Questions on oiling and eating apples

[jfn]

Hey guys,

I recently picked up a Case CV chestnut stockman and I'm digging it.
I've taken to eating apples with my new baby, and just went about cleaning and oiling it.
I dunked it in boiling water for a minute and cleaned off any excess junk.
Lubed the pivots with WD-40 (unfortunately i sprayed a bit too much and it leaked onto the blades). Because of this, I cleaned the blades again with dishwashing liquid and a paper towel.
I dried them off and put a light coating of mineral oil to protect the CV blades.

My questions are:

Is dishwashing liquid enough to clean WD-40, or should i be worried about using the knife for apple eating until I scour the blades of the stuff. If it isn't, what is a good way to clean the stuff off.

Is there a more food safe lubricant out there? I use mineral oil for the coating, is it also a viable pivot lubricant?

Thanks in advance

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Hey guys,

I recently picked up a Case CV chestnut stockman and I'm digging it.
I've taken to eating apples with my new baby, and just went about cleaning and oiling it.
I dunked it in boiling water for a minute and cleaned off any excess junk.
Lubed the pivots with WD-40 (unfortunately i sprayed a bit too much and it leaked onto the blades). Because of this, I cleaned the blades again with dishwashing liquid and a paper towel.
I dried them off and put a light coating of mineral oil to protect the CV blades.

My questions are:

Is dishwashing liquid enough to clean WD-40, or should i be worried about using the knife for apple eating until I scour the blades of the stuff. If it isn't, what is a good way to clean the stuff off.

Is there a more food safe lubricant out there? I use mineral oil for the coating, is it also a viable pivot lubricant?

Thanks in advance

I think you're fine. WD-40 is fairly mild stuff. It's a mix of some light solvent and what amounts to mineral oil. The solvent evaporates quickly, leaving the mineral oil behind. I've used WD-40 almost exclusively as the lube for my pivots. Any excess that you have is pretty easily cleaned up. The dish soap & water will handle that fine. I usually use a little Windex to the same effect.

Mineral oil which is USP grade (sold as a laxative) is popular as a food-safe protectant & lube for knives. I think, for most typical uses of a pocket knife, it'll suit your needs. Not a bad idea to wash the knife in dish soap & water periodically, dry it thoroughly (WD-40 will also help to flush water out of the pivot), and re-apply the mineral oil lightly as needed.

 

[Rat Finkenstein]

WD40 isn't a good lubricant. Try alcohol to get rid of it.

Mineral oil can be used as a pivot lubricant, a drop will do it.

 

[RussMo]

WD40 isn't a good lubricant. Try alcohol to get rid of it.

Mineral oil can be used as a pivot lubricant, a drop will do it.

What the RAT man said!!! WD-40 is NOT really a lubricant. The WD simply means WATER DISPLACEMENT. Although every body and there brother uses it that way ie for a lube. I just use Food Grade Mineral Oil on any knife that is or will remotely be used for food prep. Working knives I use Tri-Flow.

 

[jfn]

Laxative it is then!

Now I just have to improvise an eye dropper

Thanks for the responses

 

[stitchawl]

Can I summarize the recent posts?

1) WD-40 is MINERAL OIL plus solvent
2) MINERAL OIL is a good lubricant
but
3) WD-40 is not a good lubricant

I'm getting this feeling that something does not compute...

A) There are better lubricants than mineral oil, but it does work well. Even the mineral oil in WD-40. It just doesn't 'last as long' as some other lubricants with added PTFE or MOLY.

B) The amount of WD-40 left on a knife after it's wiped down will not do you any bodily harm. There just isn't enough of it unless it's still liquid and dripping off the blade. Once the solvent has evaporated, all that's left is mineral oil. Just wipe off the excess with a paper towel and cut your apples. I've been doing that for the past 50 years.

C) Yes, it was developed to be a water displacer and works very well for that purpose, but it still works well as a lubricant, which is why soooooo many people USE it as a lubricant.

And my own two cents... I use urea grease these days for my pivots. Just about as much as would fit inside the "o" lubes the entire pivot assembly. I use 'Marine Tuf-Coat" to protect my blades, especially for long term storage. It's on every EDC I use, and cutting apples with the blade doesn't cause me any damage either. Yes, it is not a good idea to eat the Marine Tuf-Cloth itself, but Sentry Solution’s formula is non-toxic.

