Silicone Spray on multitool

Z

zaero

Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
2
Hi all

I used some silicone spray for lubricating my leatherman wave.
But now it seems it opens and closes the tools alot harder then before.
Is silicone spray suited to be used for multitool maintenance or should i use another product ?
 
WD-40 is fine. Leatherman even recommends it: linky.

It contains mineral spirits, which is a "safe" solvent, and mineral oil - a light lubricant which is the sole ingredient in Johnson's Baby Oil.

I used to avoid the stuff, but was recently re-introduced to it and now can barely stop myself from finding things to spray it on.

As for the multitool, if you were concerned about rust you could wipe it down from time to time with WD-40 or some other light gun oil or similar oil; or if not just put a drop on the pivots occasionally and that would be sufficient.

:thumbup:
 
wd 40 , no problems for my knives, silicon oil..i guess it depends, because mine didnt really lubricate the pivots/mechanism as good as wd 40 does
 
If it moves and should not, apply duct tape. If it does not move and should, squirt it with WD40.

When they come my WD40, they'll have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands.
 
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When WD40 dries, it leaves a sticky residue that dirt loves. If it is frequently reapplied then it dissolves the old residue and washes out the dirt and all is fine for a while. Then we start again.
 
I don't use silicone lube on knives or tools. It has no rust preventative properties AFAIK and is so slippery that it won't stay on what I want it to.

Instead, I apply light machine oil or 3-in-One oil.
 
I use 3-in-1 on my Leathermans, but standard mineral oil on my dedicated knives and SAKs. Dunno why, just do.
 
i sprayed silicone on my swiss army knife and it started melting the handle material. i wiped it off immediately but it still managed to do some damage.,,,VWB.
 
I've been using mineral oil, then LPS#2 and now just got a bottle of Eezox this week after reading about it. Seems to work fine and is supposedly one of the best rust-inhibitors out there. Just ensure you get the one for knives. I almost bought the one for guns. http://www.eezox.com/
 
I use the same lubrication for knives as I use for the rotary valves on my French horn: mineral oil or sewing machine oil, diluted to the desired viscosity with ultra-pure lamp oil (also called paraffin or kerosene, depending on where you live). It's cheap, works well, and there is no residue build-up.
 
kamkazmoto said:
When WD40 dries, it leaves a sticky residue that dirt loves. If it is frequently reapplied then it dissolves the old residue and washes out the dirt and all is fine for a while. Then we start again.
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Bingo. WD40 is addictive for this very reason. Once you use it, you have to keep on using it. I prefer a less sticky solution, like Boeshield T-4 or Militec. Boeshield is pretty much my go-to lubricant for around the house type of stuff.
 
enkidu said:
Bingo. WD40 is addictive for this very reason. Once you use it, you have to keep on using it. I prefer a less sticky solution, like Boeshield T-4 or Militec. Boeshield is pretty much my go-to lubricant for around the house type of stuff.
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I must be getting sold a different Boeshield than you're getting. My cans leave a waxy residue.
 
i did come across some past speculation that WD40 is primarily kerosene in a spray can?!
for knives, i prefer teflon coated gun lubricants.
 
WD40 works great as a solvent to clean and loosen things. After that I generally use a lube that dries and bonds to the metal so it will not attract dirt. Many silicone sprays will remain wet and sticky. This may tend to gum things up after a while. Try flushing it out with WD40. If you like the way it works use the WD40 or anything else you like.
 
JNewell said:
I must be getting sold a different Boeshield than you're getting. My cans leave a waxy residue.
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Oops, didn't notice this reply. If you wipe it down once, it doesn't attract dirt. Even if you don't wipe it down, I find that the waxiness repels dust, rather than attracting it.
 
enkidu said:
Oops, didn't notice this reply. If you wipe it down once, it doesn't attract dirt. Even if you don't wipe it down, I find that the waxiness repels dust, rather than attracting it.
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This advice also works for WD40, if you're concerned about gumming up.

GIRLYmann said:
i did come across some past speculation that WD40 is primarily kerosene in a spray can?!
Click to expand...

Mostly kerosene-like solvent, with some mineral oil added.

L. Richard said:
I use the same lubrication for knives as I use for the rotary valves on my French horn: mineral oil or sewing machine oil, diluted to the desired viscosity with ultra-pure lamp oil (also called paraffin or kerosene, depending on where you live). It's cheap, works well, and there is no residue build-up.
Click to expand...

This is sort of a home brew WD40. IIRC, it's mineral oil thinned out to about 1/4, most of the rest being the solvent. Of course, being home brew, one can vary the ratios to one's content.


vwb563 said:
i sprayed silicone on my swiss army knife and it started melting the handle material. i wiped it off immediately but it still managed to do some damage.,,,VWB.
Click to expand...

Beware, some silicone oils may contain a wide array of other stuff. After looking up some MSDS sheets for various household chemicals recently, I found that many silicone lubricants contain mostly a variety of petroleum solvents/oils. This was a bit of a surprise, as silicone lubes are often used specifically in applications where petroleum products may be harmful and avoided. Some silicone lubes even had fairly aggressive solvents, such as acetone, in rather high percentage per volume.

In addition, the cellidor scales used on SAKs is really a legacy material, and less than optimal plastic for such an application. It's attacked by substances as common and mild as rubbing alcohol. It's likely that it would never be used on a new design, were it not for tradition.
 
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