Ask the Gear Guy

Cleaning a knife


knife-200x148Q. Whenever I go camping I always cut oranges with my knife. But then my knife sticks and is hard to get open. What is the best way to de-stick my knife?
– Sticky Fetzko, Munhall, Pa.

A. First, try licking the juice off the blade … wait, bad idea! Very bad idea.

Here’s what my friend Jeff Freeman, a big-time knife designer with Gerber Legendary Blades, recommends: “Wash your knife in warm water with simple dish soap. This will get the acid off. Be sure to get any gunk out of the knife’s locking mechanism. (Try using a toothpick.) Then, towel it dry or let it air dry.

“If you live by the coast where there’s lots of salt air, dab a little motor oil on a rag and rub it onto the blade. Finally, wipe it off with a towel.”

Comments about “Cleaning a knife”

  1. lifer2010 says:

    definetely dont lick it, i tried that after cutting oranges and it cut my lip which bled for about 2 hours

  2. pack37 says:

    to get grime of my pocket knife I put lemon juice on an old toothbrush and scrubed.

  3. Knife Xpert 157 (aka Chad 101) says:

    Jeff Freeman designed my knife! The Gerber LMF II. great job Jeff!

  4. scouter says:

    stick in & out of the dirt then wipe it off clean….or have a small bottle on your belt loop of hand sanitizer (alcohol)!

  5. 556 says:

    just wipe it with a towl

  6. musle bob says:

    try using rubbing alchol it should knock it right out

  7. ma6666 says:

    so coool i will try that ting man so coool

  8. piggy says:

    great idea i used to have the same problem

  9. aaaaaaaaverdr says:

    cool I will try it

  10. big boy says:

    i really want a pocketknife

  11. gearguy2 says:

    Q-tips also work for cleaning knifes, but make it wet to clean sticky stuff off.

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