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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Shangas, post: 3743868, member: 360&quot;]When I buy a pocketknife, I clean off all the surface-grime using oil and tissue-paper, cotton wool, and 0000-grade steel wool (for polishing and cleaning antiques).</p><p><br /></p><p>Once that&#039;s done, I use steel wool or very fine sandpaper + more oil (or a metal polish, like Brasso) to polish away as much of the rust as I can reasonably reach, if any rust there be (and in most cases there will be at least some rust).</p><p><br /></p><p>Then after that, the next step is to lubricate and flush the springs and pivots.</p><p><br /></p><p>Depending on the knife, this could take a couple of hours, or it could take over a week.</p><p><br /></p><p>I fill the knife with oil, and then constantly work the blades open and shut, over and over and over again. This is to remove grime, relieve stiffness and jamming, and restore the &#039;snap&#039; to the spring on the blades, so that they open and shut cleanly. Depending on the knife, this is either relatively easy, and you can get it done in a day, or in the case of one knife, it could take nearly two weeks.</p><p><br /></p><p>As you can see in these photos, the amount of crud inside the average antique pocketknife is quite extensive...</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]314030[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]314033[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>All these black-brown streaks aren&#039;t oil. They&#039;re the grime and dust and rust and crud trapped inside the springs and pivots, which the oil washes out.</p><p><br /></p><p>You fill the knife with oil and work the blades. Several dozen times. This works the oil through the knife. The oil clings to the dirt and loosens it. The action of opening and closing the knife shifts the oil and grime out the bottom of the springs, and then rubbing the knife against the tissue-paper draws out the gunk-laden oil, through capillary action.</p><p><br /></p><p>You just keep doing it, over and over and over again, until the oil comes out clean. The more of this stuff you remove, the smoother the knife will be.</p><p><br /></p><p>The knife has been properly cleaned of all grime when it will snap open and shut without the need for oil. </p><p><br /></p><p>If you have to lubricate your knife to get it to work, then it doesn&#039;t work.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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