Opinel #8 for lite camp chores?

[desmobob]

Haas anyone s tried putting a water seal on the wood handles to keep them from absorbing moister? Something like Thompsons water seal or maybe even linseed oil?

I tried using Teflon-bearing lubricant (Breakfree CLP) to "waterproof" the wood in the blade pivot area on my #8. It swelled the wood and the blade was very hard to open for quite some time.

The Opinel #8 is a slicer extrordinaire, but definitely not what I'd call "sturdy." With the pivot-area wood swelling trouble and the rust-prone blade, I consider it a "glove box knife" for impromptu food prep, bagel slicing, etc..

I love the Opinels, but it's not the kind of knife I would depend too heavily on. The larger O's are fantastic food prep knives though.

Stay sharp,
desmobob