It's new knife day, for a knife enthusiast this is a pretty big deal! Nothing beats taking your brand new knife out of the box and examining all the design nuances, pivot action, and blade details. While modern knives are pretty awesome out of the box, there are few quick and easy maintenance steps we can take to make our new knife perform even better and protect it from damage to ensure it lasts for years to come. In this guide we will cover a couple of quick maintenance applications for your new folding knife!
Anatomy of a Folding Knife
Let’s cover some of the basics of what makes up a folding knife. On the outside we can clearly see the blade, handle scales, and usually a pocket clip. The handle scales may be a variety of materials and there is either a single scale on the “show side” in the case of frame lock knives or a scale on each side of button locks, liner locks, and slip joints. The scales can be the entire handle or a covering of steel, aluminum, or titanium inner liner. The scales are typically held together with body screws and the pivot. The pivot screw goes through the handle and a hole in the blade which keeps the blade in the handle and allows the blade to open. Behind the handle scales the pivot will have either washers or bearings, these allow the knife to open and close without wearing down the steel of the blade or the material on the handle scales. These are also the parts that are primarily responsible for your knife’s opening action.
New Pivot Systems
Pivot systems often require a bit of break in time, this happens most often with phosphor bronze washers but can also be present in teflon washers and ball bearings. Phosphor bronze washers will smooth out over time making the opening and closing action better. Teflon Washers will also sometimes need some break in time, in addition they do not have the longevity that phosphor bronze washers have due to them being a thin plastic like material. Ball bearings are usually in a small circular cage; they can be made from either steel or ceramic. Ball bearing pivot systems often have the best action out of the box, but even they have some break in time as these tiny ball bearings smooth out over time. Beyond normal break in times, dust and grit from the knife production and packaging facilities can often find its way into your pivot system, impacting the opening action of your new knife.
Making Your New Pivot System Perform Better
The break in period on new pivots can be very frustrating for a knife enthusiast, and that is where KPL comes in, our line of pivot lubricants can help give your knife opening action the kick start it needs! For most knives we recommend applying a small amount of either KPL Original or KPL Dry Film around your pivot. KPL Original is a custom formulated synthetic oil that not only lubricates your pivot it also keeps all the dust and grime in the pivot in suspension so that it does not impact your pivot performance. Dry Film takes the oil out of the picture. It is applied the same way, but it leaves behind a completely dry fluorinated layer that will reduce friction and improve pivot action. Dry Film works particularly well on ball bearing pivots, as it keeps the cage from liquid free, but it is also a great option for any other pivot system! In addition to giving you a better opening action during your break and period, and well after, applying our pivot lubricants will protect the internal pivot parts from future dirt and dust while also preventing damage and premature wear on the parts!
Keep that Blade Protected from Rust
While your new knife should come free of rust and corrosion, without proper protection even stainless steel can stain and corrode during use especially if exposed to water, salts and corrosive materials. To prevent this from happening we formulated Knife Shield, an all purpose blade cleaner and rust inhibitor! Your new blade should be clean but a quick application will leave behind an invisible barrier that will protect your knife steel from rust during use or even just ambient moisture in the air. After you put that knife to work simply reapply Knife Shield to remove any stuck on gunk and keep your rust protection going! Not only is Knife Shield effective, it is also food safe so if you decide to pull out your folding knife to cut up a piece of fruit or even your steak you’ll have nothing to worry about!
