Spraying WD-40 on a folder?

FireStrings85 said:
Got a new Chaves 228 knife. Good idea or bad idea to spray a bit on there to loosen it up?
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WD40 is decent for cleaning, it will lubricate for a short time but will need to be cleaned out and re-applied often in comparison to say a synthetic, and more so than straight mineral oil.

For lubricant you will want something like diawa reel oil you can get it on amazon. you can also use mineral oil its even cheaper and available at drug stores and some hardware stores etc. its food safe so thats the extra advantage, however it needs to be cleaned off and re-applied more often than a syntetic. you could also use say mobile 1 motor oil (etc) if you have some. there are more lubricants, but these are the best options. sewing machine oil works too.

avoid that nano-oil snake oil, its way to much money for mineral oil with unknown substance that even nano-oil doesnt even know what it is (because he just sells it). not to mention it will not pass any standardized tests and has zero standardized tests run on it to prove its validity for ANY of its snake oil marketing.

i use a custom synthetic lube that has nano buckminsterfullerene or something of the sorts in it. its a bit thick, peter says he's testing a thinner fluid specific for firearms... ill have to give that a try.
 
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There are a few issues with WD-40, WD is not a lubricant it is a water displacement formula. Though it has some short term lubricating properties WD-40 hasevaporating oils in it. These oils turn to a varnish over time and gum up moving parts. WD also has ways of migrating into areas where you may not want it and causing issues with stainless steel, Col C.E. "Ed" Harris has written many long scientific explanations on why Sturm Ruger banned the stuff from the factory floor when he was their Metal Engineer. Most of it was way over my head but the gist was don't use it as a lubricant on delicate machinery. Any good gun oil or sewing machine oil is far superior to WD-40.
 
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WD 40 IS a light lubricant. The lube is mineral oil. There are better lubricants, but there is absolutely no reason to not use WD 40 on knives.
I have been a professional cutler for many years, and have an awful lot of experience with using WD 40 on cutlery- probably more experience than anyone here.
ANY oil will "varnish" over time, BTW-and knives aren't "delicate machinery."
 
FK said:
The military does not allow WD-40 to be used on small arms.
Combined with powder residue if forms a vey tough varnish type of coating which will cause jamming malfunctions.
In the Vietnam era it was a real problem.

Research tests of rust/corrosion comparisons with WD-40, not the best.

As a cleaner penetrating oil, fine,,,, much better lubricants are available today.

Regards,
FK
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I can confirm this 100% through personal experience.
I call WD40... kerosene in a can. It's a good firearm cleaner(C), but comparably speaking a very poor (L)lube and (P)Protectant/Preservative.
There's always been better long term lubes and protectants.

With the above in mind, it's more than adequate for knife use.
 
I use WD40 to penetrate and remove sweat condensation from innards of the knives without needing to disassemble them. To further lubricate/protect semi stainless, I use Johnson baby oil (can't find plain 'mineral oil' in pharmacy here), and if needed, Vaseline (Petroleum Jelly). The last two are food safe from the reference I read both here and on Spyderco.com forum.
 
been using WD-40 for almost 30 years!mostly as a cleaner and a little protection on all my guns/knifes,just started using nano oil 10-w for knife pivot's though,and hey the stuff really seems to work,only the smallest amount is needed.
 
The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for WD-40 aerosol indicates the product is primarily petroleum-based, with the main ingredient being "solvent naptha, petroleum, medium aliphatic" (also known as Stoddard Solvent):

solvent naphtha petroleum, medium aliphatic, READ: 60% Stoddard Solvent
petroleum base oil as paraffinic distillate, heavy, solvent-dewaxed (severe), 15% to 25% Read: Mineral Oil
corrosion inhibitor unregulated, 1% to 10%
wetting agent unregulated, 1% to 10%
fragrance unregulated, 0% to 1%
carbon dioxide, 2% to 3%

The chief problem with using WD-40 for knife pivots is that you can't control the amount. A knife pivot only needs a drop smaller in size than a match head. And more oil and you set the stage for 'sticktion' to occur. On the other hand, the Stoddard Solvent in WD-40 is a great cleaner/degreaser and will clean the pivot very well.
As knife knuts, we are better served buying ordinary Stoddard Solvent (sold in every art supply shop as 'Odorless Paint Thinner,( use that to clean the pivots, then your choice of lubricant delivered via hypodermic needle (or something similar) to the pivot assembly. Lacking this, or not caring enough to do so, WD-40 is certainly an acceptable cleaner/lubricant for the average knife needs.


Stitchawl
 
This thread has generated a lot of responses.
I started using Breakfree CLP years ago on the recommendation of knowledgeable friends of mine for gun maintenance and
found it works well my blades for corrosion prevention as well as lubrication. In my area corrosion protection is important.
 
I've used 3 in 1 oil applied with a toothpick to the joints of my knives for 60+ years with no problems.
Rich
 
Does anyone else smell WD-40 & think...ah, I remember skeet shooting with dad?
 
Wd 40 is a great degreaser as well. A buddy of mine would take home gallons from work. Good for wintering chrome wheels and other crap.
 
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