Best pivot lube?

[DeathBySnooSnoo]

I know there are a lot of different kinds and I thought that I would see what was a favourite or best recommended about here.

I have a couple knives that need a bit of lube, my Persistence and my CRKT M21.

[scout]

I have been trying Coon P and have been very pleased. SMKW recommends it for all knives and safe queens in particular.

[arty]

I hate to say it, but I have been using B_MDE Blue Lube on my Spyderco knives. It works well.

[henhen14]

Will WD-40 work?

[Ed Schempp]

Most synthetic lubes are great. Please understand that WD 40 is a great cleaning agent the WD stands for water displacement. The side effect is that if water is trapped in the mechanism that it can still rust.

I highly recommend that you clean with compressed air then WD 40 and then use compressed air to blow out any trapped water and excess WD 40, then lube with some synthetic. On back locks it is good to use compressed air to blow out not only the pivot mechanism but all moving parts including the lock bar and lock release lever....Take Care...Ed

[henhen14]

Thanks Ed, it will help a bunch.

[araneae]

Mineral oil is food safe and cheap.

[bobspel]

I like to use Militec, but it works best when you work it in vigorously by manipulating the blade back and forth many times. Since it is a metal conditioner, the manufacturer states that it is most effective through heat activation, such as the friction of metal on metal.

[defenestrate]

I second the suggestion for Mineral oil. It's what I use, without issue.

[HellHound]

BALLISTOL! Seriously its smells great , food safe, and just read about the stuff its amazing... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballistol

[Gtavares]

Now I´m testing olive oil (the same that you put in your salad !! lol ) at my Victorinox Sentinel...it is working fine and it´s 100 % food safe... :D

[jackknifeh]

I did some research a couple of years ago and found out about WAX lubricants. The two I've heard of are Finish Line and White Lightning. I've never tried White Lightning but Finish Line is advertised mainly for bicycle use. There is a knife manufacturer who recommends White Lightning because it is a WAX or parafin based lube. The Finish Line selection I have is located at http://www.finishlineusa.com/products/kry-tech.htm. They have several types. I figured for moving parts as well as keeping dust and dirt out a bicycle goes through as much torture as anything. Especially off-road bikes. So I use a WAX lube on the pivot. It dries with a waxy texture that doesn't attract dust or dirt and the blade pivots very easily. Then I use Tuf-Glide/ Tuf-cloth on the blade for corrosion control. It is supposed to "bond" chemically to the metal so you can't wipe it off. You put it on, it dries "mostly" then you wipe off any excess. (http://www.sentrysolutions.com) I've never seen either in a store but Finish Line is available on it's site and Tuf-Glide products are on cutleryshoppe.com as well as others. White Lightning and Tuf-Glide were mentioned in a recent Blade Magazine article.

My knives don't go through much to cause corrosion. Rain or sweat is all. No salt water at all so I can't swear by these products in high corrosive environments.

Jack
Edit: Quick Release claims similar features as Tuf-Glide and has convincing customer praises (but then would they put negative ones on their site? lol).

[fast.ed]

Militec.

Bought a small bottle 10 years ago for my pistol. A little bit goes a long way.
The bottle is still 1/2 full. Works fine on my knives.

[JNewell]

Now I´m testing olive oil (the same that you put in your salad !! lol ) at my Victorinox Sentinel...it is working fine and it´s 100 % food safe... :D

I used to do a lot of 18th century living history. We used olive oil, for which there was documentation from period sources, as a lubricant and rust preventative. It works just fine for things like musket locks, so it should be more than adequate for a knife pivot. It is also kitchen-safe. The only issues are that it can get rancid (not a big deal AFAIK) and sticky (I guess it is actually polymerizing?) if left for a long period.

[Blue72]

....... The only issues are that it can get rancid ....

Food oil spoils

I use mineral oil

[chuck_roxas45]

I used to do a lot of 18th century living history. We used olive oil, for which there was documentation from period sources, as a lubricant and rust preventative. It works just fine for things like musket locks, so it should be more than adequate for a knife pivot. It is also kitchen-safe. The only issues are that it can get rancid (not a big deal AFAIK) and sticky (I guess it is actually polymerizing?) if left for a long period.

I too, use olive oil for my knives that will possibly be used for food. I do wash my EDC knives often.

[JNewell]

Food oil spoils

I use mineral oil

Yes, it gets rancid....does it matter, for this purpose?

[DeathBySnooSnoo]

I was reading somewhere that a lot of lubes collect dust and grit and that a dry lube is better any thoughts on that? Maybe graphite or something?

[TBob]

I prefer two equally well. Otis Special Forces Dry Lube, in which the liquid suspension evaporates quickly leaving a dry lube behind. A little goes a long way. My other is Gunzilla, which also leaves a thin film behind but takes much longer (days to weeks) to dry. I use both on my firearms and my knives to great effect. The other benefits of Gunzilla are that the coating it leaves behind also is highly corrosion resistant and it's non-hazardous (made from plant material).

[phillipsted]

I use Tuf-glide for pivots myself. A thin film wiped over the blade also provides good corrosion prevention. I don't bother with the Tuf-Cloth - I just use Tuf-Glide and a small gun cleaning patch. If you put a few drops of Tuf-Glide on it, you can do a dozen knives or more.

TedP