Knife keeping

Maybe a few more specifics would help....

What are they dirty with? As far as storing, well that is pretty much up to you where you want to keep them. :)

In general, anything you can use on a firearm is safe for knives. A light coating of good quality gun oil will keep any corrosion away, as well as lubricating folders. Always wipe down your carbon steel knives after using/handling them (stainless steel is more forgiving). Renaissance wax works well, also.

As far as storing, do not keep your fixed blade knives in a leather sheath, if you have any.

Welcome to the forum.
 
Welcome to Bladeforums.

For cleaning, I'd say it depends on what part of the knife you want to clean, and what you want to clean off.

For cleaning anything metal I use WD40.

For cleaning synthetic materials like G10 or micarta, I use dish detergent, hot water, and maybe some type of plastic bristle brush.

For storage (when I think "storage" I think long term), I don't like coating knives with oils or greases, because those can change over time. They can become thick, sticky, gooey, or even harden into a crust.

Instead, I would use an air-tight container, and maybe add some desiccant packs. That way if I suddenly want to use one of the knives I don't have to clean any oils/coatings off first. Pelican/Storm cases are good, but Harbor Freight sells their own brand of air-tight cases (Apache) which are far less expensive but still good quality (I have one, and wouldn't hesitate to buy more).

I would also store folders with dry pivots for the reasons already given. From my years of working dirty, dusty construction jobs I prefer dry pivots anyway.

And shane45 was right about not storing knives in leather sheaths, because chemicals used to process the leather can be corrosive over time and damage blades, as well as other metal parts like guards, bolsters, handles, etc.

Also, kydex sheaths should not be stored anywhere that they are exposed to high temps, like temps in the 90's or low 100's, because heat can cause them to deform. I've had a kydex sheath loosen up significantly simply from ambient summer heat, and I've seen kydex sheaths ruined as a result of sitting in hot cars, and hot attics.
 
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I use dish soap for cleaning, or Flitz if I'm trying to remove patina. Camelia oil for storage of non-stainless blades.
 
I wash my fixed blades with soap & warm water, oil them periodically with mineral oil, store them in a ventilated area while having them in cardboard sheaths or without any sheath. Corrosion isn't really an issue for me because of the dry climate I live in.
 
Lot of variables here. If you are dealing with fairly high end stainless, you dont really have to do much. If you are using more basic carbon steel, a light oil and wrapped in something like a gun cloth will do the trick for long periods of storage. If you are looking to clean the scales, G10 is pretty easy. Wash with warm water and done. Micarta I have had good luck using the windex trick to get oils to come out of it and return it to its factory look and 'grippyness' if you will.

What exactly are you looking to store, for how long, and what type of climate do you live in?
 
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