Good ones!

Today there are no problem finding good lubricants and oils for maintenance, cleaning and protection. I have talked very much on the little oil bottle from Victorinox that I consider the best oil possible to find for the maintenance, protection and functionality on SAKs and MTs. WD-40 is a very good product for cleaning, maintenance and protection on MTs. It is a very nice product for MTs(Multi-Tools). It is not for food and it is not the best for Swiss Army Knives when it comes to be used on the friction parts. The consistency is not thick enough. It got a scent that is not nice on anything that is going to be worn in clothes. It is a very good product for what it is made for and it is very good for removing difficult substances and corrosion.  Another one that many forget or do not know about is the Ballistol one on the picture. It comes in different sizes of spray and bottles. This I really suggest reading up on because this oil is very good for everything. I still recommend the Victorinox oil for friction parts on Swiss Army Knives. On MTs you can use Ballistol or Victorinox. The Victorinox one is odorless and got no taste.  If you study Ballistol you see that it is not harmful at all too but it got some scent that is a bit special. Ballistol is one of the most versatile oils I have every used and it got a far better ability than the Victorinox ones for cleaning and removing corrosion. It also disinfects.

The least expensive is the Vaseline oil, mineral oil or also called white oil /medicinal white oil. It is very versatile oil for most tasks. It got limited abilities for removing corrosion but it is very good for protection of metals, wood and several other products. It is produced by a huge number of manufacturer’s across the globe. The consistency is not thick enough usually for frictions parts over time. It is also not a hardening type of oil. This is very important because none of the types I show here hardens. If people use oils that harden on SAKs and MTs you will get very little functionality and the functions will get stuck and you may or can get a reaction from metals.

Ballistol and Mineral oils can be used on leather too. Remember that if you use it on leather that is new and not treated with any substance or fat from before it will become very loose. It is difficult to explain in words but the leather becomes very easy to bend in any direction. This depends on the amounts used. That the leather becomes very free and loose is maybe what many believe should be so. Yes it should have abilities that make it soft and flexible. It is just a bit too much, it is not dangerous and it will absolutely not damage anything.  In time the leather will slowly become more solid again. Medicinal grade mineral oils and Ballistol will and can be used with good results on old or dry leather things. Ballistol is from my information based on medicinal grade mineral oil but contains other elements that make it one of the best. The little scent is not a problem. That said it is not odorless.

21:22

Mineral oils are pretty much odorless and another thing on new leather is that if the skin color of the leather becomes "burned" in color it will also dissapear in time. By burned i mean a very dark area on the natural leather color. It will become darker when you use oil anyhow. The extra dark area will slowly dissapear. It is kind of cool in deed.

21:31

If oils contains substances for hardening and that it can resinify it will for sure work completely opposite of the intention. This is also one of the reasons for damages on mechanims and reactions on aluminum. It is absolutely not any problems with the ones i show here today and there are a huge number of good choices today. Oils that hardens are typically used on woods and furniture to create a protection or surface that is hard and almost sealed. I would stay aways from non-hardening types with dangerous chemicals and elements that can be harmful for aluminum too. If grease and oils are very thick in consistency it will slow down the functionality.

So to the most important information regarding the use of WD-40, Ballistol and Victorinox Multi-Tool oils. Basically I have never heard any problems with using Ballistol on Swiss Army Knives. It can also clean the Brass. If you read my article above you notice that I mentioned they are the best for MTs. The reason for this is that on a Swiss army Knife I only trust 100% the Victorinox Multi-Tool oil when you are using it with the intention it will be on in an amount for a very long time. This I have mentioned several places. WD-40 is one of the best for removing corrosion, substances and substances developing on a surface. Same with Ballistol. These are absolutely best for cleaning and protection of MTs. They can be used for cleaning corrosion, substances and unwanted things on Pocket knives and SAKs but then I remove it completely with water and soap. Then I rinse for a long time and use the Victorinox oil.  Ballistol is also great for fixed blades.

23:52

It all comes down to consistency when you are expecting the oil to remain on for a period of time. The Victorinox oil is the best here for both MTs and SAKs. From several years of experience i draw this conclusion.

23:55

This is it for today, thank you for following me on sakhome.com. Remember that oils that are to be used on pocket knives for a long time must not damage anything.

Ok folks! Let us do some more information regarding restoration of Swiss Army Knives, MTs and other pocket knives. There are different levels on how much restoration you want to do on them and it depends on how worn and dirty it is. If you have a rule that knives you collect are not bent or broken and that the springs looks intact then usually it is only required to do some sharpening, very good cleaning with water and soap, rinse very well and use some Victorinox oil on the friction parts. In some cases a simple swap of the handle scales as well can bring a SAK back to almost new condition, if not at least you restore 100% functionality. If the main knife blade is broken and the rest looks intact you can re-profile it do a design you like and still get many years of use out of it.

