Unearthed an Old Buddy

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harlycarly

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I was digging around in catch all drawer looking for a key when I came upon an old Buck 425 that had slid way back in the drawer. It is (was) a bright blue and the "V" mark denotes 1989 manufacture, which sounds about right as I bought a bunch of them and gifted them to friends and family. A couple of quick passes over the sharpener got it shaving sharp, so I thought I'd put it back into EDC service. It is a bit grubby, so I decided to try and clean it up a bit. Scraped the insides out with a toothpick and started dragging out some real funk. I was thinking about what a lab analysis of this might come up with. Apple, orange, pear, radish, garden greens, probably onion, dirt from the old cabin I lived in back then, motor oil sludge, chain lube, pocket lint, hair, skin follicles, and coagulated sweat. Blood: trout, bass, perch, rabbit, game bird, deer (cooked and otherwise), and my own blood, possibly a speck or two of my wife's though she still has the red 425 I gave her back then and her personal & recreational habits are much more sanitary than mine.

I'm looking for recommendations as to the best way to thoroughly clean this baby up. I can use the toothpick, toothbrush method, but as you can imagine there are nooks and crannies all over that sludge has geeked into. I thought about running it through the dishwasher, bad idea? I should add that it opens, locks solidly with no play whatsoever, and disengages smoothly. I'm a little hesitant that being too aggressive with it might change all that. I also have to consider the fact that it will probably end up looking nasty again in short order.

Suggestions? I'm going to try to include a pic I took with my phone.IMG_0856.jpg
 
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Brake cleaner... in the rattle can. The little tube will help get in those hard to reach places and power the funk out.

I’ve used it on everything from g10 to stabilized woods with no issue. I’m not sure about the Valox handles though, but suspect they would be fine.

Once done, a dab of your favorite lube should get ‘er running like new.

Definately not engine degreaser though.
 
Soap and hot water, let it sit if as bad as you describe:eek:, repeat as necessary. Scrub with long bristle brush and if you have an air compressor, blow it out as you progress. Also use WD-40 after the S & W, blow it out and then use lubricant. I use Breakfree or G-96. Hope this helps. Preston
 
Leave it in a bowl of hot soapy water for a little while then scrub the heck out of it with a toothbrush.

Btw the full flat grind ( could be a very slight hollow like a case sodbuster ) on this looks way better than what the current ones have, they cut just fine but I'm sure these cut even better.
 
Thanks for the tips, especially on the ducks. Soap and scrub, with a little air and lube sounds like the ticket.
 
My Lady puts her Spyderco Q through the dishwasher, but the vegetable brush works better. I use full strngth Dr Bonners liquid soap.
 
I agree with the mentioned soap and water and a toothbrush method. That should do the trick. I use a Waterpik on high to flush stuff out as well.
 
I take my FRN or similar knives and put them in a pocket of my jeans and run them through a wash and dry cycle ( no clorox type bleach obviously, which is why I wash with colors). EWhen it's done if there was grease trapping lint in hard to reach areas it will be dry and much easier to get out with a toothpick. I rinse in water, dry then relube. Even on high heat the dryer won't damage knives ( note: I have no experience with gas dryers but suspect it should be OK as well).

Dishwasher machine washing soap contains pretty corrosive stuff. I wouldn't recommend it.

Joe
 
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Don't you love the feeling of finding a knife that you forgot about? It's like being reunited with an old friend and getting a new knife at the same time.
 
I found my old Boy Scout knife from the late 1940 to early 50s while tearing out a wall in my Mothers basement.

DSC02517_zps8knzm2ru.jpg
 
I had a red 425 that I lost in a house fire when I was a kid. It didn't burn up but I didn't get to it immediately and it went missing afterward. Never did replace it but I do miss it. Quite a handy little thing.
 
MarkN86 said:
I had a red 425 that I lost in a house fire when I was a kid. It didn't burn up but I didn't get to it immediately and it went missing afterward. Never did replace it but I do miss it. Quite a handy little thing.
Click to expand...

My very first Buck was a 425.
I didn't like using nail nicks at the time so I added an EO notch to it which I regret.


I also recently got my very first knife back, it was a red Victorinox classic I found when I was 3.

It was pretty dirty and gunked up, needless to say the hot soapy water and toothbrush did the trick just fine.
 
Thanks for all the interest and suggestions. Gave it a couple baths in hot soapy water. Used a heavy bristle bush about the size of a skinny toothbrush on all the surfaces wherever I could get at them. Followed up with a toothpick and another bath. Blasted with canned compressed air and I was unable to find any more funk when I used the toothpick method. Finally added a drop or two of mineral oil to the pivot and hit it again with some canned air. A strop or 2 and I swear it is clean enough and sharp enough to use for surgery.

Just wish it were trout season so I could gunk it all up again! What a wonderful little knife this is!!
 
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