WD-40 for cleaning gunk

When I've used it to clean sap from my fingers, it's just a matter of moistening a paper towel with a little bit and using that to wipe the sap off. Takes maybe ~ 30 seconds to a minute or so, and doesn't approach 'prolonged contact' at all. After that, wash the hands as usual and maybe throw on a little lotion. It can dry the skin a bit; but then, so will Windex, WD-40, isopropyl alchohol (it's worse), kerosene, lighter fluid and so many other things that so many casually use for similar purposes while thinking nothing of it.

And for taking sap off a knife blade, a Q-tip moistened with it is usually enough. If it needs a little more, just moisten the spot on the blade and let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe it away.

The biggest issue I have with Goo-Gone is just the smell of it, which can linger for a while on the skin. Hence, washing the hands afterward is also the best 'fix' for that.
I’m scrupulous when it comes to smell avoidance (so I would think something of using most of the items you mention), and it’s funny that some things don’t bother me, e.g., alcohol, bleach, comet. But you won’t catch me near any scented products, even scented Purcell make me want to puke. I can’t stand shoe polish, “deoderizers,” dryer sheets, etc. These things drive me crazy.

Does the goo gone have an added scent to mask the smell (this can be worse) or just has a smell? Like anything you can compare it to?

(Surprisingly there are some outstanding products that are very simple, effective, and odor free—I wish this would catch on so there wouldn’t be so much stinky stuff! I own only one conventional type of wipe for sanitizing.)
 
Thanks for all the responses I used wd40 and it worked pretty well I think I’ll use lighter fluid to do the rest, does lighter fluid cause corrosion on carbon steel or is it ok if you give it a good wiping/oiling after?

Use the zippo lighterfluid without worrying about causing corrosion to carbon steel. It won’t cause it to corrode.
 
No painter's tape? I keep several roll upstairs and downstairs.

Yes, definitely! I should have included that on my list.

And regarding solvents/cleaners to avoid -- acetone will remove a lot of things (and melt plastics!) but it's definitely not something you want to have in contact with your skin.

(Fun trick: pour some acetone in a small glass bowl and then throw in some Styrofoam packing peanuts. Then throw in some more. And some more. And...)
 
Purell or one of the other anti bacterials work pretty darn well at removing tree pitch from your hands or knife blade
That made me think of Baby Wipes Huggies Fragrance Free. That is what The Chef swears by for all this kind of thing.
 
Cheers for all the responses I ended up soaking a q tip in wd40 and cleaned the rest of the sap off now I have a fairly shiny free Tops knife :)
 
I normally use odorless mineral spirit or WD40. Goo Gone for the tough jobs. They all work.

I’m scrupulous when it comes to smell avoidance (so I would think something of using most of the items you mention), and it’s funny that some things don’t bother me, e.g., alcohol, bleach, comet. But you won’t catch me near any scented products, even scented Purcell make me want to puke.

If you want eco-friendly, skin safe, and no gnarly smells to deal with, here's one I've been using lately as a homemade cleaner. Just used it tonight in fact to clean box tape goo off of 5 folders.

Make a small amount of this paste and store excess in a tupperware:
* 1 part baking soda
* 1 part coconut oil

Smear the paste on the gooey stuff, let it sit for a while for tough spots, or just scrub it right off. It's totally non-toxic, safe on skin, no gnarly fumes to worry about, can flush down the drain when done.

y4mfsV6d1ov5kxK5cTKzPYZiUCd_mMvdbiGyaS2TPhMLFTW7fUB-rZVpl9A8tux_zj0fLKSkiGf_64m-bDMv4NV7JEzA6zGYm1Uee_MPSEVwfFqWTHJR5YilkUB4A_TbTQK5ThDnLZcidFE2i8K0IMcj_Mit6e5WP7ozq3yjUfDUfzf_PhrOD-AY78pn4C3xS313iU5z9hG2VzvHnls6-AbmA
 
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But you won’t catch me near any scented products, even scented Purcell make me want to puke. I can’t stand shoe polish, “deoderizers,” dryer sheets, etc. These things drive me crazy.
Agreed.
Add to that "air fresheners" which just prevents your olfactory from functioning as it should rather than remove anything from the atmosphere in the room.

Make a small amount of this paste and store excess in a tupperware:
* 1 part baking soda
* 1 part coconut oil
Thank you ! Box tape glue is my nemesis.

I have a gallon of WD and will always use it but a less toxic alternative is always desirable.
 
I’m scrupulous when it comes to smell avoidance (so I would think something of using most of the items you mention), and it’s funny that some things don’t bother me, e.g., alcohol, bleach, comet. But you won’t catch me near any scented products, even scented Purcell make me want to puke. I can’t stand shoe polish, “deoderizers,” dryer sheets, etc. These things drive me crazy.

Does the goo gone have an added scent to mask the smell (this can be worse) or just has a smell? Like anything you can compare it to?

(Surprisingly there are some outstanding products that are very simple, effective, and odor free—I wish this would catch on so there wouldn’t be so much stinky stuff! I own only one conventional type of wipe for sanitizing.)

