my first swisstool, needs help

[cnlson]

So based on some back and forth about who's is better on youtube I decided to try a swisstool. and compare it to my leatherman
it's in need of some TLC. you can see the condition here
https://youtu.be/HvufP7U16vU
I'm wondering what angle to sharpen the blade, and how to get it moving again and get the rust off of it.

i was reading threads here for the swiss knives talking about soaking in warm water and soap, but i'm not sure if that is a good idea for a rusty tool

[clown]

Congrats on the Swisstool!

When I clean my tools I usually get a large bowl of water as hot as I can stand and add some dish soap.  Ill get my tool in there and get after it with an old toothbrush.  Usually does pretty good at getting in the joints/pivots.  Give it some good scubbing and rinse with hot water.  I wouldnt be afraid to let a Swiistool air dry after that but you could always hit it with some compressed air.  Then add the oil of your choice to the pivots and work it in a bit.

Id also say you can sharpen it at whatever angle you prefer.  The steel is relatively soft so it wouldnt be too difficult to adjust to your preference.

Hope you enjoy it!

[cnlson]

Id also say you can sharpen it at whatever angle you prefer.  The steel is relatively soft so it wouldnt be too difficult to adjust to your preference.

Hope you enjoy it!

Any idea what factory angle is?

Congrats on the Swisstool!
Hope you enjoy it!

It is a nice tool but I doubt I will keep it. I like one hand opening tools and pocket clips.  It came from ebay and to ebay it will likely return. Along with a couple of RS's that I couldn't let slip away. those I will likely make some money on.

[greenbear]

If you are unhappy with using soap and water a bit of WD40 (light oil) on a cloth would do and any more ingrained rust can be removed with one of those scratchy plastic washing up scourers (this may sightly scratch though).

Please do not be too hasty in dismissing the SwissTool. It felt very different to me when I first bought mine but, over the years (ten years now and still going strong despite daily use) it has proved its worth again and again, they just take a bit of getting used to.

[cnlson]

If you are unhappy with using soap and water a bit of WD40 (light oil) on a cloth would do and any more ingrained rust can be removed with one of those scratchy plastic washing up scourers (this may sightly scratch though).

WD40 is a water dispersing agent, not an oil. after reading on this forum and elsewhere I ordered the victorinox oil off knifecenter.  No need to cheap out on something that has value.

Please do not be too hasty in dismissing the SwissTool. It felt very different to me when I first bought mine but, over the years (ten years now and still going strong despite daily use) it has proved its worth again and again, they just take a bit of getting used to.

i'm not dismissing the tool because of what it is. It is a very well built tool. Before I owned one, I thought it was more a work of art and not as hardy of a tool. Now that I have it, it is obviously as capable a multitool as there is. What it lacks for me are one hand opening tools, that leatherman has, a pocket clip, and the ability to one hand open the pliers. Those are my wants, and a leatherman meets those wants.

I think the tool should be with someone it fits better. The RS's i have on the way were just too good of a deal to pass up. $65 each new still in the packaging. They popped up on craigslist notification a day or so after I ordered this off ebay.  judging by what i see for sales of RS's used on ebay, I should easily make some money on them. I have 3 new leatherman's on the way. So what I make will go to offsetting the cost of those.

in the meantime, i will fix up the swisstool and get it back to excellent shape. all working smoothly with a wickedly sharp blade and test a few things again my leatherman and see which is truly better.

[nate j]

Any idea what factory angle is?

Victorinox recommends sharpening at 15 - 20 degrees, so cutting edge is 30 - 40 degrees inclusive.

[cnlson]

Victorinox recommends sharpening at 15 - 20 degrees, so cutting edge is 30 - 40 degrees inclusive.

Much appreciated!

[floppy]

The spring on the scissors can be replaced and it’ll get the nice action back. That one looks like it’s lost it’s springiness.

Opening/closing/moving the tools around while submerged in the hot soapy water should help clean out the nooks and crannies as well.

The new Victorinox Spirit MX has one hand opening blade and a good pocket clip. The MXBS adds a second OHO serrated blade.

I’ve never tried opening up the pliers on my Spirits one handed, just tried and they will open with a firm flick after first nudging it ajar with your thumb.

[cnlson]

The spring on the scissors can be replaced and it’ll get the nice action back. That one looks like it’s lost it’s springiness.
Opening/closing/moving the tools around while submerged in the hot soapy water should help clean out the nooks and crannies as well.
The new Victorinox Spirit MX has one hand opening blade and a good pocket clip. The MXBS adds a second OHO serrated blade.
I’ve never tried opening up the pliers on my Spirits one handed, just tried and they will open with a firm flick after first nudging it ajar with your thumb.

The scissors spring is not worn from what i can tell, when i used some alcohol to try and relieve the stuckyness of the tools the scissors actually worked for a few minutes until the alcohol evaporated.
i have some victorinox oil on order should be here tomorrow. I am not sure about putting a tool with rust in the joints in water, but I will try that once I have the oil in hand. I am also going to use a toothbrush on the plier pivots, hopefully to some effect. They are pretty gritty.

The MX is $160, for 1 one hand opening blade and a pocket clip, which is seriously a lot more than $99 for a wave, which, if i'm not mistaken comes with the pocket clip.
The MXBS is $210 and no pocket clip. to me those are some pretty expensive tools. they might be worth that much to someone but I am not that someone.

i had hoped that someone who similarly liked pocket clips had modeled a clip that i could 3d print. but it appears only belt cases from what i could find.

day after tomorrow I should have the 2 new in packaging Swisstool RS's, I'm going to put one on ebay as soon as it gets here and probably the other in a few weeks.
with the money that brings, maybe I'll check out the MX, from the pictures it appears that thumb stud might catch on more than just your fingers.
Also, does the scissors on the MX appear to use a similar mechanism for the scissors to the leatherman?

