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Dirty New Knives

Over the years I've acquired quite a few knives from many different manufactures. Nearly all of them need a bit of cleaning up out of the box. It appears to me the slip-joint type knives all need to have a bit of grit cleaned off of them. Here are some observations.

1) Slip-joint knives seem to need the most cleaning out of the box. Buck, Case, Gerber, and Great Eastern all seem to have the same range of "need to clean" between a little and quite a bit including oiling the joints and working the blade a few times to work out the grit and loosen it up a bit. Even some very expensive high-end knives produce a scraping/grinding sound when working the blades.

2) Tactical knives don't seem to need much. Benchmade and Kershaw seem to be the cleanest out of the box with Spyderco close behind. Cleanup of these knives usually involves wiping up a little excess oil.

What are your thoughts and whats the best way to "deep clean" a new knife without damaging internal parts or various handle materials? Are "dirty" knives just an accepted part of the process or do they represent a dropped ball in the quality control dept?

Tags: cleaning, dirt, grit, knives, new

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Scott King on July 13, 2009 at 22:52

If it is a user, then I don't even think about it....just stick it in my pocket right out of the wrapper and go on. If, on the other hand, it isn't an EDC or is an addition to my collection, then I do just the opposite....open the package/box...give it a quick once over...and then stick it back in the case/felt sleeve/box and put it away. So, I must confess, I don't look and therefore don't see :(

BUT, now that you have made me I'm aware...I'll look on the next one. In fact, I'll go back and look at the Stag GE toenail, one of my more recent purchases- it's still in the tube on my desk- and see how it checks out and then will report back.

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Permalink Reply by David Hawkins on July 15, 2009 at 21:47

I just acquired two Buck 55 lockbacks. A Wilde Bill and a buffalo horn. I got out my Sentry Tuf-Glide and put a drop on a flattened cotton swab and ran it around the inside of the handles. Each knife produced a very black cotton swab and a significantly shinier inside and smoother action.

It makes me wonder if they really clean them at all before they box them. Or, if they have a some kind of bath they rinse them in that needed to be changed out because the the very fine grit inside seemed like residual film.

I suppose I will not complain too much about it. Cleaning a new knife is a relaxing and modestly rewarding project and a good way to examine and become familiar with a new knife. I was a little surprised at the dirt removed from the Wilde Bill considering its a pretty high end knife for me.

How did your GE Toenail check out?

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Permalink Reply by Halicon on November 21, 2009 at 5:33

If the lockup and action is smooth I move my attention to the sharpness. If it can't shave freely hanging hairs then it's off to the whetstones.

I did however once get a knife that had a blade covered in grease... From Randy Haas, a custom knife maker on this site! lol
That one needed a thorough cleaning, but heck, it traveled across the atlantic and wasn't stainless so it's understandable! :)

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Permalink Reply by Drew Webster on January 14, 2013 at 4:27

I recently bought a handmade bushcraft knife with a yellow, jigged bone handle. After some prolonged use I noticed that my hands were going yellow. So I gave it a bit of a scrub. You would not believe the amount of dye that washed from that knife, you could have dyed your bedlinen with it.

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Permalink Reply by Brad T. on January 14, 2013 at 15:01

I tend to do the same thing with all my slippies, old and new. If they are gritty or tough to open, overnight soak in some warm mineral oil. Rinse in warm water and blow dry with compressed air. Then oil the joints. usually works