I have the same sort of sensitivities to scented products in general, some of which really irritate my sinuses. Scented baby oil, for example, when I've tried that for sharpening purposes on oil stones. That smell lingers in my sinuses for hours after I've finished and cleaned up. I used to use dryer sheets, many years ago, until one day I actually developed a rash with BLISTERS, directly underneath the collar of a shirt that'd been laundered with them. Before the rash & blisters developed, I'd frequently noticed some itchiness under the collar of that shirt and other clothing, where it contacted my skin. I think, in that one case, it was a combination of the scented additive in the dryer sheets, a polyester shirt (eventually ditched those, too) and a very hot day that had me sweating a lot. I never had that problem again, after ditching the dryer sheets and any other type of scented fabric softeners in my laundry.

With Goo Gone, it's more about a lingering petroleum-ish odor of it's base solvent that I also notice from products like (so-called) 'odorless' mineral spirits, which is NOT odorless, but maybe just less foul-smelling than other types. I've tried using that before, for cleaning wood and such; but then the wood STINKS of the stuff for a couple or three days afterward. The Goo Gone odor isn't as persistent as from the mineral spirits, and it cleans up fairly easily by washing the hands. So, I can live with it.

I think Goo Gone's added citrus-based element may add some light scent. But for the most part, I don't think that's what bothers me, surprisingly.
 
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Make a small amount of this paste and store excess in a tupperware:
* 1 part baking soda
* 1 part coconut oil

Smear the paste on the gooey stuff, let it sit for a while for tough spots, or just scrub it right off. It's totally non-toxic, safe on skin, no gnarly fumes to worry about, can flush down the drain when done.

I cook with small amounts of coconut oil occasionally and have found that depending on the degree of processing it may (or may not) be completely odorless. In either case, it is generally solid at room temps. So, I have a few questions?

What kind of coconut oil do you recommend? Is it solid at room temp?

What do you scrub it off with?

The NaHCO3 is not too abrasive?
 
Agreed.
Add to that "air fresheners" which just prevents your olfactory from functioning as it should rather than remove anything from the atmosphere in the room.

Yes, I'm always left wondering what the smell is that they are trying to obfuscate, must really be bad! It's not a mystery that these air fresheners are toxic and unhealthy; unfortunately they seem to be on the rise--ubiquitous.:mad:

I wonder if we could start a thread for people and products (knife-related) that are non-toxic, non-scented, etc.
 
I have the same sort of sensitivities to scented products in general, some of which really irritate my sinuses. Scented baby oil, for example, when I've tried that for sharpening purposes on oil stones. That smell lingers in my sinuses for hours after I've finished and cleaned up. I used to use dryer sheets, many years ago, until one day I actually developed a rash with BLISTERS, directly underneath the collar of a shirt that'd been laundered with them. Before the rash & blisters developed, I'd frequently noticed some itchiness under the collar of that shirt and other clothing, where it contacted my skin. I think, in that one case, it was a combination of the scented additive in the dryer sheets, a polyester shirt (eventually ditched those, too) and a very hot day that had me sweating a lot. I never had that problem again, after ditching the dryer sheets and any other type of scented fabric softeners in my laundry.

With Goo Gone, it's more about a lingering petroleum-ish odor of it's base solvent that I also notice from products like (so-called) 'odorless' mineral spirits, which is NOT odorless, but maybe just less foul-smelling than other types. I've tried using that before, for cleaning wood and such; but then the wood STINKS of the stuff for a couple or three days afterward. The Goo Gone odor isn't as persistent as from the mineral spirits, and it cleans up fairly easily by washing the hands. So, I can live with it.

I think Goo Gone's added citrus-based element may add some light scent. But for the most part, I don't think that's what bothers me, surprisingly.

Thanks for the details. Yes, it attacks my sinuses first and depending, I can get quite ill.

There seem to be a few problems with the added scents, apart from the fact that they may perform no active purpose: many of them are chemical cocktails of 100+ chemicals, not just "lemon" or "orange" or "cinnamon" from real lemons, oranges, or cinnamon.

Many scents are proprietary so the consumer has no idea what it is until after they get it home and open it.

~15% or so of the public has a "perfume" allergy, so why accelerate the use of non-active ingredient chemicals?

From Journal of Environmental Health:
Results aggregated from both surveys found that 30.5% of the general population reported scented products on others irritating, 19% reported adverse health effects from air fresheners, and 10.9% reported irritation by scented laundry products vented outside. This study reveals that a considerable percentage of the U.S. population reports adverse health effects or irritation from fragranced products, with higher percentages among those with asthma and chemical sensitivity.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19326669
 
Just regular, solid coconut oil, I just grab some of the stuff in a tub that we buy from costco and cook with. It's solid at room temperature unless you get above its melting point in the mid 70's. It makes a paste about the consistency of toothpaste, or similar to something like Flitz, so easy to apply to metal. I use a soft rag to wipe it off. I've used it on numerous blades (420HC, 14c28n, S35vn, M390, D2, S30v) and not seen it create scratches. One thing I found was it's easier to use if you let it just sit there for an hour or so, often the packing tape goo then just wipes right off without much scrubbing.

What kind of coconut oil do you recommend? Is it solid at room temp?

What do you scrub it off with?

The NaHCO3 is not too abrasive?
 
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