Care / Cleaning of SAK's, espeically 111mm Slide Lock

[boiseuzj100]

What is everyone's take on the Care and Cleaning of SAK's in general and particularly 111 mm Slide Lock knives?  Best Practices? 
I have read a fair amount online but don't trust those sources as much as the Swiss Army Knights experience.   Thanks

[nate j]

This isn’t slide lock specific, but here’s what I do:

1.  Clean off any visible gunk (adhesive residue etc.) on the blades/tools.  Acetone (available as nail polish remover) works well, but avoid getting even residue on the scales.

2.  Submerge the whole knife in fairly warm (but not too hot) water with a bit of dish soap.  Allow to soak for an hour or so.  Then work the tools open and closed under the water.  Repeat this step if needed.

3.  Submerge the whole knife in warm water.  Allow to soak for an hour or so.  Then work the tools open and closed under the water.

4.  Final rinse under warm running water

5.  Dry knife as much as possible with paper towel.  Then allow to sit for a day or two to finish air drying.

6.  Apply a very small amount of lubricant to the joints.  I prefer mineral oil, and I use a toothpick to apply just the smallest amount.  Then work the tools open and closed to distribute the lubricant across the joints.

[boiseuzj100]

Thanks Nate,  much appreciated.

[Luke Walker]

I don't think that there's something specific to the slide lock models. If you're interested how it works, there's a good video from SwissBianco. He explains it approx. between minute 1:45 and 4:00 in the video:
https://youtu.be/TP_-Gln3l-k?feature=shared

That's why I think cleaning it with lukewarm tap water, dish soap and oil afterwards is all you can do. If the slide lock doesn't work anymore despite the procedure explained by Nate j, you would have to disassemble the scale and clean out any gunk.

[Huntsman]

@ Nate - Wow Nate - That sounds pretty comprehensive - And kinda what I do
Although I sometimes merge steps 2,3,4 - And sometimes a toothbrush or nailbrush helps for the inside
- For step 5 - I always open the tools and leave in a window so the sun can dry it off 
- I am less careful than you on step 6 -     - And the knife gets a bit oily - So I wrap it in kitchen towel for a few hours in the pocket!!
And also before the water some times you can just blow out pocket fluff/gunk or use the toothpick to ease out fluff etc

@ Luke
Thanks for that link - The Wiki has some nice pictures too
https://sakwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Locking+Systems#Slide-lock
And there is this thread here at MTo
https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,47819.0.html