Folding knife lubrication.

[cudgee]

When I began collecting knives, I used whatever oil was handy when I needed to lubricate a knife. Looking back, I think many of my knives were under lubricated.

I joined AAPK in 2006 and shortly afterward begin repairing knives. I used Rem oil because that was the oil most often recommended on AAPK in those days. It wasn't long until I realized that it was not an effective lubricant for some of the more worn knives that I worked on, although it seemed to be fine on new knives.

And so began my search for the most effective knife oil.

I tried Krill Oil and found it about the same as Remington oil and 3 in 1 oil.
I  have tried 1 Lube, mineral oil, Hoppes oil, WD-40, Lucas Gun oil, Ballistol, Break Free, CLC Power Lube, Marvel Mystery oil, Justice Brothers 80, Liquid Wrench, Liquid Wrench Super Penetrant, Tri-Flow, Slick 50 spray lube, INOX MX-3FG, Nano-Oil and probably a half a dozen others. The ones I listed here are the ones that I still have sitting around taking up room in the shop, although some I will use for non-knife applications.
I think you can see I've done my due diligence in trying various oils, and my number one choice and the one I use constantly is Quick Release oil. I have been using QR since it first came out, and I have never had a problem with it gumming up a knife. I have had old, worn, slip joints with no snap that with one application of QR it begin to have respectable walk and talk, even without cleaning the knife!

I know lots of people say oil is oil, but I found that it is not true in automobiles, and it's also not true in knives.

Shooters Lube is one oil I have not tried yet, though I have a bottle of it and of the cleaning solvent they produce. I will get around to trying those eventually.
I seem to be a sucker for every new oil that comes out. I was skeptical of trying QR because with all the others I had tried, none stood out to me as being significantly better than another until I tried Quick Release Oil. Because QR was so much better than all the other oils I tried, I guess I am holding out hope that something may work even better, though I have not found it yet. The single pocket tube of Nano oil was about four times the price of a pocket tube of QR. They got me on that one because IMHO, it works no better than Remington oil or any of the other oils I tried.

QR is the best oil I have found for knives, whether slip joints, lockbacks, or switch blades. Until I find a more effective knife lubricant, I will continue to use Quick Release.

There are two oils I use for the purpose of protecting the steel;  Corrosion X and Eezox. the downside to Eezox is the odor. Corrosion X has a milder smell and also seems to work well on protecting plastics as well as carbon steel. One collector I know uses Corrosion X on Celluloid and claims that it protects it. I have tried that with a few old celluloid knives and have not noticed any ill effects to the celluloid, though it may take years for that to show up.

I write all of this to share my experience with others who might be interested in knife oils. I don't expect everyone to agree, but this has been my experience over the last 17 years of working on pocket knives.
Your mileage may vary.

Good input. You say when you started collecting knives you used whatever oil was available. Now i know times have changed, but i am an old man now, and when i was a kid the old timers, including my Dad used whatever was available. They were thrifty and inventive, had been through 2 World Wars and the Great Depression. My Dad who always looked after his tools and instilled that in me would buy a pint of engine oil from the local garage, go home and fill his oil can with it. It was applied to every thing. We sometimes over think things especially for working knives and can go a bit over the top sometimes. Most EDC and hunting knives used frequently will cope with just about any oil/lubricant. Collectors and knives in storage not so, they require more attention, a bit like Cast Iron cookware, if you are going to store it, requires different methods than a regularly used pan. For what it is worth, a knife collector of many years put me onto this years ago and i have had great success with it, and made in the good old USA.

[catspa]

Heh, I use that in my air nailers.

Parker

[cudgee]

[orvet]

Marvel oil is a good product. Back in the 60s it was used as an engine oil additive to reduce friction in car engines. It's also a good air tool additive. If I recall correctly, some air tools came with a sample of Marvel Mystery Oil.

Even a drop of engine oil from your dipstick will help lubricate a knife joint, as long as your oil is not old and burnt or full of metal fragments.

All oils have lubricating properties, some more so than others. I have used all of the oils I listed in my post above. It has been my experience that some of them work better for knives than others and for me Quick Release Oil works the best of any I have found to date.

I have used QR on squeaky door hinges, but I found it does not last very long, the hinge will start squeaking again within a few weeks. It seems to me that viscosity of QR is a little light for a door hinge. My preferred oil for squeaky hinges is 1 Lube or Justice Brothers 80. I believe both of those have Teflon in them which can become a little gummy and collect dust when used on knife pivots. That's not a problem on a door hinge.

Whatever you use, take the advice George Wostenholm stamped on the tangs of his knives, "OIL THE JOINTS."