Quit lubing your knife to pieces

M

mike_mck2

Joined
May 19, 2005
Messages
301
It's true, most knives do not need lube. Just a good cleaning, and that's about it.
Quite a few lubes on the market not only are not needed, but they actually increase the wear & tear, because they gum up and collect dirt/dust/debris, even when used sparingly, and most seem to be applied quite liberally.

I have explained this to numerous people, and they just do not understand.
I try to tell them, if it's not broke, you won't hurt it by not fixing it. Don't lube it unless it just absolutely needs it, and even then use very very little.
 
only lube I use is on the blades grind when they are gonna sit in safe for a while, maybe around the thumbstud also. to lube in a folders pivot and lock is only goint to attract pocket lint and dirt
 
There's a reason why the manufacturers suggest you lube your pivots, and it's not because they're in the lube business.

There's nothing wrong with lubing your knife. You are correct, though, that a little goes a long way. If you're concerned about the lubes that gum up and make things worse, well, you could always not use those. There are plenty of good ones.
 
mike_mck2 said:
And it's not because the knife needs lube either, so I don't know what the reason is.....
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You have metal parts producing friction. Adding lubricant will reduce the friction by creating a barrier between the parts, reducing wear and sometimes creating significantly smoother action.

As mentioned, the key is using the right lubricant in the right amount. Dry lubricants like Tuf-Glide and Militec-1 (plus the heat treatment) would be an excellent choice.

Edited to add: some knives need lubricant more than others. Knives that will be opened at high-speed like balisongs and autos would benefit more from lubricant. Knives with moving parts that haven't had all of the roughness from manufacturing carefully polished away would also benefit more.
 
Knives with moving parts that haven't had all of the roughness from manufacturing carefully polished away would also benefit more.
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No, they would benefit from none, to speed the break in process, and to assure that the action wears in smoothly.

If you think knives need lube, of whatever type, then that's what you should do. My personal experience lets me know that they do not in fact need lube.
 
And what about folders with teflon washers (I think most) - its metal-teflon friction after all. So should one use metal parts ubricants? What about silicone base lubricants used for moving plastic parts, for example Loctite makes some.
 
Wow, glad you told me this, I am throwing all of my lube out. I also intend to dispatch strongly worded letters to the management and engineers of Buck knives, Spyderco, Victorinox, Camillus, Kershaw and anyone else I can think of demanding that they stop promoting lies. :rolleyes:
 
Depends on the kind of lube you use. A couple applications of militec 1 make a huge difference, and dry lubricants don't create the problems of attracting more junk into the pivot.
 
sak_collector said:
Wow, glad you told me this, I am throwing all of my lube out. I also intend to dispatch strongly worded letters to the management and engineers of Buck knives, Spyderco, Victorinox, Camillus, Kershaw and anyone else I can think of demanding that they stop promoting lies. :rolleyes:
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Why write letters? Nobody made you put useless lube on the knives, you decided to do it yourself.
 
mike_mck2 said:
Why write letters? Nobody made you put useless lube on the knives, you decided to do it yourself.
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that was obviously a sarcastic statement
 
nelsonmc said:
...and while you're at it drain the oil out of your cars tonight :rolleyes:

LUBE KILLS!
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If the metal parts of my engine rub together it'll smooth them out and make it run better right? Plus all that dirt and debris won't get in the oil and be safely suspended and carried away.

Thanks for the tip!

N2
 
Oh yes indeed, the heat & friction in your car engine is just the same as the heat & friction on your folding knife. Please do drain the oil out of your engine or keep lubing those folding knives.
 
mike_mck2 said:
Quite a few lubes on the market not only are not needed, but they actually increase the wear & tear, because they gum up and collect dirt/dust/debris,
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Please tell us which lubes you mean.

I have explained this to numerous people, and they just do not understand.
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Perhaps your condecending and sarcastic attitued turned them off to your message.
 
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