If you have a SAK or MT that looks intact but is very dirty and got corrosion on the stainless steel parts then you got some wonderful tools with Ballistol and WD-40 + several other types. I know some soak the knives overnight and the result of this is that rust and corrosion will become easy to remove with some cloth and rubbing. Aggressive substances can be acidic and or cause reactions to metals used on SAK and this must be removed to protect it, restore functionality and appearance. Aggressive substances or acidic substances will be neutralized with ballistol. Some substances and dirt sit so hard that only WD-40 or Ballistol can dissolve it. Water and soap may not be good enough for removing all dirt and substances. If you use oil on friction parts then you make it much more difficult for aggressive substances and corrosion to attach.

 In many cases to restore shine to stainless steel you can also use toothpaste or Autosol. The last mentioned will be better to remove surface discolorations and rust (corrosion). Remember that using this you will get a different shine to the metal and therefore you can use it on all functions to make it similar. If you want that is. Autosol can also be used to polish scratches on the plastic handle scales by using a fine cloth. Damaged or cracked plastic scales are not easy to restore. Cellidor and plastics used on SAKs can be polished to some degree and you get a good result. All metals and stainless steels included develop a certain surface change. On stainless steels this is not much but some will come in time anyhow. Aluminum are anodized to protect it from further oxidation and it is not recommended to use any scratching device on the aluminum because the surface protects itself with a layer from the anodization and the reaction to air naturally. If you see a white substance or a layer that is dry and white then it is or can be the aluminum. If the functionality is full then it is no problem and it will disappear during cleaning and by using a soft brush. Disrupted surfaces on the aluminum that cause the functions to be stuck and or be very difficult to open then it may be damaged so much that it cannot be restored unless you open and close the functions hundreds of times and using oil. In most cases when this happen you must disassemble the SAKs. In my experience most SAKs you find used only require a light cleaning, sharpening and using some Victorinox oil on friction parts.

If the edges on the knives are gone or got chips and damages you can put on a completely new edge. You can use different angles on them depending on what you need or like. If you do it by freehand then you will automatically get some variations on the edge angles. Use a coarse diamond stone first if the edge requires removing much metal to get into the blade away from chipped and damages areas. When you have a coarse edge then you use a fine surface diamond stone also dry to make the edge smooth and sharper. The last strokes you use a sharper angle.

If you want to preserve the SAKs that are older without altering the shine or patina on any metal parts or handles then you only use a little warm water and soap, rinse very well and then use some oil on the friction parts. The Victorinox oil got little influence on the surface patina on stainless steels and handle sides. If you want to protect all patina 100% then some store the SAKs dry only. This depends on humidity and where you live.

On the internet you can find Victorinox SAKs sold together with a little Bottle of Ballistol. It can be smart to have a spray option with the thin tube so you can reach tight areas or mechanisms and flush out substances. If you want to remove any remains of WD-40 and Ballistol after restoration then you must use a soft paper to wipe off as much you can before using a little warm water and soap two times at least. Then rinse very much and wipe/dry it.

13:20

If you look upon restorations with some science at least from my information when you clean with a little warm water you get substances to release. If you use some soap then you will also stop aggressive substances and reactions to some degree. By using Ballistol and other oils you neutralize chemical relations, acidic and aggressive substances. The result after the complete process restoring mentioned above today you give the SAK or MT new start by stopping all reactions between materials. Ballistol cannot from information damage any metals. If things are plated then it could come between and lift plated things. Depending on the amount you put on over time. From my information I have never heard it causing any damage to SAKs(alox included). It will clean away patina and make metals shiny again. It removes traces/markings/patina on metals on weapons and so on. It can be used to clean brass without any damage. Then I again I never use any other oil than Victorinox for SAKs, Alox and MTs over time. This is because of the better consistency for the friction parts. Ballistol is wonderful and very good oil and that it is not dangerous if you get some on foods and that it disinfects is something really important in deed.

13:25

The Victorinox oil is completely food safe, odorless and it preserves the frictions parts and secures the best functionality. It prevents corrosion for sure. It is completely harmless.

I see i managed to misspell restoration with restauration again. Certainly writing too fast is the problem. Since I am writing on oils then some may encounter the word ageing. Ballistol and the Victorinox is very good against ageing. I am not sure how long the WD-40 lasts. Ageing is in my opinion when the oil no longer got the abilities intended. Some oils slowly but for sure disappear over time. A thicker consistency is in my opinion good for holding it located and to be able to stay on for a very long time. Some may disagree but this is how I experience it.

