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Cleaning an old vic?

us Offline Lynn LeFey

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Cleaning an old vic?
on: April 25, 2012, 11:49:10 PM
Let's say, hypothetically, that you were given a vic that has 20 years of pocket lint crammed into it. How might one go about cleaning such a knife thoroughly, and properly lubricating it? I really don't want to go into disassembly.


us Offline Corso

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #1 on: April 25, 2012, 11:51:51 PM
Powerful compressed air/ toothbrush?


us Offline Heinz Doofenshmirtz

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #2 on: April 26, 2012, 12:12:56 AM
I've been wondering about this myself actually.  My old Swiss Champ could use a good cleaning, and my Outrider as well.

I'd guess something like a light solvent like WD40 (which is NOT a lubricant!).  Open it all up, spray it good with the cleaner/solvent, let it sit for a bit, and then wipe it down and use some compressed air to blow it out.  Repeat until satisfied with the results, then lube thoroughly.

You might want to pop the scales off for that though... I don't know how cellidor holds up to even light duty cleaners and solvents.
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us Offline Lynn LeFey

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #3 on: April 26, 2012, 12:19:45 AM
I think I can handle popping the scales off for the task. Much more than that is not likely to happen.


us Offline stressmaster5000

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #4 on: April 26, 2012, 12:37:43 AM
For general light cleaning like dust and loose crud just use a nylon bristle brush and compressed air to blow it out. I brush the areas I can get to with my nylon bristle brush. The bruch comes from a cheap gun cleaning kit I bought which has 3 brushes; nylon, brass and steel. Use the steel brush on nail files to remove old nail crud, from the file area.

For knives with unknown years of crud stuck and build up I use an Ultrasonic cleaning device. Once finished I scrape away any debris and blow it out until dry and re-oil the pivots. There are a couple of threads already posted with loads of other useful info.

Here is a link to some of my cleaning tips on my blog.
http://sakfan.blogspot.com/search/label/cleaning
« Last Edit: April 26, 2012, 12:39:50 AM by stressmaster5000 »


us Offline ColoSwiss

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #5 on: April 26, 2012, 02:39:55 AM
Pipe cleaners and Q-tips will clean out most of the stuff after a good soaking in hot water and dish soap. For really packed-in crud  a long, thin screwdriver is handy.

Karl


us Offline Ashley

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Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #6 on: April 26, 2012, 03:33:34 AM
I use dawn dish liquid and an old toothbrush.

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us Offline Chain Gang

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #7 on: April 26, 2012, 03:43:33 AM
Dish soap with hot water.I soak for several hours and rinse with hot water to get all of the soap out.I also scrub with a toothbrush and Qtips if needed.I let it air dry then spray with WD-40 to displace any moisture and lube with mineral oil.


cy Offline dks

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #8 on: April 26, 2012, 09:04:12 AM
..and if all fails use the dishwasher...

When I was getting several classics and could not really be bothered to clean them individually I used the dishwasher, at low temperature and very little powder. No dry cycle.
You will get some mild, whitish oxidation from the aluminium liners and possibly some dulling of the scales, but these are easily sorted. Rinse and dry with a cloth afterwards and place out in the hot sun to dry even more.

For most items I use liquid soap, hot water, WD40, lots of tissue, toothpicks, Ultrasonic cleaner for deep seeded fatty dirt, toothbrush (narrow with long bristles) etc.

You have to be persistent once you start cleaning a tool, as stopping half way through might leave you with a worst condition tool than the one you started with.
Usually as you start cleaning, using e.g. oil, some dirt start loosening up and moves between the moving parts of the tool, making it even harder to open or close than before, unless you continue cleaning and finish the job.
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sg Offline demonoflust

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #9 on: April 26, 2012, 09:42:37 AM
« Last Edit: April 26, 2012, 09:44:28 AM by demonoflust »


us Offline Smaug

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #10 on: April 26, 2012, 03:21:19 PM
I would follow Victorinox recommendation:

This is what I do. Dish soap doesn't really add anything. The point of the water is to float the debris out from the joints, not to actually clean anything.

