How To Clean A Pocket Knife

 So you bought a really nice pocket knife, but you don't know how to clean it.  This Hub is dedicated to taking you through the steps to clean and protect your knife. 

Cleaning a knife is really simple once you know the steps.  Before we get to cleaning, lets go through the things you want to inspect on your knife to determine if it needs cleaning.

First, regularly check your knife for trouble spots.  Inspect the blade for small blooms of rust.  As soon as you see any rust spots you should immediately clean them.  If you ignore rust, it will begin to actually leave small pits in your blade metal.  This is bad because it weakens the blade as well as affecting it's shape and cutting ability.

Next, inspect the handle.  You are looking for any build up of dust, dirt or grime.  Especially inspect along the inside of the blade bed as well as around any pivot points.  Where the blade joins the handle is a common area where pocket lint and dust can build up.  While you are checking these parts, open and close your blade a few times.  Get a feel for if your blade is opening smoothly or not.  If it is catching or feels like there is grit in the joints--this is something that needs to be fixed.  Otherwise the grit will wear on the joints and break them down; shortening the lilfe or your knife.

Finally, check any safety actions or automatic buttons or triggers your knife may have.  If it has these items, try them several times and determine if they are functioning properly.  Does your safety really keep your blade from opening.  Does your automatic button work smoothly or does it catch?

The next parts of this Hub will go through each of these knife parts and explain how to clean them if you have found any issues.  Take care of your knife and it will be ready for action when you most need it.

Here are the steps to cleaning your knife blade.  First, you need to decide if you are going to completely disassemble your knife or not.  Most of the time, I don't.  If you do, disassemble it now and then you can work on the blade by itself.  If you aren't going to, just grab your knife, open it up so your blade is visible, and let's get to work.

1. Carefully inspect your blade for nicks, scratches, or any other anomalies. 
2. Now, if you are going to sharpen your blade, the time to do it is here.
3. After sharpening your blade, grab a small hand towel and get it damp.  Use this towel to wipe down and clean your blade.  I try to use just the least amount of moisture possible.
4. Next, dry your blade completely.
5. Grab a nice oil.  Remington RemOil, Colt T12, or Benchmade BlueLube are the most recommended for your knife blade.  These oils have teflon lubricants which improve the performance and life of your blade.
6. Spray or wipe the oil all over your blade. Now rub it down with a soft cloth or paper towel.  Find something that isn't going to leave a bunch of debris all over your blade (you don't want to leave little strings or lint all over).
7. Now, reinspect your blade.  If there are any spots which still have built up stains on them, spray on some more oil and wipe it down again.
8. Now, if you are going to carry the knife in your pocket right away, carefully wipe down the blade one last time to get it nice and dry.
9. Voila! you are done cleaning your blade.  The oil will create a nice barrier to moisture and should keep your blade rust free for quite some time. 
10. I clean my blade about once every two weeks, but I use my knife a whole lot.  Many times every day.  If you use your knife more often, clean it more often.