The Ultimate Lubricant Thread

[mamba-man]

So what do you use - WD-40, 3-in-one, Tuf-Glide, Militec-1, Breakfree CLP, Mineral Oil, Silicon, Silicone, White Lightning, Teflon, Light Machine Oil, Grease, ..?

There are lots if threads on lubricants, but most seem to peter out inconclusively. Perhaps we can try to get some sort of scientific consensus on the best lubricants for various tasks, e.g. knives that cut food, knives in a marine environment, folders, fixed, etc?

We should also look at health and safety aspects, since many people here use Teflon-containing lubes like Tuf-Glide, which contains Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which has been linked to health problems. See http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Teflon/teflon.htm

I like the look of plain silicon oil (RustFree), a safe alternative http://www.agrussell.com/accessories/polishing/rustfree.html

Other issues I'd like to throw out there:

• Silicone sprays are not good. The petrochemicals in the spray can damage plastic handles (I'm not sure how it would affect G10 and FRN but probably badly). The same goes for WD-40.
  
• BreakFree CLP is a good lube, but it has an unusual smell that makes me wary. I suspect it is a mutagen or carcinogen, but then I am paranoid. You put your health at risk when you use mysterious proprietary products with unknown ingredients.
  
• 3 in one is crap. It contains resins that dry to form gummy deposits (“resinification&#8221
  
• Militec-1 seems to have a safe profile: http://www.laniganperformance.com/Militec_is.html Can we give it an unreserved thumbs up? I have yet to see a full ingredients list.
  
• Is Mineral Oil a good lubricant for knives used to cut food? And then again, which are bad for this purpose? You don't want to peel an apple with your knife and give it to your child to eat, if the apple is then contaminated with the "great" knife lube that also just happens to a mutagen!
  

Comments?

 

[Coldwood]

K-Y Jelly. I just had to say it, sorry if I beat the rest of you guys to it.

 

[Mike G]

Militec-1 for all of my knives.

If I'm cutting food, I give my blade a quick wipe with a towel, and go for it.

 

[Coldwood]

All seriousness aside, I would recommend olive oil for wiping a blade before cutting food. It is non-allergenic, unlike peanut oil, it is the only oil that can be eaten as a food and it is good for your heart. Some knifemakers even quench their blades in it.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

Mineral oil for knives that'll come into contact with food. I also use it as a honing oil on bench stones. Works as a lube and preservative, too. Olive oil and other veg. oils turn rancid over time.

For sheer rust prevention I use Firepower FP-10, as I do on my firearms. I've never seen anything that works better. And it smells great, too, with a slight cinnamon scent.

I also have a bottle of Eezox which I like to use on stainless, for some reason. It's non-petroleum based.

-- Sam

 

[rosconey2]

have a tube of remington(rem oil) gun oil i recieved once with a knife-works nice

 

[mamba-man]

I also have a bottle of Eezox which I like to use on stainless, for some reason. It's non-petroleum based.

Eezox is made from "a formulation of solvents, synthetic lubricants and rust inhibitors" according to the maker. Hmmm, and what are they? We don't know. But I did find a MSDS for Eezox that shows it has at least one notifiable ingredient, namely Trichloroethylene that "may cause nervous system effects, liver and lung damage, abnormal heartbeat, coma, and possibly death" according to the US Govt. Caution advised!

 

[mamba-man]

BreakFree CLP is a good lube, but it has an unusual smell that makes me wary.

Aha! The strange, sweet odor is the toxic Trichloroethylene again.

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a nonflammable, colorless liquid with a somewhat sweet odor and a sweet, burning taste.

My suspicions are confirmed. :barf:

 

[Josh_43]

Mineral oil for knives that'll come into contact with food. I also use it as a honing oil on bench stones. Works as a lube and preservative, too. Olive oil and other veg. oils turn rancid over time.

For sheer rust prevention I use Firepower FP-10, as I do on my firearms. I've never seen anything that works better. And it smells great, too, with a slight cinnamon scent.

I also have a bottle of Eezox which I like to use on stainless, for some reason. It's non-petroleum based.

-- Sam

I'll second the FP-10 as a lubricant, but not sure about it's rust prevention. Also liked the eezox for lubrication, but only tried it recently.

