Lube question

WD40 is not a lubricant once the carrier evaporates. The residue left once the carrier has evaporated is kind of gummy and is designed to form a protective film, not lubricate. (The carrier is akin to kerosene and takes some time to evaporate.) WD40 should not be used to lubricate pivots. WD40 does displace moisture pretty well .(good thing, since that is what it was developed to do.) I use it on non-stainless blades prior to storage.

Triflow is oil with teflon particles. It is a reasonable lube for pivots, although the oil will trap lint et al over time. I have used it once or twice because I wanted the teflon in there. A lot of folks use 3in1. It works OK too, although it also will trap lint. Miltec is very popular for pivots. Haven't used it myself.

If the knife parts and blade are all stainless I normally do not lubricate the knife. I don't care about fast deployment and have found no need to inhibit corrosion with added lubricants. I understand that there are those who want an instantaneous deployment of their blade and those folks will want to lube their pivots.
 
I use BreakFree. A tiny amount goes a long way; it also helps prevent rust, although I now use Tuf Cloth as well.
 
WD 40 is the absolute worst thing to use on a knife or a firearm. When the carrier evaporates all that's left is a sticky residue. WD 40 is a water displacement product for stuff like wet distributors. It's crummy lubricant and a lousy rust preventative. Much better products are available.
 
One of my main problems with a pocket knife is the lint and dust that collect in the joint area. This is especially bad on a knife carried in the bottom of the pocket. Having an oily lubricant in the joint is what makes the junk stick there. Many years ago I started using a dry wax lubricant called White Lightning and the lint problem went away. The lubrication has been excellent and the time between applications is much longer now, like years. I basically never have to clean or lubricate my knives now. Even the one that rides in the bottom of my pocket every day. A tiny half ounce bottle will probably last me for the rest of my life if it does not dry out in the bottle first.

The wax is suspended in a solvent (alcohol?) so it will penetrate the joint. It has to be left to dry overnight before you can feel the lubricating qualities.

You can also use wax-based products for rust prevention, like Johnsons Paste Wax or a car wax.

I am a big believer in White Lightning. This is the same stuff that is used as a chain lube for racing bicycles, but they have different packaging for the different markets (there it's called White Lightning Clean Ride). It may be easier to find it in a cycling store than a knife shop.
 
WD40 is not a lubricant. Truer words have never been said. I use WD40 as a solvent/cleaner first.
I also use it as a vehicle for a true lubricant, but that's only when I don't have time to diassemble a mechanism that the true lube will not penetrate. Anytime I disassemble, lube and reassemble Militec-1 is the lube of choice.

Tri-flow was designed by the military for thier firearms.
Tri-flow is not as viscous as oils, such as 3in1. If used conservatively it does not attract dust, dirt or moisture
like oil does. Tri-flow is excellent at displacing moisture but doesn't penetrate like WD40 or Alcohol does.
All this talk about Tri-flow, WD40, 3in1, BreakFree, Graphite and this oil or that oil means absolutely nothing, because Militec-1 is the very best for metal mechanisms, so far. Try it!
In my 26 years of Locksmithing I have found no better lubricant than Militec-1.
Take that for what it's worth.................. or don't.
That's up to you. Happy lubin'
 
Lately have been using alcohol to clean -followed by very-very-very small quanities of Chris Reeve's grease - I can't claim long term experience with this combo -but it has really freed up a few older knives that apeared to have some pretty congealed tar like residue where you would want grease or oil. Certainly too much would atract fuzz and dirt.
 
I prefer Militec-1 or Eezox--both evaporate and leave a 'dry' lubricating film.
WD-40 leaves a sticky gum behind when the carrier evaporates, and all the CLP's leave an oil film that will hold dirt. How much dirt depends on how thick the film is.
If you want to find out what works, polish a small hand mirror and coat a section with your favourite lube product and put aside for a couple of days. You will easily be able to see/feel what's left.
Greg
 
Used to use FP-10, currently trying out weaponshield CLP. Breakfree CLP is great but I've found fp10 and ws to be superior in lubrication and fp-10 very close in corrosion protection. Haven't gotten around to testing WS but later on I'll be doing another comparitive corrosion test between WS CLP, FP10, Breakfree, Mobil-1, and some other stuff I have laying around.
 
I tried all Militec, White Lightning, Revolution and WD40 - all make it worse.
Finally I tried gun oil fro gun care kit and it works just perfect.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
I also use gun oil, but my knives ride above the bottom of my pocket, and I often blow them out anyway; I have few problems with dust in pivots.

Out of curiosity, would there be any reason not to use graphite on pivots? I would imagine it would be relatively food safe too, as an added bonus.
 
WD 40 is a lubricant, just not a good one.
WD 40 is not a good rust preventative.
WD 40 does not "gum up." It will dissolve other lubes that have "gummed up," and if these are not flushed out, when the carrier in WD 40 evaporates they will gum again.
WD 40 is a great water displacer. This is especially good for fixed blades with hidden tangs. It is also a good cleaner.
All folder joints need lubrication if you want them to last. I have seen hundreds of pocketknives worn out from no lube.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
WD 40 is a lubricant, just not a good one.
WD 40 is not a good rust preventative.
WD 40 does not "gum up." It will dissolve other lubes that have "gummed up," and if these are not flushed out, when the carrier in WD 40 evaporates they will gum again.
WD 40 is a great water displacer. This is especially good for fixed blades with hidden tangs. It is also a good cleaner.
All folder joints need lubrication if you want them to last. I have seen hundreds of pocketknives worn out from no lube.
Click to expand...



Bill, All in all I definately agree with you (I'm something of a lube nazi), but there is a wide spread concensus that SAK's don't really need lubed. What is you thoughts on this?
 
They probably don't NEED lubing. They will just wear out a lot faster without it. Seems like people would take care of their knives.
 
ok, this may be an obvious question, WHERE do you appy the lubricant? I own a spyderco lockback. i am not sure if i should just drop a couple drops between the liners and the blade around the pivot or what. it is the pivot that needs the oil right? not the actual lock where the lockbar and blade meet? Also i asume i would want to oil the lockbar pivot too, right? i just don't see how the oil will be able to work its way to the pivot without appying an excessive amount:confused:.
 
Any good quality oil ( Weaponshield is what I use, but breakfree, FP-10, even 3 in 1 will work) will penetrate the tiny gap at the pivot between the blade and the liners/scales. It only takes 1 drop of oil, in fact less if you have a needle applicator. The oil will spread enough to lubricate the tang/lockbar interface. I also like to put a drop near the lockbar's pivot pin.
 
I was recently VERY pleased with tri-flow's performance. Cleaned my Spyderco Native S30V with some clean streak (basically over-priced non-flourenated brake cleaner) then applied a single drop to the pivot, which I blew out with a air hose nozzle. Silky smooth action and its been almost a week and no sign of lint yet (its edc). We shall see if this is my new favorite method with time, though!
 
WD 40 is like duct tape, it has a purpose but people try to use it to fix EVERYTHING. Breakfree CLP is much better.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top