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Lubing a folder

R

RDog

Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Messages
366
First I did look over some search topics...but still need to ask.

The knife in question if it matters is a Rat 1 folder. (I do lean more to traditional knives but sometimes like a knife you can snap open.)

I remember when I first got this thing, it almost felt like it had a spring assisting the opening, very smooth, and easy to open.
Over time and use, water, sand, grit, cement, sawdust and pocket lint found its way into it. The opening slowed, and finally I broke it all down and cleaned each individual piece.

The question, what kind of lube is best? and how should it be lubed?

I used Ballistol, and at first it felt great, but its been two days and it feels like the oil is gone. Is lithium grease the way to go to keep it smooth?
There are better lubricating oils than Ballistol for sure, but its seems like a good all around oil, I am a bit surprised how quickly it changed from feeling great (right after re-assembly) to now where it feels like it should be lubed?

(other oils I have on hand are G96, and Mil Comm)

For a guy who mostly carries a Opinel or SAK I don't really get into the "tactical" kind of knife, but when I do carry one I hate it when it doesn't snap open with ease. Any help, words of advice or criticism are welcome. Thanks.
 
It really depends on the desired effect. grease will last the longest but its thicker and that viscosity will slow things down a bit. If you want speed nano oil is great as is militec1. There is also some new stuff ar walmart that works really well too. M-pro7 is what its called and only $10 for a four ounce bottle. And its slick let me tell you.
 
i use a flourinated grease (CRK, finish line, etc...) diluted with a few drops of nano oil. If you want a faster action, use more nano oil. For a slower action, use less. The grease tends to stick around longer than the nano, so i personally try to mix it more towards the thicker side. If you put too much grease on, the action will be slow until the excess works its way out (gathering any dirt, lint, and whatever else sticks). The key is to apply sparingly. A little goes a long way. I will make my mix up and use a miniature paintbrush like someone recently posted in the CRK forum.

Pivot tension is key as well. It needs to be right at the point where the action is smooth with zero blade play. If you get everything dialed in correctly, this makes for a very smooth knife with a nice action.

Remember, not every knife is made to be flipped, CRK for example.
 
When I disassemble, clean, and lube I apply a thin film of engine oil to the inner faces of the washers only. I've had really good luck doing this. Makes things incredibly smooth. BC it's not a dry lube, it does accumulate lint around the pivot, but a quick blast with compressed air and it's gone.
 
I lubricate my knives roughly as often as I lubricate the hinges on my doors. Not enough heat or friction generated to really need a lubricant on the regular, so breaking down and cleaning with soapy water and drying thoroughly is my standard routine if the action gets gritty.
 
I don't lube folders....

....unless they get so dirty/gritty I have to spray them out with something other than lube (like solvent or WD-40 to flush them) or take them apart to clean them. Then ONLY if they don't recover smoothness within a few days, after all the spray solvent residue is gone and STILL don't feel right (which doesn't happen much).

I still believe good folders don't require lube as a rule.

If I DO lube a pivot it is either with a dry synthetic bicycle chain lube (CL-1 with PTFE) or, for more "buttery" smoothness, I use Lubriplate white grease (also sold as Genie garage door opener screw-drive lube in little squeeze tubes in hardware stores), which is a surprisingly slick and long lasting 'grease.' Discovered it long ago when I used it exclusively for skateboard and skate wheel bearings when I used to shred.

Whichever I use it's usually an infintesimal dot of it on a green-stick broken toothpick point, and most would say it wasn't enough to even do anything. Well, it is...it works...and it's not enough to start attracting grunge yet still gets the job done.

IMO 99% of people way over-lube, even when they think they aren't using too much. I try to lube like a fine watch maker instead of pouring it to it....for the same reasons--too much causes more problems than it solves.​

Never used the fancylubes at all.
 
Is lithium grease the way to go to keep it smooth? I only use that on door and hood hinges. On my knives it's nano lube,CLP or sometimes WD 40 and an air compresser to flush out a pivot.
I do use Reeve grease on my Sebenza sparingly.
 
Thanks for the ideas, I'll try adjusting the screw first (it was great when re-assembled the other day) and if it fails to live up to what I want I guess I'll try another oil and if that fails maybe buy that nano oil. I wish there was some material I could use as a washer that was "slicker" than the stock brass and plastic.
 
If you have access to a strop, you can polish them to take out any burrs, high spots, etc. This would also make them slick and smooth. You could also use super fine sandpaper (2000 grit or higher). You may be able to find some at an automotive paint store. Another option would be to get some jewelers rouge from your local hardware store and apply it to an old belt or something and polish with that.

Any of the above options will actually remove some material from the washers. Just make sure not to get too aggressive with it and to do it evenly throughout the entire surface of the washer. If you don't remove or polish enough the first go-round, you can always do more but it takes money to undo it. We are talking removing very very tiny amounts of material here. There are some good videos on YouTube of people doing this to Sebenza's and other various knives. Be aware though, you can void your warranty by doing any "modifications" to a knife.

A third (best IMO) option is to break the knife in naturally. Opening and closing over time will eventually put a polish on the washers. If you have a quality knife, the manufacturer hopefully accounts for this in their design. If it is still unacceptable, send it in to be adjusted.
 
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Well its too soon to tell, but I took it apart again today and re-lubed with Mil comm 2500, seems way smoother than the Balistol. The Balistol just seemed to dry up in a couple of days time, even though I could still see it inside on the washers. It was almost like it was "sticky" in action, but to the touch it still felt like an oil. Makes me wonder how it will be as a gun lube compared to other products like the Mil comm, or G96...( I know its a classic gun lube, hence the "compared to" comment.)
 
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