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Knives are an essential tool for any outdoor enthusiast. They can be used to cut through branches, carve wood, and clean game. But knives need care and maintenance in order to keep them working well. This blog post will discuss how to clean a pocket knife so it is always ready when you need it!
The fact is that a pocket knife is a convenient tool that many people use for hunting, fishing, and everyday tasks. However, when the blade becomes dirty or dull, it is time to clean it. You should clean out your pocket knife once per month at a minimum if you’re using it daily – but weekly is even better!
Understanding the Blade
There are a lot of different kinds of knives out there, and as such, the care for them varies. If you’re looking into knife sharpening or maintenance, then it would be helpful to know what kind of blade your knife has. Most pocket knives will fall under one of three categories:
- Standard edge blades (most common)
- Serrated edges (not ideal but still easy to maintain)
- Full-tang blades (these tend to be more expensive).
While all types can benefit from proper cleaning, we recommend selecting either a standard edge or fully-tanged blade over other options since they do not need as much work to keep their fine-cutting ability intact.
Steps to Clean the Knife
To clean your pocket knife, you will need soap and water, a rag or towel, an old toothbrush (optional), cotton swabs (optional), and mineral oil. Once you have gathered all of these things together, follow these steps:
- Soak the blade in soapy water for about five minutes to loosen any dirt that may be stuck on there.
- Scrub with a rag or towel if needed
- Rinse off the blade thoroughly under running water.
- After patting dry with a clean cloth, place the blade flat on its side and apply a thin coat of mineral oil to the blade using cotton swabs or your finger.
- Continue until all areas are covered and let dry for about five minutes.
Actually, pocket knives are handy tools that can be utilized for many different tasks, including cutting string and rope, whittling wood, and shaping metal. This is why like any other tool; your pocket knife will need maintenance from time to time in order to keep it in good working condition. After usage, you have to clean it, and this is how you can get the most out of your sharpened blade!
Additional Cleaning Points
In addition to just wiping down after using, we recommend cleaning your pocket knife every couple of months during normal use. This can help prevent rust from forming along any grooves made by dirt or debris, which could lead to corrosion if left untreated for too long. The best way to do this is by taking a small amount of oil or water and applying it to the blade. Then take your cloth/toothbrush/swab and wipe down each side until clean. Dry them thoroughly with another cloth before storing them for later use.
It’s easy to clean the blade with some dish soap and water, but how do you maintain the handle? You can use mineral oil or even hand lotion to moisturize it. If your metal parts are rusting, try using WD-40 to remove excess moisture from them before applying a thin coat of gun oil to protect against corrosion.
Other Ways to Clean a Pocket Knife
You must clean around the pivot points with Q-tips or toothpicks, then use cotton swabs dipped in mineral oil to clean out any gunk that has collected there. If you want your knife to stay rust-free for a maximum time, consider wiping down its entire surface with an anti-rust solution after cleaning it.
Don’t forget to perform this procedure on both sides of the blade to avoid damaging one side more than another by keeping them unevenly dulled from repeated honing.
You can also use a sharpening stone to hone the blade and remove any nicks. If you want your knife to stay rust-free for a maximum time, consider wiping down its entire surface with an anti-rust solution after cleaning it. Perform this procedure on both sides of the blade to avoid damaging one side more than another by keeping them unevenly dulled from repeated honing.
How Do I Maintain the Sharpness of My Blade?
One major aspect of what makes a good knife is how sharp it is able to go from one end of the blade straight through to another without too much trouble. If done correctly, this can create a knife that can cut very well and is an important part of the maintenance process. If your knife has a serrated blade, you can read on how to How to Sharpen a Serrated Knife. In order to keep your blade sharp, you will need a few items: coarse diamond stone, fine or extra-fine ceramic rod (for serrated edges), and some sort of lubricants like oil or water if using a wet/dry system.
What Is the Best Way to Sharpen My Pocket Knife?
Sharpening blades on pocket knives is relatively easy as long as you know what you’re doing! Because most pocket knives have two sides to their cutting edge, it means they are double beveled, which makes them easier to sharpen than many other types of bladed tools such as axes, for example, since they only have one side with a single bevel. The first step is to wet the stone and then apply a small amount of lubrication before placing it on a flat surface like a countertop or tabletop. Make sure you hold your knife so that the portion with the blade facing up since this is where you will run the sharpening tool across in order to sharpen each side until they meet evenly at 90 degrees or as close as possible without going over!
How Often Should You Clean Your Pocket Knife?
Since knives are so often used, they tend to get dirty. However, this doesn’t mean that you should clean it too much or even at all! In fact, over-cleaning your pocket knife can actually damage the blade and make it dull more quickly. If a knife is not going to be used for an extended period of time, then we recommend cleaning them before storage as a preventative measure. During normal use, a good rule of thumb is waiting until after every few uses or when there seems to be excess dirt on the handle/blade, which could lead to rusting if left without attention.
