Which Lubricant?

[SharpFella]

A.G. Russell sells a product called Rust Free. I have used it for several years with great success. It feels like a thick silicone oil but it doesn't run off and just a drop on each side of the blade will do the job, just be careful spreading it on the blade.

 

[keithcarter]

I once saw a factory rep demonstrating FP-10 at GAT Guns in Carpentersville,IL. He had a little device with a heavy bar laying on a wheel rotated by a weak motor. He would put a lube on the wheel, then start the motor. The wheel would turn for while, then stop as the lube broke down and friction increased.

FP-10 lasted the longest, by far. It's been my choice ever since.

I've never seen anything like it ever again. It's such a great way to demonstrate lubes, you'd think you'd see these demonstrations all the time.

 

[ibanezplayer470]

I once saw a factory rep demonstrating FP-10 at GAT Guns in Carpentersville,IL. He had a little device with a heavy bar laying on a wheel rotated by a weak motor. He would put a lube on the wheel, then start the motor. The wheel would turn for while, then stop as the lube broke down and friction increased.

FP-10 lasted the longest, by far. It's been my choice ever since.

I've never seen anything like it ever again. It's such a great way to demonstrate lubes, you'd think you'd see these demonstrations all the time.

thats a really cool way to test lubricants, but I'm not sure that its the best way to demonstrate what is best for a folding knife pivot. i could be wrong, but i dont think that a pivot undergoes THAT much movement (unless its on a balisong) that extreme wear resistance is a huge factor. Personally, i think that I would be more concerned with performance and the ability to repel dirt and grime. just my $.02. I don't know how well FP-10 does in those departments, but im sure it isnt too shabby

 

[dsmegst]

what kind of oil do you recommend for storing/preventing rust on a blade?

Any of the others mentioned in the thread so far would be a good choice. Just not militec-1. I just stick with 3-in-1 or turbine oil. Militec-1 gets used on my guns but strictly as a lube. I have other choices for cleaning and protecting my guns.

 

[yoda4561]

thats a really cool way to test lubricants, but I'm not sure that its the best way to demonstrate what is best for a folding knife pivot. i could be wrong, but i dont think that a pivot undergoes THAT much movement (unless its on a balisong) that extreme wear resistance is a huge factor. Personally, i think that I would be more concerned with performance and the ability to repel dirt and grime. just my $.02. I don't know how well FP-10 does in those departments, but im sure it isnt too shabby

Believe it or not the heavy bali flippers wear out pins on a regular basis. But yeah it's not all that critical for most knife use. I'm mostly concerned with smoothness (related to anti-wear, but most wear resistance isn't necessarily smoothest), corrosion protection, and pleasantness of use. By that I mean how well it spreads, how it smells, penetrating/spreading characteristics, etc.

Militec is something I try to avoid unless it's just used as an additive in another oil, it has no protective ability by itself. FP10 was my favorite, the guy who made it had his company bought out and now he owns the company making Weaponshield CLP, which is what I'm currently using. Both fp10 and WS CLP use a similar lubrication chemistry but with the added benfit of additional anti wear (zinc, phosphorous) and anti corrosion additives in a high quality base oil. WS uses a synthetic base stock and is a newer formulation all around, FP10 uses a highly refined petroleum base stock. There are some unsubstantiated rumors that the current fp10 isn't the same quality it used to be, but I'd still rather have that on hand than most other "gun oils" or whatnot.

In regards to what you have on hand, the skateboard lube would be my first choice, and for lubrication is likely practically equal to anything recommended here.

 

[Dog of War]

I dont have any firearms, and only a few knives... so one ounce should do the trick?

Oh, yeah ... that one ounce might even outlive you and me. But I'm 99.9% sure you'll find it well worth it, even if you never use more than a few drops.

BTW you asked about FP-10, and it happens to be my favorite of all the super-lubricant synthetic oils. The only reason I'm recommending Militec here is because FP-10, like any oil, doesn't bond to metal and leave a dry lubricating film like Militec does. So FP-10 will attract lint 'n stuff, and on a pocket knife that makes for a lot more cleaning. But for an oil, especially for firearms, FP-10 is fantastic.

 

[ibanezplayer470]

Oh, yeah ... that one ounce might even outlive you and me. But I'm 99.9% sure you'll find it well worth it, even if you never use more than a few drops.

BTW you asked about FP-10, and it happens to be my favorite of all the super-lubricant synthetic oils. The only reason I'm recommending Militec here is because FP-10, like any oil, doesn't bond to metal and leave a dry lubricating film like Militec does. So FP-10 will attract lint 'n stuff, and on a pocket knife that makes for a lot more cleaning. But for an oil, especially for firearms, FP-10 is fantastic.

Oh ok, that clears things up. If thats the case, I think that the militec will work better for my purposes, being that dust and dirt wont stick to it.

 

[yoda4561]

Oh, yeah ... that one ounce might even outlive you and me. But I'm 99.9% sure you'll find it well worth it, even if you never use more than a few drops.

BTW you asked about FP-10, and it happens to be my favorite of all the super-lubricant synthetic oils. The only reason I'm recommending Militec here is because FP-10, like any oil, doesn't bond to metal and leave a dry lubricating film like Militec does. So FP-10 will attract lint 'n stuff, and on a pocket knife that makes for a lot more cleaning. But for an oil, especially for firearms, FP-10 is fantastic.

FP10 contains MPC's (parent company) MT-10 metal treatment, roughly 30% of fp-10 is that additive. And it's basically the same stuff as Militec-1. It forms a boundry film layer in the exact same way, and you can wipe it dry and still have lubrication. The thing with boundry film lubricants(militec, fp10, ws clp, and a handful of others) though is that they need some small amount of liquid product if you want the film to be self-renewing, it doesn't take alot, if you can see the oil there's probably too much.

 

[Dog of War]

FP10 contains MPC's (parent company) MT-10 metal treatment, roughly 30% of fp-10 is that additive. And it's basically the same stuff as Militec-1. It forms a boundry film layer in the exact same way, and you can wipe it dry and still have lubrication. The thing with boundry film lubricants(militec, fp10, ws clp, and a handful of others) though is that they need some small amount of liquid product if you want the film to be self-renewing, it doesn't take alot, if you can see the oil there's probably too much.

Interesting, appreciate you sharing that, yoda. I stumbled on FP10 years ago -- an old I have bottle says "Firepower Lubricant Elite", IIRC I read some time ago that Shooter's Choice bought it from the original company, but still the same great lube recipe.

And of course I wasn't trying to take anything away from FP10, I just find the way Militec leaves a dry film to be especially useful on knives. I'm interested now if heating up FP10 would promote bonding to metal like with Militec ...?

BTW, something I've found for those situations when you want something somewhere between a normal grease and an oil is that Super Lube grease (another favorite) and FP10 combine to make an unbelievably slick.... well, I guess you'd call it a very heavy, clinging oil. Great on the slide rails of pistols and the bearing surfaces of rifle bolts.