And, for a 3-in-1, I really prefer G-96 Gun Treatment. It lubricates, stays on without residue and does the rust prevention. And not a bad smell, but it doesn't say what's in it, other than petroleum distillates (the horribly overpowering smell of Breakfree makes me very nauseus, very fast). A friend has used G96 for his hunting shotguns, and confirmed it works for rust prevention under real-life conditions over years.

 

[yoda4561]

Best I've found is MPC's FP-10, outperforms breakfree, Militec, ballistol, various teflon and moly greases, etc in terms of lubrication. I haven't tried Reeve's flourinated grease, which I hear is really good stuff. Gonna give mobil-1 a shot sometime to see if I can find a "budget" lube that's locally available that'll work better. If that doesn't do it I'll prolly just give up looking and just settle for FP10

 

[mamba-man]

Here's the FP-10 MSDS (Safety Sheet in Acrobat format). Looks relatively benign.

 

[yoda4561]

It is, the former head of FP-10's manufacture said that ingesting a gulp of it was not dangerous, but certainly not recommended either, not because of toxicity, but because the base oils have a strong laxative effect.

 

[Coldwood]

Sam, I would politely disagree about the use of mineral oil on the blade of a knife for food cutting. Mineral oil is a petroleum distillate. Like kerosene. Great for cleaning blades, but not for eating. Olive oil, at least the olive oil that I buy, does not go rancid. I cook with it all the time.
Don Craig, Saranac, NY

 

[mamba-man]

In reference to FP-10 as a laxative, mineral oil is used as a laxative, but then so is Castor Oil used in "Castrol Oil". My guess is castor oil is part of it.

 

[mamba-man]

Sam, I would politely disagree about the use of mineral oil on the blade of a knife for food cutting. Mineral oil is a petroleum distillate. Like kerosene. Great for cleaning blades, but not for eating. Olive oil, at least the olive oil that I buy, does not go rancid. I cook with it all the time.
Don Craig, Saranac, NY

Hmmm, seen this: http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Meds-MineralOil.asp

??

 

[yoda4561]

I believe FP-10's base oils are a semi-synthetic blend, of which the non-syn is mineral oil.

Mineral oil may be petroleum based, but that doesn't mean it's not safe to use on knives, in fact it's still available as a laxative at most drugstores.

 

[mamba-man]

K-Y Jelly. I just had to say it, sorry if I beat the rest of you guys to it.

K-Y contains glycerine (some spell it glycerin) which is the main ingredient in lubes for airbrushes. So maybe you speak some truth!

Glycerol can be used as a lubricant in situations where an oil would fail. It is recommended for use in oxygen compressors because it is more resistant to oxidation than mineral oils. Cosmetic, food, and pharmaceutical manufacturers may use glycerol instead of oil for a lubricant; especially, when the products come in contact with the lubricant. In the textile industry, glycerol is commonly used in connection with so called textile oils, in spinning, knitting and weaving operations.

It's also water soluble, I think. More here: http://www.acme-hardesty.com/productdetails.cfm?PID=28

 

[Coldwood]

On another note beyond food safety, has anybody used Hoppe's No. 9 gun solvent on knives? When I was a little kid, my father used it to clean all of his guns. I LOVE the smell of it, and I use it today on my guns. I think they ought to make it into a men's cologne. Is this sounding too gay? I think it's a great product.

 

[Django606]

I use this stuff: http://www.crcind.com.au/catalogue.nsf/web_brands/CRC+2-26?openDocument

It says it's for electrical, but it works very well on my knife pivots. It is also plastic safe, for those of you who are worried about FRN handles, etc.

 

[rifon2]

Mineral oil for knives that'll come into contact with food. I also use it as a honing oil on bench stones. Works as a lube and preservative, too. Olive oil and other veg. oils turn rancid over time.

For sheer rust prevention I use Firepower FP-10, as I do on my firearms. I've never seen anything that works better. And it smells great, too, with a slight cinnamon scent.

I also have a bottle of Eezox which I like to use on stainless, for some reason. It's non-petroleum based.

-- Sam

FP10 is the best lube I've ever used; glad to see it mentioned a few times in this thread.

I Use Tuf-Glide or FP10 for corrosion resistance, but then I don't use those blades for food.

For food use, the only lube/corrosion inhibitor I would trust for safety is food grade mineral oil.

I recently tried a product called INOX, from Australia, that supposedly is a good lube, corrosion inhibitor and safe to ingest. However, I was not at all impressed with its corrosion inhibiting ability. Just thought it was worth mentioning.