How often do you wash your knife?

[Ginseng]

Just wondering. I've been EDC'ing my BM MiniGrip for a couple of weeks now and I find that the Axis mechanism seems to attract lint from my pocket (I wear mostly jeans). The manual says to wash the knife in soapy water then re-oil everything. Not really all that tedious but still, I have to do it every few days because the lint builds up on the blade/Axis pin region and it starts to get harder to flick closed.

What have you guys noticed in this respect?

Wilkey

PS. I just love the Axis. I don't know how I could ever go back to using a frame/liner lock knife again.

 

[Aluminum Junkie]

Hey Wilkey, I don't yet own an Axis equiped knife but, what I do with all of my lock liner units is sticky notes. I know it sounds loopy, but what you do is, take a 3M sticky, fold it over so you have sticky back on both sides, and then gently insert it at all angles around the axis. Since this is thin but rigid, and sticky, it picks up all of the loose lint etc. I do do this several times until the sticky comes out clean. If there is not much clearance, use a single thickhness, not as rigid, but still effective. I do this about once a week and notice an improvement after every cycle of cleaning. It's like flossing your blade. Hope this tip helps.

 

[Ginseng]

Wow! What a wild idea. I will definitely try this. Got's plenty of Post Its as part of my, um, severance package. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Wilkey

 

[floyd]

Lint comes out easily with compressed air. If you're gentle, and use a thick lubricant like militec, you probably won't need to re-lubricate every time.

 

[Aluminum Junkie]

Lint is also held in place by oil, so sometimes even if you use air, it will not displace some particles. Post it notes are like a pasive sand paper, or like a magnate, if that makes sense. The sticky part just grabs all of the junk that lodges in the paper thin areas that bind up over time.

 

[Tony2001]

Same here man, I carry my EDC's in my pockets and by the end of the week I have to de-lint them. I use compressed air for the lint, when the buildup starts affecting the opening and closing of the blade, I take some water and Joy to it and re-oil the moving parts with Militec or some other comparable oil.

 

[daloosh]

Hi guys, where is the best place to buy Militec? Online, custom knife store, outdoors place like REI or EMS, regular superstore?

thanks in advance
daloosh

 

[ZENGHOST]

[ QUOTE ]
floyd said:
...and use a thick lubricant like militec...

[/ QUOTE ]
"Thick" lubricant, floyd? Are you using the Militec grease or the regular Militec? Mine is pretty runny.

daloosh, you can get your Militec-1 straight from Benchmade. It's what they recommend and what they use at the factory. You can also get it from EDCKnives (scroll down the page).

I think you can even get a free sample direct from Militec-1.

Militec-1 is more metal conditioner than lube. It bonds with the metal and doesn't wash away. It works great when using heat to activate it (hold blowdryer on it for a minute and a half or so). It gets better each time you reapply (if you need to reapply). It's pretty much the choice of balisongers, who need to have their pivots moving freely more than any other type of knife.

I wash my knives out with soap and water, but usually not that often. Only when it really starts to build up and annoy me or if it starts to affect the function. I should probably do it more often, though. I think ideally I'd like to wash mine out once a week or so.

 

[daloosh]

Excellent info Zenghost, thanks a bunch!

I read the balisong article and the Benchmade press release about the stuff. Just emailed for a free sample of Militec-1 and the grease.

cheers,
daloosh

 

[Ginseng]

Excellent!

I'm on it. Thanks so much for the pointer.

Wilkey

 

[ZENGHOST]

Glad to help.

 

[cannon50]

Anybody use parafin or wax blocks as a lube? I carry a thin blade and use it a lot for cutting cardboard and paper. Since switching to parafin paper dust dosen't cause clogs line oils did. I also brush a small block of parafin over the blade after one or two cuts to lube the blade surface to keep it from getting too hot when cutting heavy cardboard.

 

[_mike_]

For all my knives, including my Benchmade's, I use compressed air to clean the lint out of my knives. I don't crank up the pressure because I don't want to drive the grit deeper into the various mechanisms, just to knock it out of there. A good hardy blow will accomplish about the same the effect and work just fine. Using air or blowing and not simply adding more lube, keeps from making "lint paste" and making things more gummier. Once I'm satisfied with my lint removal, I then add just a wee bit of Militec-1 if I feel it's necessary. Too much lube is simply a waste and attracts more lint, grit, etc.

The idea is to simply have smooth operation with some (minimal) lubrication and protection. Opening and closing knives is not what I would call a high-speed process. That being the case, being under-lubed would not cause me undue concern.

My two cents.
Mike