I wasn't aware there was a multi-tool oil that is food safe. I'll have to see if I can get some in my next Amazon order, because it is not available locally. I wonder if it is just mineral oil, or butcher block oil? After all, it doesn't have to be a high performance oil for the joints in pocket knives.
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us Offline GigaHz

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #11 on: April 26, 2012, 03:31:39 PM
Sakaholics use an ultrasonic cleaner. I don't have one yet. I clean with mineral oil or WD40 soaking and then a Dawn soaking. I have even used acetone when something got into the joints. Then I finish with just water to get all the soap out. I dry it and then add oil to the joints. I bought two different mineral oils. One said 90 weight. Both are super thin oil and spread throughout the knife after time. I use the Victorinox multitool oil. It is super thick like honey and stays where you put it.


gb Offline Zed

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #12 on: April 26, 2012, 03:47:25 PM
I would leave the scales on , there easy to pop off but i popped some off a old huntsman and inside where there is the hole it cracked around the edges to never fitted back on right, although i glue mine on now  :D


sg Offline demonoflust

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #13 on: April 26, 2012, 04:17:02 PM
I restore old watches for pass time and I use old fashion methods to clean watch part dipping in lighter fluid to dissolved dirt and oil. I use the same thing to deep clean old SAK removing the scale, flush the internal with lighter fluid. Whatever nasty dirt will be removed and then I do the warm soapy water cleaning.

I also have many fine watch oil (mineral oil) and have use clock oil to lubricate the SAK. Nowaday I use baby oil, they are food safe, cheap and smell good. Baby oil is mineral oil too.


us Offline Lynn LeFey

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #14 on: April 27, 2012, 01:18:27 AM
Thanks all. I decided to pop the scales, and clean in warm water with a little dish detergent. I scrubbed it with an old toothbrush, and it came clean instantly... to my amazement. I air dried it, then took it outside and blasted it with WD40. I wiped it down, used 3-in-1 on all the joints, and replaced the scales. I don't ever intend to use this for eating, so I have no fear about the oil I'm using being not safe for consumption. If I do this to a knife I intend to use to cut food, I'll likely try mineral oil.

Before cleaning, a few of the tools would sort of half-heatedly close. Now, they all snap shut with a nice crispness.

I'm kind of glad I popped the scales. This was a knife I didn't mind messing up, and it was a good experience to get a feel for that particular operation, IMO. Putting the scales back on afterward required nothing more than hand strength. This might not be the case with brand new scales, but I don't know.

Thank you all for helping. This place is amazing, and you are all an incredible resource for us, the noobs in SAKville.


us Offline tattoosteve99

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Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #15 on: April 27, 2012, 02:59:00 AM
What I use is dawn dish soap. Soak in it over night. Then I take wd-40 and spray it down and let soak another night. After that the old toothbrush comes out (and yes even it's been modded to clean SAKs ). However, if theres dirt under the scales, there's a little trick I use to get that out without removing them. If you get a set of feeler gages, and slightly pry up the scale, you can clean under it without having to remove them.
If I remember correctly, wait, what was I saying?


us Offline stressmaster5000

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #16 on: April 27, 2012, 11:59:59 PM
Well, this is a Wenger Esquire nail file and I wanted to show the before and after on it. Before photos show the general crud you find stuck onto a nail file of this sort(etched or sandblasted type). I used a small steel wire bristle brush and brushed it lengthwise for 5-10 seconds until the stuff came off. After photos are self explanatory.

Before with flash on-
Before with no Flash-

After with no flash-
After with flash on-

The flash can make a real difference in seeing the close up details so I included both.



ca Offline Syph007

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #17 on: April 28, 2012, 12:22:11 AM
Nice restore stressmaster!  Got any tips to rejuvenate seized up scissors (modern riveted style)?  I've soaked and scrubbed with everything in my bag of tricks, and I've tried to floss out any debris, but they still wont spring open nicely.  The older style scissors are a piece of cake to restore, I take them apart and clean/buff and reassemble.
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us Offline GigaHz

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #18 on: April 28, 2012, 12:30:26 AM
Well, this is a Wenger Esquire nail file and I wanted to show the before and after on it. Before photos show the general crud you find stuck onto a nail file of this sort(etched or sandblasted type). I used a small steel wire bristle brush and brushed it lengthwise for 5-10 seconds until the stuff came off. After photos are self explanatory.

Before with flash on-(Image removed from quote.)
Before with no Flash-(Image removed from quote.)

