What Lubricant Should I Use for My Folders?

WD-40. Contains mineral spirits which clean the pivot then evaporate, leaving behind mineral oil - the same stuff in Johnson's baby oil. The high tech stuff with teflon etc certainly works, but mineral oil still smooths out the pivot like it always did. And a big can of WD-40 is 9 billion times less expensive than militec and its brethren.

I know I'm in the minority on this one. :)

Edit: what Bill said. :thumbup:
 
If WD-40 leaves behind a mineral oil residue, than why did it out perform Hoppe's Lubricating oil in some online testing (check out this thread and also be sure to click on the Brownell's link also!), when hoppes is basically just refined mineral oil (msds).
 
Shooter's Choice FP-10 is the best I've used.

For about 6 years now, on hundreds of folders - mine and others'.
No buildup whatsoever and a fantastic lube.
Excellent for corrosion resistance too, but on that point I like Tuf-Cloth/Tuf-Glide better.

Militec 1 is pretty good, IMO a close second to FP-10.
(But I find the smell of Militec 1 to be intolerable.)
 
Guys-these aren't precision machines, they're pocket knives. For lubrication, any oil will do.
That said, the SLICKEST stuff I have found is Latama Quick Release.
 
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What Bill said...
Any oil will work.
Over the last 50 years I've used practically everything: 3-in-1, motor oil, mineral oil, vaseline, automotive refrigeration oil, WD-40, CLP, silicone, beeswax, graphite...yada,yada...

Find one that lasts the longest and doesn't attract much pocket lint.
 
i tried remoil to loosen up my crossbill but it didnt work half as good as miltech 1. I'm really suprised at how well miltech 1 works. I mean most of my knifes have come with really well and smooth hinges but my crossbill was crazy tight, now its pretty smooth considering how bad it was when ti first came to me. Just a few drops of miltech 1 and a few hours of playing with it really changed my mind about it.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Guys-these aren't precision machines, they're pocket knives. For lubrication, any oil will do.
That said, the SLICKEST stuff I have found is Latama Quick Release.
Click to expand...

Technically, you're correct, any old oil will lubricate most moving parts but there is a slight problem. Pour some gear oil on your folder and it will slide really nicely, it will also pick up every molecule of dust and lint and other crap within a 50 kilometre radius. Tuff-Glide lubricates nicely, has some corrosion resistance and doesn't seem to be a crap magnet.

That's my experience anyway.
 
As per the MSDS, Hoppe's is just "white mineral oil" which I would assume is just highly refined and thinned mineral oil. Obviously this isn't going to be the same as laxative grade mineral oil and FDA approved, but one would think it isn't exactly the worst stu to use on a food-prep folder either.

Any thoughts?
 
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