Will Breakfree CLP damage knife coatings?

[amg137]

I've only recently started collecting folders, and obtained a couple titanium nitride coated blades last week. Normally I treat all of my knives with Breakfree CLP, but I noticed after applying it to the coated blades that something black was rubbing off on the cloth I used to apply the oil. Since then, the coating appears noticeably lighter as well. I noticed something similar with my KaBar USMC as well; I've since switched over to Hoppes #9 for the coated non-food blades, and mineral oil for those that may be used for food prep.

Does Breakfree damage all knife coatings, or are there certain types that are OK? Will it harm any handle materials? I was under the impression that it was generally fine for all knives since it doesn't contain any aggressive plastic-dissolving solvents like acetone, and I'm a little afraid to keep using it now. On a related note, does anyone know what the primary solvent is in Breakfree? I'm a chemist and stuff like that interests me.

-amg137

 

[drichardson67]

I've never heard of anything like that, but I'm so sold on Frog Lube for my CLP that I use nothing else--it's food grade, too.

 

[smokinbasser]

I don't think the US army would use it without a load of testing. I have not observed any issues in my 25 t0 30 years of using it on guns, knives and hinges.

 

[Steven65]

I cannot speak about the chemical composition but I have cleaned and oiled my knives for over 30 years with it (all my guns too).
I have used it on CRK one piece knives with Kal-Guard, coated Busse's, every manner of folder, fixed blade and traditional you care to name. All my customs are protected with it and I have had excellent results living 50 metres from the South Atlantic.

 

[tiguy7]

Some blades are coated with paint, others are coated with a ceramic material like Tungsten Carbide (TDLC) or Titanium Nitride (TiN). Oil and/or solvents will go after the former but not the latter. Many military blades were coated with a Phosphate material which is quite resistant to solvents but not abrasion.

 

[Silvanus]

Some blades are coated with paint, others are coated with a ceramic material like Tungsten Carbide (TDLC) or Titanium Nitride (TiN). Oil and/or solvents will go after the former but not the latter.

Ive had a ZT 0350 with a DLC coated blade have some of the coating removed by AFFF firefighting foam. I had to open some new buckets of foam after a fire and some of the liquid foam got on the blade. I just wiped it off thinking nothing of it, but later I found spots on the blade where the coating had been eaten away by the foam.

 

[tiguy7]

I can't imagine what is in fire fighters foam that would go after Tungsten Carbide, but the coatings are quite thin. You can use a DLC coated blade as a finishing steel for your other knives. It Rockwells at about 72 C. A painted blade will be unmasked by this process.