After with no flash-(Image removed from quote.)
After with flash on-(Image removed from quote.)

The flash can make a real difference in seeing the close up details so I included both.

Nice job. This and he also makes 50 year old scales look brand new.


us Offline stressmaster5000

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #19 on: April 28, 2012, 01:36:14 AM
Nice restore stressmaster!  Got any tips to rejuvenate seized up scissors (modern riveted style)?  I've soaked and scrubbed with everything in my bag of tricks, and I've tried to floss out any debris, but they still wont spring open nicely.  The older style scissors are a piece of cake to restore, I take them apart and clean/buff and reassemble.
Well, what I do is use a razor blade first and scrape all the gunk from around the pivot area you can reach, then just flush with water or oil and work it until it frees up. I have had some that just won't get any better.


BTW - Here is the link to my photo album for those photos. I posted smaller size, and some may want a better look at them.
https://picasaweb.google.com/113972130751178685410/SAKKnifeCleaningAndTools?authuser=0&feat=directlink


us Offline GigaHz

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #20 on: April 28, 2012, 01:44:59 AM
Nice restore stressmaster!  Got any tips to rejuvenate seized up scissors (modern riveted style)?  I've soaked and scrubbed with everything in my bag of tricks, and I've tried to floss out any debris, but they still wont spring open nicely.  The older style scissors are a piece of cake to restore, I take them apart and clean/buff and reassemble.

Mechanical or gook?


ca Offline Syph007

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #21 on: April 28, 2012, 01:54:03 AM
Nice restore stressmaster!  Got any tips to rejuvenate seized up scissors (modern riveted style)?  I've soaked and scrubbed with everything in my bag of tricks, and I've tried to floss out any debris, but they still wont spring open nicely.  The older style scissors are a piece of cake to restore, I take them apart and clean/buff and reassemble.

Mechanical or gook?

They appear visibly clean, but only open a tiny bit on their own, like 1/4 of what they should.. oiling didnt even help.  On one pair i tried to bend the scissors apart gently and they broke in my hands.. so that didnt work.

I could try to pry the rivet apart more by wedges jammed in there, but my luck I'll just break them too. 
« Last Edit: April 28, 2012, 01:56:54 AM by Syph007 »
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us Offline GigaHz

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #22 on: April 28, 2012, 03:00:49 AM
Do they catch, like they got nicks? Or are they just tight?


us Offline Currahee

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #23 on: April 28, 2012, 09:31:40 AM
BTW - Here is the link to my photo album for those photos. I posted smaller size, and some may want a better look at them.
https://picasaweb.google.com/113972130751178685410/SAKKnifeCleaningAndTools?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Great job on the restoration of those scales!!! I think I read your description of how you accomplish that feat of magic somewhere, but I can't remember where it was? Maybe I just imagined it? Amazing job, though! I should be so talented.
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spam Offline J Mackrel Jones

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #24 on: May 03, 2012, 03:45:16 PM
"I have even used acetone when something got into the joints. Then I finish with just water to get all the soap out. I dry it and then add oil to the joints. I bought two different mineral oils. One said 90 weight. Both are super thin oil and spread throughout the knife after time. I use the Victorinox multitool oil. It is super thick like honey and stays where you put it."

Careful with the acetone -  SAK scales (Cellulose Acetate Butyrate) are related to this stuff and acetone will eat into its cousin plastic.
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spam Offline J Mackrel Jones

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #25 on: May 03, 2012, 08:19:04 PM
I wouldn't be surprised if the butane in lighter fluid would eat (CA Butyrate) scales also.  Not being a smoker I don't have any to test.  ?
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us Offline reswiss

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Re: Cleaning an old vic?
Reply #26 on: May 04, 2012, 02:16:43 AM
As far as solvents go, the only one I've used that didn't cause problems later-on would be white vinegar, diluted into hot water. A capful per cup. That and a toothbrush makes for a decent low-tech solution. For stubborn knives, ultrasonic machines do some of the work, but BreakFree solvent will finish the job, especially if you leave it soaking for about a week.

Haven't had luck with WD-40 for SAKs - it gets sticky sometimes.

Also tried dish soap, but that can leave a residue inside the frame, and it's hard to get out.


 

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