FOLDING KNIFE CLEANING TIPS
Edge-U-Cation®Like any mechanical device, folding knives perform better when they are properly maintained. Besides sharpening, the most important element of proper maintenance is regular cleaning. Keeping your folders clean both inside and out ensures that they will always offer peak performance, so let’s take a look at a few “tricks of the trade” of folding knife cleaning.
After most cutting chores, cleaning your blade is typically just a matter of carefully wiping it with a soft cloth or paper towel. If you cut something sticky or acidic, however, it’s better to wash the blade thoroughly with warm water and a mild detergent like dish soap. A soft-bristled toothbrush helps a lot, as it allows you to scrub the blade clean while keeping your fingers safely away from the edge.
Some tasks—like cutting heavy duct tape—can sometimes leave your blade coated with adhesive residue. Although soap and water might still do the trick, rubbing alcohol or acetone often works much faster. Again, an old toothbrush is quicker and safer than a rag or towel, but either will work as long as you’re careful.
If your blade is stained or has minor spots of corrosion, the best remedy is a metal polish like Flitz®. Apply it sparingly with a soft cloth and use small circular strokes to polish the blade’s surface back to its original finish. If Flitz isn’t available, car wax or even ordinary toothpaste are both surprisingly effective substitutes. The car wax also leaves a protective later that helps prevent further staining, especially on non-stainless blades.
Folders with closed handle backs have a tendency to collect pocket lint inside the handle slot. Back lock knives can also accumulate lint in the lock notch on the back side of the blade tang. Over time, this can prevent the lock from engaging properly and may pose a potential safety concern. The easiest way to address both these issues is to regularly clean your folder with an air compressor or the canned air available at computer supply stores. First open the knife and blow out the handle slot to remove all lint and dirt. For back lock knives, open the blade to 90 degrees, turn the handle slot down, and depress the lock release while blowing air through the space between the tang of the blade and the lock bar. Then close the knife and blow out the lock notch in the back of the tang.
If compressed air isn’t enough to get the interior of your knife’s handle clean, get some rubbing alcohol and a few cotton swabs. Flatten the ends of the cotton swabs with pliers or a tap from a hammer so they will fit into the handle slot more easily. Then, dip them in the alcohol and simply swab out the handle slot. For stubborn lint in the lock notch, use a toothpick or the tip of a wooden skewer to pick it out.
For a really dirty knife, run it under hot tap water while scrubbing with a soft-bristled toothbrush and some dish detergent. If the toothbrush won’t reach all the way into the handle slot, use cotton swabs or a “tube” brush used for cleaning drinking straws to scrub it out. To flush dirt out of the pivot pin area, open the blade halfway, apply pressure to the lock release to create a gap between the tang and the lock bar, and run hot water through the gap. Working the blade slowly back and forth as you do this will help the flushing process and remove any dirt or grit between the blade tang and the interior of the scales. Once you’ve rinsed everything clean, blow the handle interior dry with compressed air.
Folders with open-backed handles—like most LinerLock and Compression Lock® knives—are much easier to clean than back locks. Use the same methods described above, but also pay particular attention to the area between the lock bar and the interior of the handle scale. Dirt build-up in this area can cause increased pressure on the lock’s detent ball and lead to a rough opening action and premature wear.
If your knife has a peel-ply-textured G-10 handle or a textured fiberglass-reinforced-nylon (FRN) handle, once again, a toothbrush, warm water, and dish soap are your best friends. They will get down into the crevices of the handle’s texture to clean it thoroughly and restore its non-slip quality.
If you take your dental hygiene seriously, you might have a WaterPik® water flosser in your bathroom. If so, you should know that the powerful stream of water it emits is the ultimate cleaning tool for hard-to-reach areas on folding knives. Obviously, dirty knives and human mouths shouldn’t mix, so it’s best to invest in a new WaterPik for your teeth and repurpose your old one for cleaning your folders. To keep the jet of water from spraying everywhere, put your knife and the tip of the WaterPik into a clear zip-top bag before you pull the trigger.
Like a sharp knife, a clean knife does its job better. With the tips we’ve provided here, you can keep all your folders in top condition for years to come. One final note: Once your knife is squeaky clean, remember to apply a few drops of a high-quality oil or lubricant to its key moving parts to ensure it operates smoothly.