Sometimes water can be located in pockets or tight places on pocket-knives, weapons and equipment. Spray cans may not always be the best for the environment because of the gas used to propel the oil out. I found some information mentioning that Ballistol is not so bad there either. Well WD-40 and ballistol are excellent with the spray and tube to flush out water and they both got abilities to remove water very efficiently. If you have cleaned a SAK with water then all water will dissapear by itself if you wipe away the most and just let it dry for some hours.

15:15

Aluminum

This is a metal that i have come to be very interested in since it’s been used for so long on SAKs. Not all dividers and sides are anodized to increase the natural protective layer. Anodizing is to make the oxidized layer thicker and harder. Aluminum is a metal that protects itself when in contact with air. At least this is what I have learned.  Anodizing can be done at different levels and make the surface better resistant against further oxidation in unwanted forms. It can be disruptions and reactions to substances and chemicals. It will also make it easier to clean as well. The surface layer that is anodized is not a coating that will be lifted by oils. That said this surface layer can be damaged by sand, particles and by contact with sharp devices. It is not so that if you scratch the surface of the aluminum that you will get the result of disruptions and build ups that will cause less functionality. In my experience it makes very little difference if you do maintenance. To make the aluminum to oxidize unwanted and disrupt the surface you need aggressive substances, chemicals or other substances in contact over time. It is also important not to over exaggerate the importance of anodizing aluminum. In general if it is clean and in air it will only develop an easy to remove dust like white powder. Anodizing will preserve a longer lifetime and a cleaner mechanism. It will protect against substances to some degree. If aluminum get a strong reaction to aggressive substances that cause it to disrupt badly making the functionality hurting then it is not much to do. This is usually in 100% of the cases because the aggressive substances maybe saltwater being on them over a long time. No matter what is said about saltwater by specialists that it does not damage aluminum then I disagree. It does damage any part of a SAK over time or at least cause reactions. I live around saltwater and I have 0 problems with my knives. The reason for this is not that I exaggerate cleaning on them. It is simply by doing some maintenance from time to time on the knives I use. Hard anodizing will be the best and it will increase the scratch resistance. Small scratches on the aluminum dividers do not cause any problems. In my experience SAKs can become 100% in functionality after cleaning and oil. The oil will prevent any changes to the surface on the metals. I do not recommend using sand papers on aluminum.

On sakhome.com you can find me talking about different things and maintenance. Many of you know that I enjoy fixed blade knives too. This can be Helle or Brusletto just to mention two. Over the years from time to time people notice that the knives in my collection looks like new. I have a rule of thumb with maintenance. I continue to use the same substances on them as from the factory and or to use what is recommended by them. On carbon steel blades I use mineral oil or Ballistol. The last one mentioned does not contain anything which can hurt carbon steel blades. Same with mineral oil as well. The rule of thumb I talk about is for the handle and sheath. I prefer to use boiled linseed oil on the handle if it is wood. In some cases I have used Danish oil. But I prefer boiled linseed oil in general and I use leather fat/grease for the sheath of the type you see on the picture. On older knife handles that is made of stacked leather I use the same grease for this. I like to use quality products like this.

Most maintenance is easy and only requires attention from time to time. On handles with combination leather and wood it can be difficult with two products so there wax is perhaps the best option. On knives I have made myself I have used different things and learned some too.

I have used the same leather grease/fat on leather pouches and such with good result. I recommend on your collectables to continue with the original substances and just to light maintenance with such from time to time. This should be done because storage in modern houses or indoors can be dry and therefore some maintenance is smart to do. It is fun too! Danish oil is beautiful oil and got quality but this is not light maintenance but a bit heavier if I could say so. If you use boiled linseed oil then I recommend letting it dry for many days, maybe a week before placing it in the sheath again but this depends some on the product. In the rule of thumb if I find something to be working very well then I do not change it. Renaissance wax is my latest interest and I have not heard any negative with it either. I have used wax before with good results. PS remember that leather and wood are tough materials and it is not easy to damage by substances. What is impotant to remember is how fixed blades which been stored for decades on a wall or in a house can become very dry. The leather can become like paper and the wood damaged, sometimes alot. Good luck.

21:27

I can mention further about stacked leather handles to use wax if you are not sure. It will probably be enough. There are many things said on the internet back and forth about what to use. I know for a fact that people that makes knives use the grease I have shown today. The biggest danger to a stacked leather handle is shrinkage from drying out. It is the worst case scenario for them!

21:42

Last today I would like to wish you good luck with your knives. All my experience in my life with knives indicates for sure that dry storage is the biggest problem around. Therefor some mainteance is smart to do.