Opinel #8

[mountainbiker]

wipe it off after use and it's fine.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[this_is_nascar]

It arrived 30-minutes ago. Just long enough to fondle it slightly and snap some photos. I love it so far.

 

[mnblade]

True fact: No one's ever regretted buying an Opinel.

-- Mark

 

[GasMan1]

Picked up a #8 Carbon at Courty & Fils, a fabulous knife shop near the Louvre in Paris last spring for 8.5 Euros. It lives in the picnic hamper now. To keep the wood handle from swelling and binding the blade, I melted a tablespoon-sized pat of hard floor wax (Johnson) into the blade groove with a heat gun. That sealed the wood and it hasn't gotten stuck since. That thin blade takes an awesome edge.

I need to give this a try. I've tried petroleum jelly to no avail. Thanks for the tip.

 

[mnblade]

When my carbon no. 8 gets wet and swells, I pull harder to open it. Once it dries, I no longer need to pull harder.

-- Mark

 

[this_is_nascar]

When my carbon no. 8 gets wet and swells, I pull harder to open it. Once it dries, I no longer need to pull harder.

-- Mark

This is starting to sound like a porno I watched years ago .

 

[sparky2016]

Picked up a #8 Carbon at Courty & Fils, a fabulous knife shop near the Louvre in Paris last spring for 8.5 Euros. It lives in the picnic hamper now. To keep the wood handle from swelling and binding the blade, I melted a tablespoon-sized pat of hard floor wax (Johnson) into the blade groove with a heat gun. That sealed the wood and it hasn't gotten stuck since. That thin blade takes an awesome edge.

I need to give this a try. I've tried petroleum jelly to no avail. Thanks for the tip.

I'd be thinking mineral oil, it's a liquid already.

 

[1066vik]

mineral oil evaporates - so it doesn't provide any long term protection.
walnut oil cures and is food safe.
paste wax soaks in and seals the surfaces as well - I like it a lot.
carnuba wax, soy wax, and beeswax are also all food safe -- but they have higher melting points than paste wax.
(of course, they're also not as easy to ignite as paste wax, due to the solvents in it)

 

[Chris Larrikin]

I am a big fan of the Opinel. I mostly carry a #8 carbon or a #8 stainless garden knife (spear point). I use them almost every day to slice my apple and the carbon is getting quite a nice patina. I clean them by running them under boiling water and giving them a quick wipe down. If i ever use them for foods other than fruit I clean them more carefully.

I let the pivot end sit in mineral oil for a few hours to keep moisture out and I will give them an occasional wipe down and the pivot a spray with "Inox MX3 FG" (food grade lubricant and moisture displacer).

O P - in all likelihood you will need to give your new knife some attention on the sharpening stones. They often arrive with an inconsistent edge and can be downright blunt at the belly and tip. Don't let that dissuade you; after sharpening they're just about as good as it gets for slicing.

 

[Henry Beige]

The No.8 is probably as big as you would want to go for pocket carry. I have carried my Opinels some over the years, but more often they were tucked into a motorcycle tank bag and got a lot of use on the road and in camp. I recently gave a No. 7 to my grandson as his first knife that has to be one of the first I bought, as both the bolster and locking ring are carbon. Now I guess I need to buy a couple more, in order to have a No.7, and to check out this new feature that locks the blade closed.

 

[davek14]

As far as EDC goes, as Opinels get smaller the blades get thinner as well as shorter.

If you modify an Opinel you can shorten the handle a little easily, and also shorten the blade slightly by taking the flimsy tip off and making it a drop point.

A #8 is just a little to big for EDC. A modified #8, or maybe a modified #7, is perfect.

I avoid the swelling by soaking the whole knife in mineral oil for at least a week. It helps to dry it a bit in a hot car or another hot dry place for a day or so first.

Not my pic, do a search for "Opinel mods" for a world of ideas.

 

[gadgetgeek]

Great blades. I prefer the #6 size, but they are all great. There was a guy around a few years back who was doing some really heavy bushcrafting with a #12, beating the crap out of it.
I need to pick up some lindseed oil, or I could use some INOX mx6 (very cool stuff Chris, I also use it in my salt water reels.)
I'd rather use an opinel for food work than anything else as wood is naturally a bit anti-bacterial, rather than plastic, or something more gapy like a SAK. Generally don't do much food safe type prep outside of the kitchen, but it happens.

 

[this_is_nascar]

Thanks for all the great responses. While I love this #8, it will probably be a bit too much for EDC liking. That's why I ordered a #6 last night. That seems to be the sweet spot for many who EDC the Opinel.

 

[this_is_nascar]

As far as EDC goes, as Opinels get smaller the blades get thinner as well as shorter.

If you modify an Opinel you can shorten the handle a little easily, and also shorten the blade slightly by taking the flimsy tip off and making it a drop point.

A #8 is just a little to big for EDC. A modified #8, or maybe a modified #7, is perfect.

I avoid the swelling by soaking the whole knife in mineral oil for at least a week. It helps to dry it a bit in a hot car or another hot dry place for a day or so first.

Not my pic, do a search for "Opinel mods" for a world of ideas.

Can you elaborate on the mineral oil bath? Do I just take the closed Opinel and submerge it in the oil for a week, then dry it afterwards?

 

[Brian_T]

To keep the wood handle from swelling and binding the blade, I melted a tablespoon-sized pat of hard floor wax (Johnson) into the blade groove with a heat gun. That sealed the wood and it hasn't gotten stuck since. That thin blade takes an awesome edge.

I do the same with beeswax (food safe) and it still amazes me how well it works.

B

 

[sparky2016]

mineral oil evaporates - so it doesn't provide any long term protection.

No, as a practical matter it doesn't really evaporate under typical conditions.Washes away, maybe. And long term is relative. The fact that it doesn't require a complicated application makes it more likely it will be maintained and re-applied.

walnut oil cures and is food safe.

Cures isn't always what you want. Mineral oil is food safe, which is why it is widely used on cutting boards and wooden cooking utensils.

Food Safe Finishes has some short, useful discussion.

 

[this_is_nascar]

My #6 arrived. As expected, it's noticeably smaller and will be much more pocketable for me to EDC, although I do like the heft of the #8. I'm a bit disappointed with this particular #6 (not the model itself). The blade is dull as anything and feels like it's either chipped along the edge or toothy or something. I'd also like to know why my #8 came in the box-type packaging and the #6 in a plastic bag. Is this normal? Despite this individual flawed unit, I'm in love with the design and looks. I'm fearful that a new addiction has just been created for me. Fortunately, these are probalby the least expensive "addictive" objects I own.

 

[edbeau]

Other ways to carry your No. 8.

 

[edbeau]

Other 8's

 

[davek14]

Can you elaborate on the mineral oil bath? Do I just take the closed Opinel and submerge it in the oil for a week, then dry it afterwards?

I just stand an open Opi up in a glass of mineral oil to get more in the slot. I have put a closed knife in a jar of oil (mineral, motor) for weeks on end.

Leaving an Opinel in a hot car is a method of drying one out which has absorbed moisture and gotten stiff to open. I like to loosen the knife up a bit and then soak it in oil to tighten it up. Drive out water and replace it with oil.

I've tightened Opinels which were too loose by soaking.

I left one Opi in a jar of oil for months and it became impossible to open. I had to leave it in a warm spot for weeks to loosen it. So there is some absorption throughout the knife.

I've found it works better than just soaking the pivot.