[floppy]

The scissors spring is not worn from what i can tell, when i used some alcohol to try and relieve the stuckyness of the tools the scissors actually worked for a few minutes until the alcohol evaporated.
i have some victorinox oil on order should be here tomorrow. I am not sure about putting a tool with rust in the joints in water, but I will try that once I have the oil in hand. I am also going to use a toothbrush on the plier pivots, hopefully to some effect. They are pretty gritty.

The MX is $160, for 1 one hand opening blade and a pocket clip, which is seriously a lot more than $99 for a wave, which, if i'm not mistaken comes with the pocket clip.
The MXBS is $210 and no pocket clip. to me those are some pretty expensive tools. they might be worth that much to someone but I am not that someone.

i had hoped that someone who similarly liked pocket clips had modeled a clip that i could 3d print. but it appears only belt cases from what i could find.

day after tomorrow I should have the 2 new in packaging Swisstool RS's, I'm going to put one on ebay as soon as it gets here and probably the other in a few weeks.
with the money that brings, maybe I'll check out the MX, from the pictures it appears that thumb stud might catch on more than just your fingers.
Also, does the scissors on the MX appear to use a similar mechanism for the scissors to the leatherman?

Yep the MX (and all the Spirit line) scissors have the same mechanism as the Wave. They have their differences and feel very different to use though. I've seen some users on here doing a little mod to the Spirit scissors to allow them to open further.

The thumb stud does jut out a bit, which has meant it doesn't fit in an older Victorinox nylon pouch I got with a standard Spirit. It seems reasonably streamlined though, it doesn't interfere with plier or other tool use, except perhaps the saw where it sits under the index finger joint with right handed use.

Here in Australia Leathermans are relatively more expensive and Victorinox's cheaper than the US which changes the value proposition equation a bit. In US dollars, a standard Wave Plus with nylon pouch here is $US115, a Spirit X with leather or nylon pouch is $US117 and a Spirit MX Clip is around $US125. MXBS is $US174 and a Charge Plus is $US162.

A long soak in WD40 and getting a soft brass bristle brush in the pivots would be a pretty safe and effective way to treat the grittiness. Hopefully it's just surface corrosion. Washing it out in soapy water will be ok as long as it's dried out afterwards and not sitting wet for days. I usually use the Victorinox oil too after washing them in water, and just air drying. I've used sewing machine oil too although it might not be food safe.

Hope it cleans up well, keep us updated 

[cnlson]

Yep the MX (and all the Spirit line) scissors have the same mechanism as the Wave. They have their differences and feel very different to use though. I've seen some users on here doing a little mod to the Spirit scissors to allow them to open further.

link?

Here in Australia Leathermans are relatively more expensive and Victorinox's cheaper than the US which changes the value proposition equation a bit. In US dollars, a standard Wave Plus with nylon pouch here is $US115, a Spirit X with leather or nylon pouch is $US117 and a Spirit MX Clip is around $US125. MXBS is $US174 and a Charge Plus is $US162.

I could understand it being cheaper in europe, but i wouldn't have expected in a place far away from europe and the US it would be cheaper. I wonder at that point why it isn't cheaper in the US. I've been getting good prices, sort of, on Swiss tools used. The one in the video was $80, and the most expensive so far, I bough 2 RS for $65 each new in packaging, and one is on ebay right now at $100 with a few days to go yet, The other will be shortly after.  I bought a spirit x for $71 on the bay also. It will either be retained or sold depending on how I feel later on.

I did do the hot water soak. I kept adding hot water and soap and working the tools and when i took it out I jused canned air to dry it. and immediately oiled it with tuff glyde and the victorinox oil. I have no concerns about food safety as i'm never going to use a multitool to eat with unless i sterilize it first. I did check the spring of the swisstool x vs the swisstool rs and the rs did seem to have much more springiness

I plan on putting the file, saw, knife, pliers, scissors and rescue cutter of the RS up against the leatherman I have. to see which works better. Right now I'm sure the pliers will swing victorinox way but the others, i think, will be much closer, performance wise.

[nate j]

Looking forward to your comparison

[Aloha]

I did a Wave vs Spirit ( I really was comparing ) a while ago.  I never did a Swisstool vs Surge but I can say each is strong, same goes for Wave and Spirit.  I do think at least for me its preference.  There was a fella who insisted otherwise, I'm not sure where he went  .

I will say I do appreciate the ergos of the Spirit in use vs the Wave/Charge.  To me it goes back and forth tho so its really hard to pick.  I do think to some extent being used to a tool or maker plays a part 

[Huntsman]

To your question - It's a Swisstool X - As you probably know by now?

For this stiffness of the joints - I'd just be using WD40 initially - Working the tools open and closed again and again  - The toothbrush might help as someone suggested - Then maybe a thicker oil
I do use warm water sometimes but that is isually just for SAKs 

[DavZell]

I plan on putting the file, saw, knife, pliers, scissors and rescue cutter of the RS up against the leatherman I have. to see which works better. Right now I'm sure the pliers will swing victorinox way but the others, i think, will be much closer, performance wise.

Have you had a chance to get a feel for the two yet?