Petrolium Jelly As Pivot Lube

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Vivi

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Probably not the most ideal thing to use, but any good reason not to use it? I know from experience it does a good job attracting debris into the pivot, but if I limit the amount to as small as possible while attaining the smoothness I want it's generally a non-issue, especially on clipped knives. It's just something I've always kept around and it's very inexpensive. You could get a lifetime supply (Assuming you only used it for knives) for a few bucks. Anyone else do this?
 
Never thought of it. I wouldn't use it myself, I like to stay lint free, but I don't see how it would hurt anything.
 
bacon grease may work just as well but I think it may not be the best either.
 
Any wet lube will attract lint and dirt. Vaseline has no special properties in this area.

Petroleum jelly is pretty much just thick mineral oil. I suppose there are "better" lubes out there, but that might depend on what the definition of "better" is. Better in what way, exactly? The only actual downside to it's use is that it isn't particularly well suited to pivots that can't be disassembled. At such high viscosity, it won't wick into those tight spots. That high viscosity has an upside, as it also won't migrate out of a tight pivot like a thinner oil will, and will tend to stay where it's applied better.
 
I agree that something like wd-40 or even a better spray lube would get everywhere, however I would just assume use one of these as I would a thick gooey greese. At least these spray lubes will eventually dry. My thoughts are that the vaseline will just keep on collecting lint until it is completely saturated with debree.
 
It's worked well enough, but I only use small amounts. I dip a toothpick into a jar of it, wipe off the excess, and rub a bit where metal parts rub against each other. It really smoothed out my UKPK and Manix, and I've been doing it to my swiss army knives for a while.
 
somebody on another thread suggested astroglide for high-temp applications. ymmv...

Personally I use some teflon white dry lube cause i own it. :)
 
militec-1 is a great lube that doesn't attract lint too badly. you used to be able to get a free sample at their website, but not sure if they're still doing that. even if not, a small bottle should last you for many years.

Winston
 
Winston Smith said:
militec-1 is a great lube that doesn't attract lint too badly. you used to be able to get a free sample at their website, but not sure if they're still doing that. even if not, a small bottle should last you for many years.

Winston
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CALLING WINSTON--- Militec-1's website shows bottles and tubes for sale. Is there a difference in consistency between the two or is it just different applicators?
 
They have a grease and an oil, all the oil is the same. It is a good lubricant but an absolutely terrible protectant, so don't use it to prevent rust.
 
Vivi said:
Probably not the most ideal thing to use, but any good reason not to use it? I know from experience it does a good job attracting debris into the pivot, but if I limit the amount to as small as possible while attaining the smoothness I want it's generally a non-issue, especially on clipped knives. It's just something I've always kept around and it's very inexpensive. You could get a lifetime supply (Assuming you only used it for knives) for a few bucks. Anyone else do this?
Click to expand...
In my casual experiments with pivot lubes, I've generally found oils give a smoother, more "free" operation than greases. The advantages potentially offered by greases over oils on mechanisms -- greater film strength, less migration, performance at higher temperature -- IMO aren't particularly important when it comes to knives ... but if for some reason you prefer a grease or find it works better than oil for a particular application, then I'd say use it.

However rather than petroleum jelly, I'd go with a modern, high-tech lube, like this one which is a personal favorite:

http://www.aaaindustrialsupply.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=307

3 oz. of Super Lube grease is only a few bucks, and will last a very, very long time; I've been using it on firearms for over 15 years and I doubt I've even used one ounce.
 
Anybody try scraping a pencil point into the pivot or applying some powdered graphite? Works great with keys and locks too. An old trick of my fathers.

---
Ken
 
In my experience, Shooters Choice FP-10 Lubricant Elite is the best pivot lube available.
Followed closely by Militec 1 and Tuf Glide.

But everyone seems to have their favorite.
 
Well...since everyone else is pimping their favorite lubricant...:)

http://www.mil-comm.com/

I use the MC2500 oil and TW25B light grease. Great performance. I heat with wood, so I use the oil on the draft spinners...the stuff just refuses to burn off, and no performance degradation. I figure that says quite a bit about a lubricant's adhesiveness. MC2500 works really well as a rust barrier...spray on, wipe off and it just works.
 
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