Opinel folder?

[jmh33]

I have a No. 8 that’s been in my truck yes. Never done anything to it. Works fine!!
John

 

[David Nowlin]

Yea sounds like a crap shoot? I oil my normal knives (at the pivot) just worried if i do the lazy thing and drop a few drops into the pivot it might not give me the desired effect. The Opinel website has a small pen type applicator that seems to be a mineral oil concoction they offer to sell you when you order a knife. Interesting dilemma?

 

[davek14]

 

[MolokaiRider]

Congratulations on your purchase. Opinels are fantastic. They cut great and are light and ergonomic.


A reminder: they are a peasants knife. If you use the knife daily as intended, it will not need any extra work.

If they get tight, use the knocker to tap it partly open.


If you wish to preserve the knife, keep it clean and dry, and stored with desiccant.

They are a popular choice for hunters, as well as kitchens and bars.

They have a nostalgic history and have earned their timeless appeal.

 

[MolokaiRider]

Yea sounds like a crap shoot? I oil my normal knives (at the pivot) just worried if i do the lazy thing and drop a few drops into the pivot it might not give me the desired effect. The Opinel website has a small pen type applicator that seems to be a mineral oil concoction they offer to sell you when you order a knife. Interesting dilemma?

Oil will permeate the wood. It can cause it to get soft.

But it will keep the rust at bay.

 

[elasmonut]

I hated my Opinels because of this. If I had known to oil them I wouldn’t have left them open in my tacklebox until they turned to rust.e

 

[David Nowlin]

Great pics guy’s. Love the patina on that blade and Davik that dark walnut looks fantastic.
I think i will get another carbone and do the blade like that.
Saw a YouTube vid where the guy cut a banana in half then stuck the Opinel in the middle to achieve the patina. I know there are several ways to speed up the process? Any other suggestions?

 

[davek14]

Great pics guy’s. Love the patina on that blade and Davik that dark walnut looks fantastic.
I think i will get another carbone and do the blade like that.
Saw a YouTube vid where the guy cut a banana in half then stuck the Opinel in the middle to achieve the patina. I know there are several ways to speed up the process? Any other suggestions?

That's just a normal Beech, not Walnut.

To achieve a dark patina, I wet a strip of paper towel with vinegar, wrap the blade, then let it dry overnight. Thinly or thickly wrapping does not matter, so I wrap it thinly so that it dries more quickly.

 

[David Nowlin]

Cut an apple and then used it at dinner to cut my steak.

 

[David Nowlin]

I do like your dark grey blade though. When my No 8 carbone comes in i will try the vinegar.
Opinels in a Case case at my local mom and pop hardware store.
To add, I also bought the Johnsons Furniture paste wax and did the blow dryer melt in. It smells so so good! Did that before i did the patina process.

 

[Alberta Ed]

Melt it like with hair dryer on high heat?
Also found a local hardware store that sells Opinels. I walked in the door and the 6’5” wood and glass display case is the first thing you see. And the No 9 inox I paid $18 for at the other store was only 12.99. I got the carbon steel model.
Also got a No 8 in walnut or Olive wood with a bear and some mountains carved into the wood. Today was a good cheap day.
dn
Correction. Not walnut or olive wood. Think it’s oak.

Yes. Melt it in with a hair dryer on high heat. (But do ask your significant other to borrow it if you're not using your own.)

 

[I'mSoSharp]

you would be happy to note
that some of the toughest folks
on the planet have even made opinel
a personal choice.

This is my personal one.

I don't talk about it...

 

[davek14]

I do like your dark grey blade though. When my No 8 carbone comes in i will try the vinegar.
Opinels in a Case case at my local mom and pop hardware store.
To add, I also bought the Johnsons Furniture paste wax and did the blow dryer melt in. It smells so so good! Did that before i did the patina process.

Depending on how much carbon is in the blade, that black coating might wear off in spots (cutting edge), leaving a lighter, more grey, patina there.
Higher carbon = darker durable patina. Opinels are not particularly high carbon.
Some prefer the "character" of a natural, non-uniform, patina.
I do that as a habit to my carbon steel knives for the modicum of rust protection it gives.

A third alternative to oiling/waxing the pivot is to throw the whole knife into a jar of mineral oil for a while.
Set it on a heater or in a sunny car for a while to loosen it up first.
Then wax the pivot as well, if you are as anal as me.