Stitchawl

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

From the WD-40 web site ( http://www.wd40.com/faqs/#a97 ):

What does WD-40 do?

WD-40 fulfills five basic functions:
1. CLEANS: WD-40 gets under dirt, grime and grease to clean. It also dissolves adhesives, allowing easy removal of labels, tape and excess bonding material.
2. DISPLACES MOISTURE: Because WD-40 displaces moisture, it quickly dries out electrical systems to eliminate moisture-induced short circuits.
3. PENETRATES: WD-40 loosens rust-to-metal bonds and frees stuck, frozen or rusted metal parts.
4. LUBRICATES: WD-40's lubricating ingredients are widely dispersed and tenaciously held to all moving parts.
5. PROTECTS: WD-40 protects metal surfaces with corrosion-resistant ingredients to shield against moisture and other corrosive elements.

At one time or another, I've used it in each of the capacities listed above. No problems.

I realize others prefer other methods & products. That's fine. But to say it doesn't work as a lubricant, is purely a subjective opinion, based only on individual circumstances. For light use, as normally expected of a simple pocketknife (cutting fruit, opening packages, mail, cutting boxes), it works just fine. If you try to use it as a substitute for bearing grease in your car, or 'waterproof' your knife at the beach, or to repel dirt when using the knife as a digging tool, maybe not so much. There are appropriate uses for it, and there are also ill-advised uses for it.

The "WD" in the name does imply "Water Displacement". That's only half of the product, though (the solvent). Any other solvent accomplishes the same thing (isopropyl alcohol, being one). The other part of WD-40 is the lubricant (specifically listed in the product MSDS as 'petroleum base oil'). It does work as such, when appropriately utilized. It's what I've been using as such for the better part of 20 years. And, miraculously, my knives haven't rusted, seized up or disintegrated into dust, in all that time.

Keeping the knife reasonably clean is the bigger and more important goal. So long as it's cleaned fairly regularly and thoroughly, a light application of many different possible lubricating products will serve the purpose, including mineral oil or WD-40.

 

[MT Damascus]

Butcher block oil(USDA approved mineral oil)

 

[dannyp]

Now I just have to improvise an eye dropper

If you have a straw you can use that instead. Just dip it in slightly to get a couple of drops in the end and put your finger over the other end to hold it in while you transfer it to the knife.

 

[김원진]

sorry to hijack your thread, but i didn't want to create a new one while my question falls into sorta the same category

1. is there any particular mineral oil that people prefer, and can you just buy it at the grocery store, or an auto parts store?

2. has anyone ever used flitz? i bought a tube a long time ago specifically for a damascus sword i have, i've never used it yet, but was wondering if it'd be fine for my knives

thanks

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

sorry to hijack your thread, but i didn't want to create a new one while my question falls into sorta the same category

1. is there any particular mineral oil that people prefer, and can you just buy it at the grocery store, or an auto parts store?

The 'USP Grade' mineral oil, sold as a laxative at grocery stores or pharmacies, is a popular favorite. It's actually made to be ingested, so it's definitely food-safe.

2. has anyone ever used flitz? i bought a tube a long time ago specifically for a damascus sword i have, i've never used it yet, but was wondering if it'd be fine for my knives

I haven't used Flitz, but a lot of others here have, and I've never heard anything but positive comments about it. Simichrome is what I use, and it's also very good.

Keep in mind, for a damascus blade, if it's got that attractive dark/grey patina (oxide layer), the polishing paste will remove it. The patina will come back in time, but polishing will leave the blade very bright & shiny in the short term. It's a preference thing, but something to be aware of, before deciding to polish the blade.

 

[김원진]

thanks for the info, since flitz would take it away for the damascus, would you still put the mineral oil on damascus?

time to make a trip to the grocery store

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

thanks for the info, since flitz would take it away for the damascus, would you still put the mineral oil on damascus?

time to make a trip to the grocery store

The mineral oil will be fine, for the damascus. Just be sure the blade is very clean & completely dry, before oiling the blade. Oiling the blade will help protect it from rust, IF there's no moisture trapped under the oil.