A pocket knife gets slow before it gets dull: lint packs the pivot, sweat and pocket grit stiffen the action, and the blade picks up tape adhesive and rust spots. Cleaning takes ten minutes with things you already own. This guide covers the routine clean, the deep clean with the pivot apart, rust, micarta white spots, and what oil to use.
The routine clean (monthly)
- Open the blade and lock it. Blow out the pivot and the handle with compressed air or a hard breath.
- Wipe the blade with a cloth and a little isopropyl alcohol; it takes off tape gum and fingerprints.
- Run a folded pipe cleaner or a toothbrush through the handle channel.
- One drop of oil on each side of the pivot, work the blade twenty times, wipe the excess.
The deep clean (when the action is gritty)
Only if the pivot is gritty and blowing it out did not help. Remove the pivot screw with the right Torx bit (T6 or T8 on most folders; T8 on a Penguin), lay the parts out in order, wash the blade, washers and liners in warm soapy water, dry completely, oil the washers or bearings, reassemble and tension the pivot until the blade swings freely with no side play. Do not lose the detent ball; it lives in the lock bar.
Rust
Rust spots on stainless are surface only. Rub with a paste of baking soda and water, or 0000 steel wool with oil, then wipe and oil. Rinse a knife that has seen salt water the same day.
Handle materials
G10 and aluminum: soap and water. Micarta: the white spots QSP owners ask about are dried soap or skin oils in the fabric; wipe with a little mineral oil and they vanish. Titanium: nothing needed. Glow scales: light exposure recharges them; nothing to clean.
What oil
Any light mineral oil, or a knife oil, or food-grade oil if you cut food with it. Not WD-40 as a lubricant (it dries and gums), though it is fine as a cleaner.
Where it lives
A knife in a pocket with keys and coins gets scratched and gritty. A leather knife sleeve keeps it separate and the clip off the pocket seam.
Frequently asked questions
How do I clean a pocket knife?
Blow out the pivot, wipe the blade with alcohol, brush the handle, one drop of oil at the pivot.
What oil should I use on a pocket knife?
Light mineral oil or a knife oil; food-grade if you cut food.
How do I get rust off a pocket knife?
Baking soda paste or 0000 steel wool with oil, then oil the blade.
How do I fix white spots on micarta?
Wipe with a little mineral oil.
Should I take my knife apart to clean it?
Only if the pivot is gritty after blowing it out; keep the parts in order and mind the detent ball.
The bottom line
Blow, wipe, brush, one drop of oil. Do it monthly and a $85 knife stays smooth for a decade.
Related reading
How to sharpen a pocket knife
How to close a pocket knife
Does kydex scratch your gun?
