Stupid Knife Questions?

[Yo Mama]

I have a few case stockmans with bone handles. I also have a few kbars, and a spyderco folding knife.

First question: Is my knife care and maintanance going to the be same for each knife?

Second question: Other than wiping with a silicon cloth on the blades, and oiling with CLP the joints, is there anything else I need to be doing to preserve them?

Third question: The stag on the case, does it need any special attention?

Lastly: Is the Clp good for any material including plastic? I have the spyderco with a plastic handle.

Thanks!

 

[RyanM]

Maintenance mainly depends on blade material. Stainless can be left alone, high-carbon should be oiled anywhere from once a week to once a month (plus after every use), depending on climate.

Unless you really love the silicone oil, there's no reason you can't oil blades with CLP. I use CLP on all my high-carbon knives and swords, never had a spot of rust. If you want to use a food-safe oil, I don't think silicone is a good idea, your best bet is unscented mineral oil.

Third question: The stag on the case, does it need any special attention?

You said bone first, then stag. I'm guessing it's jigged and burned/dyed cowbone that looks like stag?

Maintenance of bone handles, I'm not sure. Actual stag or horn, I'd probably apply Hooflex (it's for horses' hooves) once a year or so, to keep it from getting brittle and cracking. It also works great on fingernails, if they're brittle.

Lastly: Is the Clp good for any material including plastic? I have the spyderco with a plastic handle.

I hope you're not wiping down the handle! CLP shouldn't damage anything, and the Spyderco, if stainless, should require nothing but a drop of oil on the pivot occasionally.

 

[hso]

Not necessarily.

I wouldn't use CLP on knives and silicon cloths are not the best way to prevent rust.

Bone can stain depending upon what's put on it and you could remove the dies if the bone is colored.

Stag shouldn't have anything put on it, but some folks will use pharmacy grade mineral oil. Mater of fact, some folks only use pharmacy grade mineral oil on all their knives.

I use White Lightning on my knife blades. This provides a wax coating that you can leave hazy or buff bright. Same for the knife pivots.

 

[Vonderek]

For carbon steel blades that will have some food preparation usage would olive oil or some other cooking oil like canola be okay to use for general rust prevention?

 

[hso]

Mineral oil will work better and is food safe, but you can use olive oil. If you use the knife frequently you'll be paying attention to it anyway so you're not likely to have any rust pop up without you catching it.