Recommendation? Best lube for FRN?

cbrstar

cbrstar

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Sep 7, 2015
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Sorry if this is a dumb question...

I purchased a Native 5 light weight a month or so ago. When I bought it I found the action to be very stiff compared the the Delica and Endura at the store. But I thought the action would eventually break in and smooth out like the two knives above. I've been fiddling with the knife when I watch TV almost every other day and it's still pretty awful to be honest. I've since learned that this model doesn't have any washers.

I thought maybe I should try lubricating the pivot, but what I'm worried about is the type of oil to use? The reason I'm concerned is one of my other passions is watchmaking. With watches you have to be careful to what oil you use in a quartz watch. This is because regular watch oil will actually break down plastics and damage them.
I know FRN is a tough plastic and much more so then a tiny gear in a watch, but I still wanna play it safe.

Thanks for the help guys! And Sal if you are reading this if you could add some washers to knives like the Native 5 LW in the future IMHO that would be awesome.
 
There are much better lubricants than WD40. Like, almost everything.

I've carried and used Spyderco FRN knives for twenty years and gotten all kinds of harsh (industrial) chemicals on them. I've managed to stain ATS-55 with some of those chemicals, but none of them have bothered the FRN a bit. I would flush out the pivot and lock bar area with brake cleaner, Gun Scrubber or starting fluid then give it a couple of drops of RemOil if it was mine.
 
Forget WD40:eek: Although it is a good cleaner it sucks as a lube. Check out Nick's disassembly video and you will be all set.
 
KPL seems to get good feedback, but I haven’t tried it. I’ve had decent luck with mineral oil, and it’s not toxic.
 
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WD-40 is mineral oil, but it's got a thinner in it that spreads it into nooks and crannies. It ends up a bit dirty cause it helps clean. So it's not idea as a long term lubricant, but can be used as a lube. Nano oil is mineral oil but is expensive for mineral oil and it has snake oil marketing, so best to avoid completely.

Mineral oil works fine. Though it's not that long lasting as other products, but it is food safe.

Kpl is said to be far better than other lubes when comparing them. Seems to work well. Dunno how well it works on frn. It is a synthetic lubrication though unlike mineral oil. It's some what affordable... Though there is cheaper stuff available.that will probably be just fine to use.
 
Thanks for info on mineral oil Mo2. I never researched Nano oil or kpl so you just saved me a bunch of time and a little cash:). I also didn't know WD-40 had a thinner in it but that explains why it takes Sharpie of electrical panels. I stopped using it as a lubricant years ago and now I only use it for ink removal because it wont lift paint like Goof Off. I also learned from an old fisherman that it is an fish attractant for saltwater fish when sprayed on lures. Go figure:confused:
 
Night Rider said:
Thanks for info on mineral oil Mo2. I never researched Nano oil or kpl so you just saved me a bunch of time and a little cash:). I also didn't know WD-40 had a thinner in it but that explains why it takes Sharpie of electrical panels. I stopped using it as a lubricant years ago and now I only use it for ink removal because it wont lift paint like Goof Off. I also learned from an old fisherman that it is an fish attractant for saltwater fish when sprayed on lures. Go figure:confused:
Click to expand...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40
Here's the wiki on Wd40 that explains it in more detail. I was just being simplistic
 
Get some 0-20 weight car oil, heat it up a bit and drop the knife in it. I let it sit for a couple of minutes so it gets into every part.
Pull it out and wipe everything off with paper towels and rubbing alcohol. The volcanic texture of theft can be tricky but with liberal amounts of alcohol it comes clean. Contact cleaner should also work on cleaning up the knife.
 
I use KPL, it works well...use just a dab, not a dollop, not a drop...just a tiny dab lol

Anymore and you will be wiping it off your blade days from now ;)
 
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I like to use dry lubes for bicycle chains. You can find them at any decent bicycle shop. My favorite is Finish Line dry (Teflon based). WD-40 makes a dry lube that is pretty good too. I don't really care for White Lightning, this one is wax based and builds up pretty fast and collects more grime than the others I mentioned.
 
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wire edge said:
KPL seems to get good feedback, but I haven’t tried it. I’ve had decent luck with mineral oil, and it’s not toxic.
Click to expand...

619™ said:
I use KPL, it works well...use just a dab, not a dollop, not a drop...just a tiny dab lol

Anymore and you will be wiping it off your blade days from now ;)
Click to expand...

Switched to KPL this past year, works great. From KPL's web site 'That said, KPL does not contain toxic ingredients.'; I use it on the pivot area, not the blade... As 619 pointed out, just a dab will do :)
 
I think the LW not having washers is intentional and over time it seems like the FRN builds a "film" on the pivot area that smooths the action out.

If not, try any of the above ideas...at least they weren't like Emerson customer service who I called after buying a 6 year old NOS Commander and when I called to ask about lube (action was horrible) they said "just use it", I explained why and they again said "just use it", about a month later after the action not getting any better (and other reasons) I sold it *eyeroll*
 
WD40 can flush out grime/dirt and the thin oil left should help somewhat. I use baby oil (fragrant mineral oil) if I want more, but most of the time, not needed. Once I did that to my old Resilience and the result is instant freeing up, although previously I have tried using sewing machine oil (another form of mineral oil I guess) but the action was still a bit slow/heavy. Apparently the WD40 went into crevices and ‘clean up’ the grime/dirt, resulting in instant drop when lockbar released (got cut because of it, blade is edge all the way to ricasso).

I also found WD40 helped on my Atlantic Salt, another no washer FRN.

Does it (Native) have lockbar screw? If yes, try loosening it up a bit. Too tight will cause lockbar to have difficulty to move and adding friction to blade tang. I found for lockback, the biggest contributor to friction is the lockbar/tang interface. Not free moving lockbar will definitely cause more friction.

Hope this helps. Most of my knives are lockbacks. Lastly, I don’t think washer is needed, as John mentioned, it’ll smooth out in time (referring to my Atlantic Salt).
 
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I forgot to add in my previous post, The most important thing is to start with a clean knife. Flush the pivot and lock up area first! If you add lube to a dirty knife you will just create a gritty paste that makes it feel even worse. To flush you can use hot soapy water, WD-40 works well too. If you have access to a air compressor, blow it out after each flushing, sometimes it takes 3-5 times to get the gunk out.
 
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