What kind of oil do you use?

[bengaiser]

Do these warnings apply to other natural materials besides bone and stag (like shell inlays and such)?

[w3tnz]

I usually just use tool cutting oil, I have also tried motor oil and synthetic grease with good success, have had no problems using 3in1 either.
This thread finally convinced me to look into nano oil again, the free worldwide shipping was too good to pass up, have a 1/2 oz on the way. I'm interested in how long it will last after application, it obviously works well.

[nccole]

I just picked up some Hoppe's 9 precision oil. Pretty good stuff. I cannot compare it to other oils, but many of my knives are smoother and opening with less resistance than ever before. I just applied it to all my knives this past weekend, so I cannot attest to any long term results or lack of, but pretty happy with it so far.

[Doc Dan]

I use a spray cooking oil on my blades, such as PAM, because I am likely to use the knife to eat with or cut food. I use Break Free CLP as a lube, but I also...yes I will admit to it...use WD40. It was originally designed to lube in a wet environment as it displaces water, remember?

[Ferris Wheels]

I have been using nano oil and some generic spinning reel oil I picked up at bass pro. The knife I applied nano-oil to got noticeably smoother after application but hasn't seen much pocket time since being applied. My go to has been that spinning reel oil I picked up, not sure what is in it but it is working great on my heavily carried Caly 3.5 Super Blue.

[charlesmc2]

Boeshield T-9 Lubricant. (mainly for non 1095 steels as rust prevention) Generally do not use anything on my so called stainless blades since we are fairly dry here in Texas. My bugaboo for working knives is sweat, since I am not always dry!

Gun Tests ran a comparison for rust prevention and Boeshield was a clear leader.

Charles

[Bladekeeper]

Do these warnings apply to other natural materials besides bone and stag (like shell inlays and such)?

Sentry oil/cloth is a misnomer as no oil is used and is safe on all you mention I'd try that if you were looking for all in one.
Renaissance wax is good for wood,pearl,stag but doesn't repel moisture as such.

[JD Spydo]

I use a Sentry oil pen applicator for pivots and hard to reach areas.
The needle like end fits directly into the holes , and the other areas .
Then I either use Sentry oil marine or the Marine cloth too , I have Ren wax but it doesn't repel water/moisture and I tend to use that for wooden scales plus leather .

I have never used a product by "Sentry Solution" that I didn't like. Like Bladekeeper I've had excellent luck with all their products and use all of them quite often. However on most basic lube requirements I use "Militec" on most of my basic lubrication needs. I've used Sentry Solutions Tuf-Glide and have no complaints about it but I've found that Militec seems to last a while longer for some reason.

Now when it comes to dry lubes I like the BP-2000 that Sentry Solutions has. It's better than any graphite, teflon or PTFE type lubes I've ever used.

Also Militec has a synthetic grease that I've been using on various items and I've never found any grease to work as good as the Militec Grease does.

With all of this newfound "nanotechnology" I look for most of the lubes as we know them now to be obsolete within the next 3 to 5 years or so.

[springnr]

My knives seem to open okay. I'm holding off till we know more about nanomaterials.

[pdptrow]

I use Slip2000 EWL. Cleans, lubricates, protects against corrosion, doesn't seem to attract dust, passed the Salt Spray Corrosion (ASTM B-117) 150
Hour Test. Non-toxic, non-hazardous, biodegradable.

[landromus]

For firearms, I am a Frog Lube convert. For the initial Frog Lube application I disassemble and heat everything with a hair dryer, liberally apply the FL and wipe dry. For my firearms it is a godsend. FL has replaced a handful of stinky hazardous products. It is FDA approved, smells great, no need for gloves, after application all parts are dry, and everything fingerprints less. Cleanup after range time has never been so easy. Frog Lube on a patch down the bore, and wipe everything down. Grunge has never dislodged so easily.
It took some time for me to see a need for Frog Lube on my knives. A few months ago I was peering into a work horse Delica with its blade deployed. Peering inside at the backside of backlock. Besides the typical lint there appeared to be a stain possibly rust on the stainless backlock, and a toothpick was not up to the task of dislodging it. After dis-assembly the stain came off with light buffing and scothchbright. But it me to thinking. I want anything inside of a closed knife like most of my spidies to dislodge without a fight, and Frog Lube was an obvious answer. Rust and grunge from bits of apple or whatever are less likely to seriously adhere to Frog Lubed steel.
All of my guns and now half of my knives have been degreased and Frog Lubed with heat twice. While they are apart I just do it twice. Wipe everything dry and assemble. It is a great dry lube. Is it the best…….gosh….. I recently order 5# and 10# Nano Oil, maybe it will make my spidies deploy like assisted knives.

[gnlw]

I like to keep mine dry so that it doesn't attract dirt. When I do need to lube, I just use a little bit of Militec and work it in. After I work it in, I wipe off as much of the excess as I can. It works for me.

[HtR]

Froglube

My blades are often used for food prep.

[donutsrule]

Frog Lube. Got it for my Colt 1911, and it only takes a dab and a hair dryer to apply to a knife pivot.

I'm pretty sure most lubes work great on knives (and I didn't lube the pivot on my blue Dodo for several years, and it never felt like it needed it), but I like the non-toxicness of Frog Lube, mineral oil, and Ballistol.

[GrossPolluter]

• Use Militec or Ballistol for pivots
• Use Sentry Tuf-Cloth for blades

...Ballistol.

Ballistol rules!

¡maravilloso ...pero muy pestilente!

[salmonkiller]

Froglube(great stuff)=foodsafe

[PMBohol]

This question comes up about once a month here. There is no one answer. There are the faithful who use Nano oil, FrogLube, Militech, and other brands. By all accounts these are good products and you cannot go wrong with them. In my selection of lube products, I like to use something that is not only for knives but for many other uses around the house and in the field. If you have firearms, you already have a quality lube whether it is Hoppes or another brand. I use BreakFree CLP and Hoppes Elite oil. I can use these products in door hardware and locks, door and gate hinges, and any other place where I need them. I like the Breakfree to wipe my tools with to prevent rust.

Pick a product that you can use everywhere rather than one just for knives.

[Donut]

Okay, now that we've discussed what oils we use, I imagine talking about what the BEST type of oil to use is in order.

I have a couple of questions.

Do we need to use different lubes for Teflon and Phosphor Bronze bushings?

Do we need to use different lubes for titanium, Titanium/Phosphor, Titanium/Teflon, G-10/Phosphor, G-10/Teflon?

Do certain oils "gum" up more or less based on the materials that we are lubricating?

[Screwdriver]

I have obsessed over oil. Member of Bob is the Oil Guy since 2004. I am also an avid gun owner, with about 25+ firearms. I use to drive myself nuts thinking about oil. Firearms and especially knives do not stress oil like cars do. With firearms I used Frog-Lube and other boutique oils and found they worked as well as Rem-Oil or BF CLP. With knives, pretty much any oil works. I am using Soy-Lube SL100 atm, not because of reviews etc, but because the wife and I were getting rid of chemicals and trying to use natural products as much as possible. Soy-Lube became our replacement for WD-40 and I found it worked well to protect my carbon blades and smelled like oranges and is food safe. If I wasn't using Soy-Lube, I would be using mineral oil.

[Donut]

I'll try soy lube out. Is it easily obtainable?