Best lube for this scenario?

Leif · #1

I have a persistence that gets very gritty, It's like I can feel the detent ball grinding against the track. When I rinse thoroughly with water, it becomes buttery buttery smooth, but only for 1-2 hours, after the water evaporates and is no longer lubricating the track it is back to being very gritty. If I use tuff-glide, which is a dry lubricant, it evaporates almost as quickly and the knife once again gets gritty. I popped the blade and washers out and cleaned them thoroughly just to see if that would make a difference, but after reassembly it is back to the same pattern. So my question is, what "wet" lubes take a long time to evaporate and would work best for this scenario?

Thanks so much. :)

cckw · #2

I've not encountered that. But the best lube I have found is Slip 2000. I have it in regular gun oil, EWL, and grease. I use one of the three on about everything that needs lube

Leif · #3

hmmm... Would the grease be usable or not viscous enough?

PMBohol · #4

Someone gave me a bottle of MPro7-LPX. It is supposed to stay wet yet not attract contaminants. I haven't tried it yet but the reviews I have seen are favorable.

Leif · #5

PMBohol wrote:MPro7-LPX. It is supposed to stay wet yet not attract contaminants.

Thanks!! Sounds like it is worth checking out.

Sparki · #6

I've heard a lot of good things about nano-oil.

JNewell · #7

Leif wrote:I have a persistence that gets very gritty, It's like I can feel the detent ball grinding against the track. When I rinse thoroughly with water, it becomes buttery buttery smooth, but only for 1-2 hours, after the water evaporates and is no longer lubricating the track it is back to being very gritty. If I use tuff-glide, which is a dry lubricant, it evaporates almost as quickly and the knife once again gets gritty. I popped the blade and washers out and cleaned them thoroughly just to see if that would make a difference, but after reassembly it is back to the same pattern. So my question is, what "wet" lubes take a long time to evaporate and would work best for this scenario?

Thanks so much. :)

I experimented with Tuff-Glide as a lube, and tried a few "dry" bicycle chain lubes as well. They are all roughly similar in that they go on "wet" and then dry leaving a waxy residue to lubricate and protect. I found them all unsatisfactory because they would accumulate grit, which sounds like exactly the problem you're having.

I would suggest any light oil lube. On knives that I use oil with, my general preference is either Breakfree or Tri-Flow, but there's nothing magical about the brand, in my experience.

jackknifeh · #8

The most effective lubes I've found are Quick Release and Nano-Oil. I think Nano-Oil is better but Quick Release works about all the time on pocket knives. Nano-oil is my choice when I have a knife that has to have the pivot screw tighter to eliminate blade play. Nano-oil is much better when there is a lot of pressure between two pieces of metal. This is how it is designed. Your problem may not be the ball though. There may be a very tiny burr somewhere on the liners or blade tang causing the grinding.

I don't know where to get Nano-oil or Quick Release at a store. Quick Release is on several knife sites. Nano-oil is on Howe's or you can order it directly from the manufacturer. Nano-oil is expensive but it's worth it. It also comes in various thicknesses.

Tuf-Glide is great for corrosion control and it makes a so-so lube. But for more difficult lubrication needs it isn't as good as any other lube I've used.

Jack

Coulro · #9

Frog lube and a tiny drop of Nano Oil seem to be a magical combination for me! Plus you get food safe corrosion protection by using Frog Lube

Although to apply the Frog Lube properly you need to disassemble which isn't recommended by Spyderco

mattman · #10

Can you isolate the "gritty" feeling too the detent ball? Does it go away if you pull the lock tension off the tang while the blade is in motion? On new knives, I can feel the detent ball riding the surface of the tang until it wears a groove, and knocks down the high spots... If this is the case, I recommend slight lube, preferably a grease that you can tuck some in the detent hole with a toothpick, and let it wear in. If the grittiness is from somewhere else, the presence of a burr (as mentioned above) is probably the next thing I'd investigate...

Please report back when you get it sorted!