knife care help...

[northend816]

im looking to get some knife care products such as oil, cloth, grease and others but not sure what im looking for at all.....can anyone help me out with names of some good products?? thanks alot

 

[jimmyd1982]

Mineral oil and a rag. Pick up the oil at pretty much any grocery store.

 

[blame it on god]

Eezox for corrosion protection and Nano oil for lube. I got some cheap microfiber cloth's from Walgreens for wiping down/cleaning.

 

[marcinek]

Mineral oil and a rag. Pick up the oil at pretty much any grocery store.

That's about it. Sometimes rubbing alcohol is nice for getting gunk off a blade.

 

[Ballenxj]

I just use standard gun oil with a rag. Be sure to put a drop on each side of the blade into the joints. (if it's a folder)
Also, whenever I get a hole in my socks, I still wash them one last time, but now use them as oil rags for cleaning. Cut the elastic tops off first. They work great!
-Bruce

 

[goodeyesniper]

good sharpening equipment.
Mineral oil for carbon steel, though I no longer even oil those blades unless storing them for long periods. I prefer a thinner oil for joints/pivots, any sort of gun lube should work.

other than that, unless you're really ocd, a knife takes remarkably little maintenance. make sure it's clean and dry at the end of the day, sharpen it BEFORE it's noticeably dull, and you'll be golden.

 

[GarnetandBlack]

I'll second mineral oil here. It's cheap, easy, effective and you don't have to worry about using your knife for food prep with it.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

This is all I've ever used for my knives (in 20+ years collecting & using them), excluding sharpening gear:

• WD-40 for occasional light lube as needed, and for flushing water out, after washing knives.
• Liquid dish detergent (Dawn/Ivory/Palmolive/etc), used with hot water to wash knives.
• Windex (regular), used on a paper towel or rag to wipe down & clean blades after light use, when full wash isn't needed.
• Isopropyl alcohol (91%), used occasionally in same manner as the Windex, and also works very well to flush out water from joints & seams.
• CLEAN rags & paper towels.
• Metal polish, like Flitz or Simichrome; these two work well on all metals, including hardened steel, for cleaning & polishing blades, bolsters.
• Baking soda, used to scrub heavily-rusted blades; especially useful for neutralizing acids (after applying vinegar patina, for example).
  

I've also used mineral oil occasionally, but have found that the light oil left by WD-40 seems to accomplish the same thing for lube & rust protection (for my needs). Mineral oil can be additionally useful on wood/bone scales (used very lightly; just wipe it on), in keeping them from getting too dry.

Some 'popsicle sticks' are very useful for cleaning out & sanding or polishing the interior of folding knives. Wrap a paper towel or sandpaper around them; they fit nicely into the blade well of most traditional folding knives.


David

 

[Magnaminous_G]

Bamboo toothpicks
Q-tips
Shop rags/old t-shirts
Hoppes #9 lubricant with precision applicator
Wenol metal polish
Lighter fluid/alcohol/acetone/etc.
Mineral oil
Boos mystery oil
TW25B grease
Giotto Rocket
Assortment of quality W/D sandpaper from 400 - 2000 grit
10x or 15x loupe

 

[dax0007]

What about if you are wiping down a MIRROR polished blade?? What should you use? Microfiber cloth?? I used rags(clean old tee-shirt) but sometimes question if that could stratch the blade

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

What about if you are wiping down a MIRROR polished blade?? What should you use? Microfiber cloth?? I used rags(clean old tee-shirt) but sometimes question if that could stratch the blade

When you get right down to it, anything you use to wipe the blade could scratch to some degree (dust or abrasive particles on the rag/cloth, or the blade, or both). It's basically impossible to eliminate the dust completely. Using a clean, soft cloth will minimize the chances of it happening, or at least leave scratches too fine to really worry about. Doesn't hurt to wash/rinse the blade before wiping it, to flush away any larger particles that might be scrubbed against the steel when wiping it down (this is what I do when cleaning the lenses on my eyeglasses).

Cloths & towels will also hold onto abrasive particles collected when sharpening & wiping stones or blades, even after laundering them. I've tried to avoid wiping polished blades with the microfiber towels that've been previously used (at any time) for wiping swarf from stones, or for wiping coarser compound residue from blades. Microfiber towels are especially good at forever holding onto a lot of that dust, even after washing them.


David

 

[OHALLUM]

good sharpening equipment.
Mineral oil for carbon steel, though I no longer even oil those blades unless storing them for long periods. I prefer a thinner oil for joints/pivots, any sort of gun lube should work.

other than that, unless you're really ocd, a knife takes remarkably little maintenance. make sure it's clean and dry at the end of the day, sharpen it BEFORE it's noticeably dull, and you'll be golden.

Pretty much nails it down in the real world, unless you are in some very extreme conditions or use of your knives.


Blessings,

Omar