Is non-petroleum based lithium grease OK to use to protect the blade from corrosion?

[HighlanderNorth]

I started using Lithium grease at my 1st job at a machine shop while in 10th grade in high school in 1984. I stayed there for about 2.5 years til after I graduated. But we used these 32oz tubs of white lithium grease to apply on the necks or front input shafts on torque converters for drag racing cars and street cars. We brushed it on in a thin film to prevent the neck from rusting or corroding right before we shipped them out.

Now, I was at a Lowes last year, when looking for some grease to lubricate the track rails on a friend/customer's stair lift, and I saw that they were carrying this new non-petroleum, soy based lithium grease in 8oz tubes. Well, the truth is, this stuff is much thicker than the lithium grease we used at the machine shop, and putting it into a tube with a small nozzle at the front with a small hole to squeeze it out of is a very bad idea, because that stuff does NOT want to come out of that little hole, no matter how hard you squeeze! So I just cut the tube in half, and spooned out the grease into a clean cottage cheese tub and put a lid on it. I've done that with a 2nd tube now too. This time I used a peanut butter jar!

Anyway, it is proven to be 4x more lubricating than petroleum based lubes. Its called 4X Ultra, and you can go to their website and see a demo of how much better it lubricates than many other types of lubes.

Its labeled for use on all metals and plastics even. It wont damage plastic like petroleum will. It is VERY viscous too, so a thin coat should hold up well if applied to the blade then stored.

Does anyone foresee any issues with that? I would think that it would hold up better than oil. Its non-corrosive.

 

[bdgackle]

I am not an expert, but I can't see any issue with this. I don't know that lubrication is an important quality for whatever you put on your Khukri (if you have moving parts, something is seriously wrong...), but anything that keeps water and oxygen away from the surface of the steel should prevent rust. This means pretty much anything non-acidic that has some sort of oil, wax or other non-polar base. Will the soy grease in question dissolve in water? That would be one indication that it should NOT be used for this purpose, as if it can dissolve in water, it can attract moisture.

If you have reason to be worried about a specific product, then get some non-galvinized nails from Home Depot and do a comparitive test. Use salt water to accelerate the rusting process. If your grease works better than, say, plain motor oil for protecting the nails, it is good to go on the Kukri blade. Non-galivinized sheet metal works well too. I've seen lots of comparitive tests on gun boards where people take a dozen strips of sheet steel, wipe them down with various products, spray with salt water, and then wait a month. Don't forget to leave one un-treated as a control.

The only thing I've ever had trouble with on my Kukri's is automotive waxes -- these tend to be somewhat acidic, and I've had rust spots form underneath the wax. These days, I just use mineral oil -- it's dirt cheap and non-toxic, so I can safely use the Kuk for the occasional food-related chore. I live in the Pacific Northwest, so there is no such thing as "keeping the blade dry". Grease would seem to be a good call for longer term storage, though.

 

[Ray Allen]

I would think it would be fine. After years of using everything under the sun for knives and firearms I have gone to Slip 2000 for cleaning and lubes except around food prep knives. Incredible stuff, non-toxic and biodegradable.

 

[HighlanderNorth]

I am not an expert, but I can't see any issue with this. I don't know that lubrication is an important quality for whatever you put on your Khukri (if you have moving parts, something is seriously wrong...), but anything that keeps water and oxygen away from the surface of the steel should prevent rust. This means pretty much anything non-acidic that has some sort of oil, wax or other non-polar base. Will the soy grease in question dissolve in water? That would be one indication that it should NOT be used for this purpose, as if it can dissolve in water, it can attract moisture.

If you have reason to be worried about a specific product, then get some non-galvinized nails from Home Depot and do a comparitive test. Use salt water to accelerate the rusting process. If your grease works better than, say, plain motor oil for protecting the nails, it is good to go on the Kukri blade. Non-galivinized sheet metal works well too. I've seen lots of comparitive tests on gun boards where people take a dozen strips of sheet steel, wipe them down with various products, spray with salt water, and then wait a month. Don't forget to leave one un-treated as a control.

The only thing I've ever had trouble with on my Kukri's is automotive waxes -- these tend to be somewhat acidic, and I've had rust spots form underneath the wax. These days, I just use mineral oil -- it's dirt cheap and non-toxic, so I can safely use the Kuk for the occasional food-related chore. I live in the Pacific Northwest, so there is no such thing as "keeping the blade dry". Grease would seem to be a good call for longer term storage, though.

I dont believe the 4x ultra oleic soy based white lithium grease is water based, but I'm not sure. One possible clue is that it WILL mix with petroleum based grease/oil. It will mix with other greases. I would assume that means it is not water based. On the website, people have asked the question whether it can be applied where there is already some petroleum based grease/oil already present, and whether it will mix with it and the official answer give is "yes", but they do recommend you first remove the other grease/oil to get the full effects of the new soy based grease on its own.

I looked further into their website today to see what other soy based lubes they make, and they make a whole slew of different lubes! They make all kinds of oils and greases from bearing greases to chainsaw bar and chain oil.

The reason I am wanting to use it is purely for corrosion prevention, not for lubrication, as it doesnt need that. I put gun oil on my Mini 14/Ranch rifle last year, then we got yet another super-hot, record breaking summer with high heat/humidity, and it sat in my closet for 3 months without me touching it. But I had greased it before I put it up in July. But then in like October when I went to take it back out, I immediately noticed rust on the gas tube and gas block. The blued areas like the barrel were fine, but only because they were blued. The areas that werent blued were rusted. It never got wet, but the humidity caused rust.

What happened was that the Hoppes gun oil quickly evaporated or whatever, and it rusted because the protection from moisture was gone. I did a test by oiling it again after lightly sanding with 300 grit emery cloth to remove the rust from the gas block, etc. I then let it sit in the closet and checked it regularly to see how long it took for the oil to disappear. It took a few weeks, and it was gone! So I wanted something thicker and more substantial that wouldnt just evaporate. This soy lithium grease is super-thick! I think just a thin coat would do the trick. I have not tested it yet to see how long it will hold up, but I'll do it soon.


By the way, my answer for the Mini 14 was to start wrapping it in a plastic bag after oiling it with different oil, then putting it into an unused suitcase and closing it up. I have the foldable ATI Ultimate Professional Strike-force stock, so I can fold the stock down to fit it into the suitcase.
That strategy has worked well so far.

 

[HighlanderNorth]

I would think it would be fine. After years of using everything under the sun for knives and firearms I have gone to Slip 2000 for cleaning and lubes except around food prep knives. Incredible stuff, non-toxic and biodegradable.

I'll look into that product^. Thanks