loosening stiff joints leatherman
- Thread starter Mungo
- Start date
Soak it in diesel overnight.
Or Coca Cola.
Tim.243
Well-Known Member
GT85
The phosphoric acid in coca cola is great for dissolving Aluminium oxide, but not much good on dry Stainless Steel joints. It is not a lubricant.
Lanolin, Graphite, wax, vegetable or mineral,oil, talcum powder, silicon oil, PTFE will help lubricate the joints. They all have advantages and disadvantages depending on how you handle your knife and what you use it for, but all lubricate.
Alan
Mungo
Well-Known Member
I think the main problem is crap in the joint. I need that out before lubricating.
Depending on what the crap is will determine the best way of flushing it...but if it is just the standard dry SS joint I would just try a drop of vegetable oil before you do anything else...allow enough to get around the spring as well, work it a bit and then wipe off residue with kitchen towel.
Vegetable oil can readily be flushed out with alcohol or detergent if it doesn't do the trick...
KISS.
Alan
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Mungo
Well-Known Member
Thanks.
I have tried the veg oil, and it didn't help.
I'll work through the options.
Matt
Mungo
Well-Known Member
That would be very galling
Treedave
Well-Known Member
If it’s just rubbish in the joint try soaking it in water fresh from a boiling kettle with a little washing up liquid in. Leave a few minutes, then work the joint and put back in the hot water - repeat till the steel is the temp of the water. It’s surprising what drops out as any grease is stripped out.
It will need lube of some description once it’s clean & dry - I like graphite powder as it doesn’t act as a trap for dirt etc and is hard to wash off.
It will need lube of some description once it’s clean & dry - I like graphite powder as it doesn’t act as a trap for dirt etc and is hard to wash off.
Putting oil on the joints is an ancient method of loosening stiff joints, try it, it worked for me
Can't say I didn't tell you Coke would be no good...Phosphoric Acid pickling tanks are made of Stainless Steel...because it is resistant.
Phosphoric acid is great on iron and aluminium oxides but not the chrome and nickel oxides of Stainless...
Of course now you have the sugar to get out of the joint as well!
Is the joint so loose that there was room for grit to get in and bind it? Can you think what the contaminant might be so you can use an appropriate solvent for it...
Can't help thinking that if it is surface galling from lack of lubrication, boiling out any remaining lubricant while wiggling it might just make it worse...I would rather float out any crap using oil.
Alan
