Knife Lube Advice?

newdebate said:
For pivots: rinse under hot water, chase the water off with rubbing alcohol, blow drier, graphite dust ( from Ace ), open and close several times, warm the knife with the drier and add a drop or two of light oil. Suppose you could try olive oil.
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I just used some standard machine oil on one of my flippers... I am not crazy about it. (Used on my microtech Socom Delta Zombie edition)
I have some Tuff glide coming in the mail and I will try again once it comes.

The thing is I dont want to over lubricate.. I just added 2 drops on the pivot last week... Should I follow these steps to clean that crap oil out and try the better quality lube?
 
Also.. Would rubbing alcohol ruin the custom painted aluminum handle? Or the black coating on the blade / hardware?

I really appreciate any info!
 
@Scam397124

I'm using the concentrated 91% isopropyl and it's sold in plastic bottles, so it should be ok on anodized aluminum; not sure if it would loosen a decal. Seems to have no effect on dlc coating.

I hear ya on the over lube point. My ZT 0566 operates best with a little bit of graphite. The drop or two of oil is a carrier to move the graphite further into the pivot.
 
Ten4leader said:
Is it food safe?
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Like most coatings it's not advised to put directly on the blade before using to prep food on areas that are going to be making contact with food. For things like pivots and what not that aren't making contact with food, once it dries many tests show that it does not migrate from water/usage and so it will stay put. IIRC the chemical in it that does have known toxicity is Trichloroethylene, and the toxicity upon drying is rather low, as its at a much higher level of toxicity when in liquid and aerosol form, but that should probably be verified through Eezox to be certain.
http://www.eezox.info/msds.html


IIRC, there is a CLP that is 100% non-toxic and biodegradable. One of the reasons I like Extreme Fluoro is that it has an extremely low toxicity along with other greases in that category.
 
Scam397124 said:
I just used some standard machine oil on one of my flippers... I am not crazy about it. (Used on my microtech Socom Delta Zombie edition)
I have some Tuff glide coming in the mail and I will try again once it comes.

The thing is I dont want to over lubricate.. I just added 2 drops on the pivot last week... Should I follow these steps to clean that crap oil out and try the better quality lube?
Click to expand...

Scam397124 said:
Also.. Would rubbing alcohol ruin the custom painted aluminum handle? Or the black coating on the blade / hardware?

I really appreciate any info!
Click to expand...


The TuffGlide is a dry lubricant, so it may or may not give you quite the amount of lubrication you want at the pivot. You do not have to worry terribly about over-lubricating with dry lubricants such as TuffGlide, Eezox, BlueLube, or others because they will "dry" after making contact with metal parts. You can safely use them to "flush" areas requiring lubrication, and then wipe off excess or blow it out using canned air (the canned air is great for blasting out gunk).

You could also use a product to flush, such as hot water under light pressure, hot water in a squeeze bottle with a tad bit of dish soap (it does help degreasing some), cleaners like some of the ones in the MPro7 line (or anything like it), or an ammonia-based cleaner that degreases. To date, I've not personally found any method that is anywhere near as effective as physically taking the knife apart, cleaning all buildup off, applying a heavier weight grease to the correct parts of the pivot/washer/assembly, and putting back together & retune to desired pivot tightness.

Another option is replacing the washers to Teflon or Nylatron if you currently have bronze or PB washers, as these washers tend to be less lube-sensitive. Nylatron is especially good here in giving a very smooth and consistent opening/operation in any situation, and many parts sellers offer them in a variety of sizes and thicknesses.

I would not personally use alcohol on painted aluminum. While brief usage may not be problematic, alcohol can be harsh on some paint and adhesives. It's fine for coated blades like what you would have on your MT. For a handle which is painted, I generally prefer hot water with mildly diluted dish soap with a toothbrush with softer bristles to avoid scratching. I do this with some anodized surfaces as well and find it keeps cosmetic finishes looking the best for extended periods of time.
 
I use CRK flourinated grease around the pivot of my Sebenza. I find it works well and lasts a long time. After using it you can certainly tell the difference in smoothness.
 
Ok great. So I need to order some longer lasting lube it seems.

I imagine the Tuff glide, being a dry lubricant would be better to use with a micro cloth as a blade wipe down oil. I will get something that is thicker and will last longer for the pivot. I will try CRK flourinated grease.
Thanks again guys!

I need a Microtech tool bit set now..
 
I use Nano-Oil. But honestly, you can't beat plain old USP Mineral Oil for most knives. It is available at any pharmacy, it is dirt cheap, and it is completely food safe (although it will give you tummy troubles if you take a swig from the bottle!).

TedP
 
I use nano oil on my manual knives and I use teflon grease on my assisted knives :thumbup:
 
Recently I tried a very low viscosity (like, thinner than water) "dry" bicycle chain lube containing PTFE, supposedly the slickest thing on the planet next to Bill Clinton, called Park Tool CL-1.

It comes in a plastic bottle with a pitot tube applicator that fits in the tip. The applicator allows a controlled, very minimal amount to be used and the low viscosity carrier allows it to get right to the pivot and washers. It dries quickly leaving the dry PTFE lubricant so won't attract dust, dirt or debris.

The knife has Bz/Ph washers. I'm pleasantly surprised with the lube.

I never lube the Teflon/Nylatron washers in my HEST 2.0 or Emersons.
 
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The other day my Native 5 was running a little gritty. Not the pivot, but just the lock bar rubbing on the blade. I had a can of Imperial Sizing Die Wax next to me and used a tiny amount. It worked get, but I do think it will attract dirt. This wax is used for reloading brass cartridges and works great under high pressures (reforming cases, etc.). And I have no idea about it being food safe or not.
 
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