Knife lubricant and knife rust protection

[Meeks36]

Graphite for pivots and blades get clp if I’m storing them.

 

[herrwalther]

Pretty much any gun cleaner I use will hit the knives at some point. Just the other day I used Remoil to get grass off my knife after using it in the yard. The most important thing to keep joints moving is keeping them clean, then oiled. Squirting a mess full of oil into a hinge joint on a folder won't do much good if you have debris clogging up the works. A small brush or Qtip will get stuff out and spread the oil around.

 

[JTQ]

I've used a bunch of different stuff, and they've all worked well enough for me. My knives are all fairly light use (though I do have a Japanese Gardening Knife https://www.gardentalk.com/Japanese-weeder-knife-p/weeder-knife.htm , with a carbon steel blade that has had heavy use and lived in the garage for 20+ years with no problems), and even here on the Gulf Coast of Florida, rust hasn't been much of an issue for me.

Food grade mineral oil is not a bad idea if you also use it to slice something you eat.

For this reason, at least on the blades of pocket knives I may use to cut food, I use Ballistol on those blades. Ballistol is also gentle enough that it won't hurt most knife handles.

Eezox has an outstanding reputation for rust prevention, but I don't want it anywhere near food, and it probably isn't safe for all handle materials.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

These are great for where you store your knives. https://www.zerust.com/products/vci-emitters-diffusers/vapor-capsule-diffusers/

Those work well. An alternative that might be less expensive is a block of camphor in the box where you're storing your knives. It's an old machinist's trick and it works. I use blocks of camphor in the plastic boxes that I store lathe bits and end mills, etc. in, out in my workshop. It's not climate controlled. I'm in SE PA where it gets humid. I've been doing this since 2013 and none of my tools are rusted.

This stuff. You may find it in a local Indian grocery. AIUI, it's used in Hindu religious rituals.

Also keeps your collection moth-free.

 

[FL-NC]

I use motor oil for sharpening and put a drop or 2 in the mechanism of folders. Don't ask me what brand/weight because I have no idea- I remember it was generic from auto zone. I also use it as a exterior lube/protectant on guns. If a folder gets "sticky", I blow it out w/ compressed air and spray in some PB blaster from the garage and let it sit overnight.

 

[Kingcreek]

Food grade mineral oil to sharpen and lube. Rennassaunce wax for outside protection

 

[Double_J]

Food grade mineral oil or food grade grease for kitchen/food prep knives. The others get motor oil from whichever bottle is nearby in the garage.

 

[ms6852]

Corrosion X HD same as my firearms.

 

[lemaymiami]

For pivots on folders... any good quality gun oil (Break Free, Gunslik, or Kroil) used sparingly -then any excess wiped away... For the blade portion of any folder.... I have a rag that's saturated with semi-synthetic two stroke oil (BRP XD50) that's used to wipe up spills from loading oil into my boat motor's oil tank. A quick wipe or two with that rag thoroughly coats a blade - then I polish it away with a dry rag or paper towel... For the blades used on my skiff - the same treatment - again with the oiled blade wiped dry... Works pretty well for gear that's salt exposed day in and day out...

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

For my "regular" pocket knives, I just use a drop of any oil handy. 3-in-1, Mobil 1, gun oil, whatever.

For my ceramic knives, I don't bother. They're disposable anyway. Eventually the blade on my current one will chip, break, or otherwise get to the point where it's not really serviceable any more, then I toss it and grab another. First thing I do with the next one is purple or blue Loctite the screw on it and tighten it until the blade tension feels good to me. That's it.

 

[joneb]

I'm in the food grade mineral oil camp, as I often use my knives for food prep.
Better safe than sorry approach I guess.