Thread: Cleaning old pocket knives ...

A question inspired by the WD-40 thread that's currently elsewhere on SRP.

I have a couple of old pocket knives that once belonged to my father, that I'd like to continue using for the sake of nostalgia. The problem is that some of the blades are almost impossible to open anymore ... I assume there are a few decades worth of pocket lint wedged around the pins by now. I've tried cleaning the hinge area with moistened Q-Tips, and have squirted enough WD-40 into there so the whole knife now has that characteristic smell, but to no avail. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Thanks!

Try PB Blaster Penetrating Oil. It is a great product. I have other people mention Kroil penetrating oil also being a great product. I hope you are successful in getting your fathers knives in a usable condition.


Mike

Yep to break it loose PB. Blaster , if can get the liquid instead of spray just put you knife in a can with the hinge side down and our some in ,, but the spray breaks it loose to. Tc

Thanks, guys. Haven't heard of that stuff before, but will definitely give it a shot.

I've restored some old collectible pocket knives and have found that penetrating oils work fine. The secret ingredient sometimes is time. Use the oil, put the knife away for a week and give the oil some time to do its work. Of course, that's just my opinion and personal preference, and your mileage may vary.

As long as there's no material that doesn't like it used on the handle, I usually put the entire knife in a bath of white spirit (hopefully that's the same name used in English) for some days, then clean with compressed air. I've had good results with it, but it doesn't remove all rust, so having got rid of all old particles, I usually use Ballistol afterwards. Then back in white spirit to remove loosened rust and clean/polish/sharpen afterwards.

The nice thing about white spirit is that it's enough fat in it to keep the steel from rusting until it's oiled again.

Kroil. A little light work with some fine steel wool, brushes, and some picks. You will see results shortly.