Traditional Folders with Carbon Blades/Springs---Oil Inside of Spring?

AFAustin

AFAustin

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Jun 8, 2004
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I am pretty careful about keeping my carbon blade trad folders clean and dry and haven't had any rust problems. I'm assuming that most of these folders also have carbon springs, which brings up an issue. It's not as easy to maintain the inside of the spring(s) and sometimes I will notice a few rust spots forming. Is it a good idea to leave a thin layer of mineral oil on the inside of the spring so as to prevent this? The only downside I see is the possibility of attracting lint, but honestly don't think that would be much of a problem.

I'd appreciate any advice on this.

Thanks,

Andrew
 
My 2 cents' worth:

I'd think it couldn't hurt, so long as the application isn't excessive. I've never deliberately or specifically oiled the springs on any of mine. Instead, on the occasion that I oil the pivot on the knife, some always tends to migrate to the spring/liner interface anyway. I just wipe away any excess that oozes or dribbles out in the minutes after oiling, and that's always been enough for mine.

Keeping the knife clean & dry will have the greater impact on spring function anyway. Dirt & grime trapped between springs & liners are what will cause most problems. This is why I've preferred to minimize the oil in there, as too much of it will tend to grab & hold the dirty stuff that makes it gritty. At times, when I've noticed an obvious uptick in the rust spotting on edges of springs, I've scrubbed what I can reach with some WD-40 and a wire brush or something similar, and then flushed it out with some more WD-40, then let that dry off. I've seldom needed to do any more than that.

BTW, I do collect a lot of pocket lint in the bladewells of my folders. That's yet another reason I'd rather not have too much oil in there, as it'll grab every little bit of that lint and make it more troublesome to blow out.


David
 
Last edited:
WD 40 is your friend. Spray the knife, wipe off, and carry it.

Do this periodically.
 
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