Vaseline as lubricant?

Shecky-
Let me ask you this-
How many pocketknives have you rebuilt? Where do you get your expertise?
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Shecky-
Let me ask you this-
How many pocketknives have you rebuilt? Where do you get your expertise?
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Sorry, your Excellency. I bow to your superior knowledge.

Then again, can you actually argue against my points?

The unlubed SAKS do very well indeed. And so far, the cleaned, degreased Kershaw AOs seem to do as well without lubrication.

I have one knife from a well known US company that started galling almost out of the box, with factory oil still there. The tang did look a bit rough. Oil masks the problem for a while. The old, worn knives seemed to have problems not from lack of oil, but existence of grime and grit.

My hypothesis presents something of a chicken-or-egg scenario. But it does explain the problem. I'm sticking with it.

So there.
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Newbie question - how do you keep the oil from gradually leaking out into your pocket? Even with a super light application, over time the oil would still slowly move down into your pocket, wouldn't it?
 
If you use enough oil to seep out and be noticeable on your clothing, then you're using way too much.
 
shecky said:
Heh... Congratualtions! You kinda just reinvented WD40!
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Not really.

WD-40 is a Water Displacer. When it evaporates it leaves nothing behind; this is why it is not a good choice as a lubricant.

Diluted Vaseline will leave the Vaseline behind when the thinners evaporate, so there will still be some sort of lubricant there.
 
rmfnla said:
Not really.

WD-40 is a Water Displacer. When it evaporates it leaves nothing behind; this is why it is not a good choice as a lubricant.

Diluted Vaseline will leave the Vaseline behind when the thinners evaporate, so there will still be some sort of lubricant there.
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WD40 is a Water Displacer. Made mostly from a kerosene-like solvent with some mineral oil added.

Folks seem to get hung up on "water displacer", without realizing that the ingredients of WD40 have no magical properties. Even more interesting are the claims made, attributing a wide variety of things to WD40, sometimes even contradictory. It's not a lube, even though it has oil in it. It prevents rust. It causes rust. It leaves varnish behind. It leaves nothing behind, which is a new one to me.

It's just oil thinned with solvent. Don't take my word for it. Look it up. Yes, oil or solvent are decent at displacing water. In combination, it also makes an OK light, thin lube.
 
Since brass has natural lubroscity, I asked the question here if it was better to leave slipjoints with brass liners unlubricated. I mentioned that my Peanut's mechanical action seemed pretty smooth without oil. Tony Bose quickly responded that was a quick way to wear out the joint on any slipjoint knife.

If you're using so much oil/grease that you're attracting dirt, you're using too much. I use mineral oil with a needle applicator. If you don't have a bottle with a needle applicator, you could use an actual needle or pin to get 1/4 of a drop of oil on each side of the blade.
 
Gunzilla!
I bought some to use on my guns and tried some on my knives and it works great on both. Nice smell and non toxic.
 
Bees wax heated until liquid and "painted" on the inside of your leather sheath works wonders for difficult leather. I mix mine with a bit of boot dressing and apply with an artists brush down as far into the scabbard as I can reach with it. One should never leave a knife in leather when stored anyway, so there is no fear for the boot dressing contaminating the blade. Vasaline??? it's a bedroom product not a knife product!
 
A light machine oil works and is not expensive.
As far as not oiling folders that works if you wish to wear the parts out prematurely. It is obvious that metal to metal friction causes wear. The wear will be slowed by proper lubrication.

"Oil the joints" is a term knifemakers use, your knife will function better and last longer.
 
shecky said:
WD40 is a Water Displacer. Made mostly from a kerosene-like solvent with some mineral oil added.

Folks seem to get hung up on "water displacer", without realizing that the ingredients of WD40 have no magical properties. Even more interesting are the claims made, attributing a wide variety of things to WD40, sometimes even contradictory. It's not a lube, even though it has oil in it. It prevents rust. It causes rust. It leaves varnish behind. It leaves nothing behind, which is a new one to me.

It's just oil thinned with solvent. Don't take my word for it. Look it up. Yes, oil or solvent are decent at displacing water. In combination, it also makes an OK light, thin lube.
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I'll leave the hair-splitting to my knives (and not lube them with Vasaline or WD40).
 
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donny bee said:
I do not use anything for lube on any folder ever, its just not needed with most folders.
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I must agree with this. had plenty of folders and never needed lube.
Used compressed air to clear out any dust and debris, that stopped wearing.
 
Who was it that recomended a mixture of 50% parafin, and 50% vaseline? They said if you melt equal amounts of each into a small container, that it makes for an excelent lubricant that doesn't wipe off too easily yet doesn't attract dirt/grime. Anyone here ever try it?
 
