Wiping down knives. What do you use?

[TPK]

Hello knifers,

Was wiping down some of my knives this morning and wondering what others might use to do this?
Feel free to share with us what you all use. Thanks!

I'll start this off with what I've been useing.:

1) Mineral oil in the form of baby oil. It's inexpensive, colorless, easy to find & food safe just in case.
2) Microfiber cleaning cloth for cleaning eyeglasses & sunglasses.
3) Toothpicks to push the cloth down into the well.
4) A cough drop tin for storing the oil saturated cloth in.

That's what I'm useing. I'd be interested to see and learn what others use.
Thanks for looking & thanks for sharing!

[TPK]

Just a foot note about the cough drop tin.

I've become a real fan of these tins. I use them to store my self made cigarettes in. (Fits 18 perfectly. Bottom row 7, then 6, then 5) But you could cram in 3 x 7 If needed. I usually smoke about 12 - 15 a day so 18 works well for me.

They would also be good to store knife parts in or for soaking knives in oils ect.

[mrwatch]

I use a extra piece from my "woolie", sheep's skin that I bought for my motorcycle seat with a touch of gun oil in a zip lock. sit down on a 90 degree day in the sun and yikes, plus long trips made it a lot better.

[TripleF]

I watched the Case employee wipe down the blade with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol after buffing/polishing.

[fergusontd]

Rem oil. ftd

[jmh58]

Folders.. Carbon steel/damascus blades get a squirt of Rem oil.. Handles get a coat of Ren wax.. Non cs blades get a coat of Ren Wax.. Handles on both get a Ren Wax coat.. Every night when I take my knife out of my pocket I use a microfiber cloth and give it a quick wipe down (Non cs blades).. Hope this is clear as mud..
Fixed blade.. CS steel gets squirted down and wiped off with Rem the whole knife.. Non CS get a coat of Ren Wax.. And the sheaths do too..
John

[Lansky1]

I don't have alot of carbon blades, so never gave it a whole lot of thought. I do oil all my knives regularly with Quick Release, and there's always oil residue that makes its way onto the blades when I wipe them down ... seems to work ok for Case SS blades

[Mumbleypeg]

I’ve used Tuf-Cloth and Tuf-Glide for many years on both EDC and collectibles. Also use it for wiping down firearms (it was developed for military use in Iraq). It’s a proprietary substance in a mineral spirits carrier. After you wpe it on, the mineral spirits quickly evaporates leaving an invisible dry film on the item. The manufacturer says it penetrates and bonds with the metal. There is no oily residue to collect and trap dust, lint, etc. Whatever it does, it works - no rust or tarnish.

Ken

[KLJ77]

Eagle Tears Blade Guard

Best stuff I've found to protect the blades of knives from rust, verdigris, etc. I don't do it, but others in reviews have stated they even keep their knives in their leather sheaths after application and have not had any adverse effects...even years later.

[XX Case XX]

Here's what I use:

1. Carbon Steel Blades: AG Russell "Rust Free".
2. Bone/Stag Handles: Mineral Oil.
3. The rag: An old, beat-up NASCAR T-Shirt.

That's it.

____________
Mike

[tongueriver]

I’ve used Tuf-Cloth and Tuf-Glide for many years on both EDC and collectibles. Also use it for wiping down firearms (it was developed for military use in Iraq). It’s a proprietary substance in a mineral spirits carrier. After you wpe it on, the mineral spirits quickly evaporates leaving an invisible dry film on the item. The manufacturer says it penetrates and bonds with the metal. There is no oily residue to collect and trap dust, lint, etc. Whatever it does, it works - no rust or tarnish.

Ken

I am going to look into that; thanks for the tip. I use Quick Release on my joints. Wish I could get something like that for my shoulders, hips, knees and ankles.

[TPK]

I’ve used Tuf-Cloth and Tuf-Glide for many years on both EDC and collectibles. Also use it for wiping down firearms (it was developed for military use in Iraq). It’s a proprietary substance in a mineral spirits carrier. After you wpe it on, the mineral spirits quickly evaporates leaving an invisible dry film on the item. The manufacturer says it penetrates and bonds with the metal. There is no oily residue to collect and trap dust, lint, etc. Whatever it does, it works - no rust or tarnish.

Ken

I am going to look into that; thanks for the tip. I use Quick Release on my joints. Wish I could get something like that for my shoulders, hips, knees and ankles.

I looked into it. There is also "Marine Tuf Cloth & Tuf Glid". It may even be a little bit better than the normal formula. It also protects against salt & humidity. Looks like good stuff but I can't find it over here.

