Opinel care, maintenance, and tips needed.

manowar669 · Dec 24, 2009

Just ordered two Opinels. One carbon blade, and one stainless. I'm wondering if any Opinel users have some tips. I read a post where it was suggested to use mineral oil on the carbon blade (understandable), and also on the wood handles. Is this to waterproof it? How much? Soak it, just a few drops, wipe it with a diaper? Any other tips? I plan to eat with them, so I don't want to use any toxic oils.
While we're at it, lets see some of your Opinels. I'm kinda curious to see how patinas have developed on the blades of your users.

siguy · Dec 24, 2009

I don't really bother. Opinels are cheap, and I treat them like they are. If my blade gets rusty, no biggie. As long as I don't keep it in a really wet place it's fine.

The biggest problem for me is the ring being a little "sticky" to turn. I pop the ring off with a pair of pliers, clean the factory gunk out with a little goo gone and lay a little vaseline or mineral oil (or whatever you want) on the surfaces that touch, and it's good to go. Every once in a while I repeat to clean out the pocket junk and dust that gets in there.

Sometimes the wood can swell so much you need pliers to open the blade, but that's only happened to me when I left the knife in the basement for a week (around 80%+ humidity). I had to leave the knife in Iowa over break, but I can grab some current pictures when I get back.

I use my opinel like a working knife. I use it like a carpet knife, or to cut cement board, or dust-filled cord, whatever. I take it home and sharpen it up real quick to shaving sharp, and drop it back in my pocket for the next day. I keep my "nice" knife on my belt shaving sharp for the fine cutting tasks.

jackknife · Dec 24, 2009

Lubing the joint with mineral oil will eventually soak enough into the wood around the pivot to slow down swekking from water.

With new Opinels I like to take off the locking ring and sand down the wood inside the blade slot and around the pivot. Then finish with Helmsamn spar urathane. This will make your knife able to be totally submerged in water for w while without swelling to the point of being hard to open. One friend of mine who was raised in France, takes a paper match torn out of a match book, and uses it to smear vasoline around the blade pivot insde the wood handle. Let sit for a while then wipe out excess. The vasoline will make the wood very water resistant.

Also if it does get stiff from swelling, do the knack. This is a rap with the handle of the knife using the inside tip of the butt, on a hard surface. The bottom of a boot, a table top, or even the floor, and the blade will pop out enough tp grab it and pull it open.

manowar669 · Dec 28, 2009

Do Opinels float?

jackknife · Dec 28, 2009

No. Toss it the water and you're gonna loose it.

stitchawl · Dec 28, 2009

What are the methods you use to remove the locking ring? I've tried several times and have never been able to get the darn thing off!!!

Stitchawl

jackknife · Dec 29, 2009

The easiest way is to take a small needle nose pliers, and put them in the slot and open them to spread the ring enough to slip off the end of the knife.

siguy · Dec 29, 2009

I get the ring off by grabbing one side with a pair of pliers and twisting/pulling it off.

With a model having a longer blade (for more leverage), you can simply lock the knife closed and then pull the blade open, popping the ring off.

stitchawl · Dec 29, 2009

Thanks, guys. I'll give those a try. I guess I just didn't want to reef on the thing, afraid I'd bust it.

Stitchawl

augostos · Apr 9, 2015

To take off the ring lock the closed blade, and try to open it with locked ring. I do it inside a plastic bag just so the ring won't get lost flying.

steppinthefunk · Apr 9, 2015

I also don't worry about blade oxidation. I rather like the fact that there are nice "character marks" left after use.
If o ever want to clean it back up again rub it down with 2000 grit sand paper. I love my opinels!

Dry-cell · Apr 9, 2015

Get yourself some Heavy Mineral Oil USP from a pharmacy, microfiber cloths, and empty 100mL white plastic machine oil squeeze bottles. Fill up a squeeze bottle with the mineral oil and put one or two drops of oil onto a microfiber cloth, then wipe the blade down with it. Remove any excess oil once the blade is covered with the cloth.

Brisket · Apr 9, 2015

Opinel Carbone and mineral oil are a perfect match. Both are cheap, been around a long time and get the job done. I prefer a patina but to each his own.

steppinthefunk · Apr 9, 2015

Here's a photo of my Opinel family:

___________________
Wow! I just realized this thread was started two kids, a house and a promotion ago.

Obsessed with Edges · Apr 9, 2015

augostos said:
To take off the ring lock the closed blade, and try to open it with locked ring. I do it inside a plastic bag just so the ring won't get lost flying.

A MUCH easier way is to use a pair of snap-ring pliers, which will gently spread the locking ring open, far enough to ease off the end of the handle (w/blade closed), and it can be taken off in about 2 seconds. The snap-ring pliers are configured to open the jaws when squeezing the handles, and the jaw-tips fit perfectly in the 'grooved' ends of the open gap of the locking ring. Put the jaw tips in the gap, squeeze the handles to spread the ring and ease it over the end of the handle. No hazards of flying-ring shrapnel or cutting oneself trying to force open a sharp-edged blade, either. Also makes it much easier to put the ring back on.

David

FordRanger · Apr 9, 2015

steppinthefunk said:
Here's a photo of my Opinel family:

___________________
Wow! I just realized this thread was started two kids, a house and a promotion ago.

Old thread or not those are some nice looking mods! I'm going to have to do that to one of mine.

augostos · Apr 10, 2015

So, I'm deciding now, whether to do a full handle oil soaking with vacuum and etc or just vaseline the handle a little. Also, let me try to cola the carbon blade, just to try and see how it comes.

OHALLUM · Apr 10, 2015

augostos said:
So, I'm deciding now, whether to do a full handle oil soaking with vacuum and etc or just vaseline the handle a little. Also, let me try to cola the carbon blade, just to try and see how it comes.

I have a #6 in my pocket right now that I have been carrying for over two years, every day. I have yet to have a problem with it opening or swelling up where it is hard to open. I live near Atlanta, which is quite humid most of the year. I have never dropped it in any water however. It is the carbone blade, and has a natural but light patina on the blade. I use it for all types of daily chores, including cutting food with it.

Omar