WD 40 might work. I Have Personally never tried it. also, maybe PAM kictchen spray. some guys a my school use PAM as lubriccant for their skateboard wheels. whatever you do, if your trying something new, try it on a chap knife first.
 
I use White Lightning bought at a cyle store. At toom temp it's a whitish fluid with teflon bits in. Clean the knife with Zippo fluid, blow completely dry and lube. It's dries to a soft waxy lube and excess can be wiped off. I also use it on the MTB chain and the key is to get lube that won't gung up with sand and dirt.

I have used mineral oil but find that it picks up grit and dust over time that makes for more of a grinding past. I am sure that if you clean the folder out frequently and re-lube it won't be a problem. Oh, and make sure to wipe of exces unles you like oily spots on your clothing.
 
How about a little common sense here. Keep your knives as clean a reasonable possible and use as little lubricant as is needed. Focus on bigger issues.
Common sense - oops what am I thinking.
 
smitty0331 said:
Who was it that recomended a mixture of 50% parafin, and 50% vaseline? They said if you melt equal amounts of each into a small container, that it makes for an excelent lubricant that doesn't wipe off too easily yet doesn't attract dirt/grime. Anyone here ever try it?
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That was me... :)
I've used 50:50 vaseline:beeswax for 30+ years on various low-speed, high-pressure joints,
like knife pivots, gate hinges, pliers, wire cutters, bicycle chains, etc.

Beeswax is a 'sticky' wax but, for low-speed applications, it works great because it has
excellent film strength, that is, it stays in the joint and prevents metal-to-metal contact.

It also adheres like crazy to most surfaces (like steel, brass, etc) so it won't easily wipe off nor sling off.

The problem with it is that it's hard to get into tight joints, like knife pivots, and, used in pure form is too 'thick' ( or viscous).
To solve that, you mix it with another, lighter oil or wax, like vaseline, or (my favorite) automotive refridgeration oil.
But, almost any lube oil will work to 'thin' the beeswax. I've used 30wt motor oil, etc.
Mineral oil won't work, nor will silicone grease, because beeswax will not dissolve in them...they're chemically too different from the beeswax.

You can adjust the viscosity of your homemade grease by adjusting the beeswax content. A 50:50 mix of Beeswax:vaseline gives a grease about like shoe polish. The same ratio with auto oils is thinner. While you're at it, I'd make two versions, say, 50% beeswax, and another batch of 25% beeswax.
That way you have both a thinner and a heavier grease.

To get it into tight places, apply a small dollop to the edge of the jount, then heat the object with a hair-drier, heat-gun, etc, just to the point where the grease melts and flows into the joint. Allow to cool, then wipe off the excess.

Another way to apply it is to add quite a bit of lighter fluid to your 'dollop' and paint, drizzle, or inject that into the joint. Lighter fluid dissolves both the beeswax and the vaseline, oil, etc and allows it to flow properly. Then, thru the magic of evaporation, the lighter fluid will evap, leaving your lube in place in the joint. I use that method for knives I don't want to heat up with the hair drier.

Works for me.
 
Beeswax and beeswax:vaseline grease are useful for several other knife and outdoor
related things.

1.It makes an excellent protective blade coating for long term storage.
Just wipe/smear onto the blade, leaving a visible film.
For later sharpening, remove the grease with a lighter fluid soaked
paper towel. Otherwise the grease will trap metal and abrasive particles.

2.It makes a very good leather/sheath/holster/boot waterproofer and treatment.
Wipe a coating onto the leather, and warm with a hair drier to
soak it in. Then wipe on an additional coating and buff with a soft cloth.
This gives a nice shine to the leather.
However, since beeswax contains some chemicals that will slowly react with copper,
avoid using it inside the sheath if your knife has brass fittings, guards, etc.
The beeswax will cause a green film to develop on the brass.

3.Pure beeswax makes an excellent 'leather hardener', for forming sheaths and holsters.
Once you've shaped the leather to conform to the knife, pistol, etc,(usually by
wetting the leather, shaping/forming it wet, then allowing it to dry), you can
saturate the leather with beeswax and it will harden the leather in the shape
you've formed. (Apparently, the Romans used this method to make leather armor.)

a. Carefully heat the dry leather article surface quite hot using a heat gun or propane torch.
b. Rub a beeswax block onto the hot item until it cools enough that the beeswax begins to harden.
c. Carefully re-heat the item so that the beeswax soaks into the leather.
d. Repeat the beeswax application and heating until no more beeswaxwill soak into the item.
e. Allow to cool, and buff with a cloth.
Articles treated this way are essentially waterproof and will not lose their shape if they get wet.
Caution: if you use a torch to heat the article, play a soft flame lightly, and quickly over the surface.
Do not linger in any spot or the leather will scorch.
 
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