[petesknives]

I think that it's more of the frequency of keeping knives wiped down than necessarily the product used. I use Simichrome paste and then a light coat of 3in1 oil for final wipe down. Have used Case polishing paste also.
Been working for me for years.

[Mumbleypeg]

I looked into it. There is also "Marine Tuf Cloth & Tuf Glid". It may even be a little bit better than the normal formula. It also protects against salt & humidity. Looks like good stuff but I can't find it over here.

Tom you might find it there in a PX or Base Exchange. Or of course you can buy it on line through sites like Amazon. I haven’t tried the Marine version but someone told me it leaves a slightly visible film/residue, which the regular formula does not. The regular stuff is certainly good enough for most climates. I first learned of it years ago from a Marine Corps friend who used it in Iraq (he did two tours there). He recommended it for firearms lube and protectant. Later it was included in knife care kits produced by Case. When I saw that I said “hmmm, why didn’t I think of that?”

It’s the best metal protectant I’ve found, and very quick and easy to use. Tuf-Glide is a good lube, and a good solvent/cleaner as well - think CLP. A little bottle goes a long way. TUF-Cloth is just a piece of cloth saturated with Tuf-Glide, so it’s a ready made wipe-down cloth. If it dries out you can restore it easily by just applying a little Tuf-Glide liquid to the cloth, and re-sealing it in its pouch or jar. I like and use Quick Release sparingly for joints, but I don’t wipe down with it - too oily. Whereas Tuf-Glide by design leaves no oily film to collect dirt. (The very problem it was developed to overcome in Iraq). The drawback to Tuf-Glide is it doesn’t preserve bone, stag, etc - it doesn’t harm it either - but as best I can tell it doesn’t restore it like mineral oil or RenWax can.

I like RenWax also but it takes more time to apply correctly than Tuf-Glide. IMHO RenWax is best suited for collectibles that don’t get handled much. JMO

Ken

[TPK]

Well thanks for all the input here everyone! Very interesting and valuable advice posted here from folks who know!

I also watched a few youtube videos about the subject today and I think the one guy hit the nail on the head when he said something to the effect of... "It's more important that you take the time to do it, than what product you use."

I'd like to try out a few of these things mentioned here. Like the Tuf cloth Ken brought up & the RenWax stuff that DocB has also told me about.

If anyone has any other ideas or favorites we should know about, please feel free to let us know!
I can imagine there are still a few other ideas floating around out there.

Thanks folks,
TPK your KGFG
(KnifeGuyFromGermany)

[RevolverGuy]

I use Hoppes 9 Lubricating Oil and a white cotton shop rag or shirt. Sometimes I like to polish up with a little bit of Flitz, and with some of my carbon steel blades I finish with a light coat of Renaissance Wax. I don't use my knives for food prep, I have kitchen knives for that, so I am not worried about what chemicals are in the oil.

[Berryb]

A friend of mine uses only clove oil. He re-habs and maintains Samurai stuff and that's where he learned it, but now he uses it on most blades. He says it's the only oil with absolutely no H2O in it. Besides it makes the collection smell great.
Bruce

[Steve Warden]

A friend of mine uses only clove oil. He re-habs and maintains Samurai stuff and that's where he learned it, but now he uses it on most blades. He says it's the only oil with absolutely no H2O in it. Besides it makes the collection smell great.
Bruce

I bet it would!
But there is something to be said about the aroma of Hoppes 9 gun oil

[Mumbleypeg]

A friend of mine uses only clove oil. He re-habs and maintains Samurai stuff and that's where he learned it, but now he uses it on most blades. He says it's the only oil with absolutely no H2O in it. Besides it makes the collection smell great.
Bruce

I bet it would!
But there is something to be said about the aroma of Hoppes 9 gun oil

Ahhh, the aroma of Hoppe’s No. 9 - “wimmin” can’t resist it!

Ken

[JnBama]

Mineral Oil Lubricant and Laxative

[DM11]

Here all these years I thought Hoppe's #9 was cologne.

[KnifeSlinger#81]

I use flitz microfiber cloths for wiping blades. I have separate ones for used knives and unused knives. Ren wax goes on all important minty or near mint knives and sometimes I apply tuf cloth over that for extra humidity protection. Ren wax is hardly corrosion resistant.

I put tuf cloth on a lot of backup/duplicate knives and ones that I seldom use or don't think I'll use for a while. Often times with user knives I just make sure they are wiped well and don't apply anything. I also use 3 in 1 oil, more frequently in the hot and humid months. Quick release oil is the only thing I use for joints, it can't be beat.