubber or break cleaner type sprays, it will eat the cellidor scales!
 
PS, I've not tried it, but Victorinox has said their knives are dishwasher safe.

I may try one on the top rack and report back if it hurts it, got enough used spares!
 
trow the thing in the dishwasher, it's recommended by Victorinox them self. I've done this many times my self and it works well.
 
The most important part of keeping your sak clean is not getting it dirty in the first place. Watch where you're bumping your sak around when you have it out. Don't let just anyone handle your sak, they may have dirty hands. If you get some lube or some goo on your sak, just wipe it off, it won't hurt anything. If someone wants to do something with your sak that makes you uncomfortable, don't be afraid to say no! Keeping it in your pants all day will keep the dirt off it, but it may still get lint on it. Sweat gets it pretty dirty too. I like to clean my sak with plain soap then rinse under warm running water.
 
When I carry mine around my neck,it gets salty and sweaty. I have found a rinse under really hot water takes care of most of it. The heat helps the metal dry itself.
 
michaelmcgo said:
The most important part of keeping your sak clean is not getting it dirty in the first place. Watch where you're bumping your sak around when you have it out. Don't let just anyone handle your sak, they may have dirty hands. If you get some lube or some goo on your sak, just wipe it off, it won't hurt anything. If someone wants to do something with your sak that makes you uncomfortable, don't be afraid to say no! Keeping it in your pants all day will keep the dirt off it, but it may still get lint on it. Sweat gets it pretty dirty too. I like to clean my sak with plain soap then rinse under warm running water.
Click to expand...

I don't know if your tongue's stuck in your cheek or not, but I'm laughing my ass off! :D

Doc
 
DOC-CANADA said:
I don't know if your tongue's stuck in your cheek or not, but I'm laughing my ass off! :D

Doc
Click to expand...

The "tongue stuck in your cheek" gesture is an inappropriate symbolization of an unspeakable act. I consider your innuendo to be extremely offensive!

And, laughing your ass off? Is this some kind of mockery of the millions of people starving on this planet? I'm sure they're not laughing!
 
michaelmcgo said:
The "tongue stuck in your cheek" gesture is an inappropriate symbolization of an unspeakable act. I consider your innuendo to be extremely offensive!

And, laughing your ass off? Is this some kind of mockery of the millions of people starving on this planet? I'm sure they're not laughing!
Click to expand...

Lighten up! I had to re-read the post with these comments, and I laughed, too!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top