My Persistence Likes... Olive Oil?!?

timberweasel

timberweasel

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Jan 5, 2011
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I've recently read about some folks using organic lubricants for their knives (food prep considerations,) and since my Spyderco Persistence had developed some grit in the pivot, I decided to give olive oil a shot.

It worked like a charm. A few drops of olive oil administered with a Q-tip, and my Persistence once again deploys buttery smooth. The olive oil did a helluva job cleaning the blade and G-10 as well! It was a pleasant surprise...

Anyone else use organic lubricants on their blades? If so, what do you use? :)
 
yes me too! olive oil is great for food prep knives. that or mineral oil. alot of olive oil can get funky after awhile though:)
 
gentry738 said:
alot of olive oil can get funky after awhile though:)
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Nothing wrong with that on your edc. Long term it will get gunky and funky. I was just I'ming with another member here. Back in the old days 3in1 oil or motor oil drizzled over a soft cotton rag was king, it worked. I still have plenty of old knives and a few firearms that were stored like that for decades without a spec of rust.
 
Mineral oil. As gentry noted, olive oil can go rancid/gunky. Mineral oil doesn't, and it's cheaper.
 
And actually, mineral oil can get a little gunky too. It's a better protectant than lubricant in my book.
 
Yep, I use olive oil on knives that might be used on food. I do wash it often since I use them on food often. I just reapply often too. The oil doesn't get old enough to gunk up. And no polyunsaturated oils too. :D

For my knives that don't see food duty, I spray some silicone aerosol into the pivot and on the blade.
 
I appreciate the input, fellas! I'll keep an eye on the 'funk-factor' which is not a problem, considering that I believe no matter what is used, folders will inevitably require flushing, cleaning and general maintenance at some point. Good to hear that olive oil isn't such a wild card, after all... :)
 
marcinek said:
And actually, mineral oil can get a little gunky too. It's a better protectant than lubricant in my book.
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Mineral oil will only get 'gunky' if stuff gets into it otherwise it stays a clear oil indefinitely. Olive oil on the other hand, can spoil and turn rancid over time. It can also oxidize and turn gummy like other organic oils such as linseed oil. I would stick with mineral oil personally, but even gummy olive oil should be able to be cleaned out with soap and hot water and a little work.
 
Just a bit of an update on the olive oil experiment...

About a week after administering olive oil to it, my Persistence did indeed develop a funky smell. Kind of like an old deep-fryer. Out of curiosity, I decided not to flush out the knife and let the oil mellow. During this time, I sure didn't want to store the knife in a closed drawer so I left it to air out on a workbench. It took a few days for the 'funk-factor' to subside then disappear completely, but I've not had to re-lubricate the pivot since and it still deploys silky smooth. Still impressed.

My pinned Native 1 also started to get 'gritty' and had a stubborn jerky feel to the blade everytime I thumbed it open. I used a little 3-in-1 on it and it got better. Then it got worse. And it had that pungent petrol smell to boot. So tonight, I hit it with some olive oil. The action smoothed out after a few cycles and a lot of black gunk started oozing from the pivot. I wiped it down a few times and set the Native out on the counter for the night. So far, so good... :thumbup:
 
Bear in mind that olive oil begins to congeal at around 55 degrees F. That lubricant you put in the moving parts of your knife doesn't have to get real cold before it starts to turn into a solid.
 
I use normal cookng oil (palm+corn?) and the action smooth out very well! Of course my folders got washed daily, to clean them from sweat, dirt, etc. No funky smell so far, I guess the oil got washed out bit by bit everytime I wash them.
 
I used mineral oil on my old Case stockman, and it seems to have had an interesting effect. It created a lacquer-like film over the blade and bolsters, providing a lovely protective layer.

I would say use 3-in-1 for the pivots, and just drench it in mineral oil for the blade (after oiling the pivots).
 
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