Moreover, a multi tool is something you carry with you daily. It is one of the things that have the highest frequency of use as you will find it necessary in most situations. But, when did the last time you clean it? Did you pay it enough attention? If you do not want to spend money on another one very soon, listen to us: it is time to clean your favorite tool.
Steps to clean your best multi tools
Even though you are possessing the most useful multi tool, you still have to give it the proper care to make sure it stays with you for a long period of time. So now we are going through basic steps to maintain your tool.
1. Step 1: Remove all the bits of gunk
Remove all the gunk stuck in the pivots and handle with a toothpick. If you see lint trapped in the knife, better remove it with a compressed air (like what you are doing with your keyboard). However, the knife should be dry in this step as it is harder to take out all the tint when your knife is wet.
2. Step 2: Clean your knife
For a multi tool, you have to open and close each one independently to clean them. Normally, the most important and also the hardest part to be cleaned is the knife. After removing all the gunk and tint, it is time to get your knife wet to remove any sticky things on it. However, let’s cover your knife with tape before cleaning to avoid accidentally cutting yourself.
You can use a toothbrush to wash your knife, pay more attention to the locking mechanism, pivot, and their surrounding areas. It does not matter if yours is a best rated multi tool, remember to never use anything abrasive as it will harm your knife permanently.
3. Step 3: Soak your knife
Some people think that scrubbing the knife in soapy water does harm to their knife. However, do not be afraid to give it a good soak if your knife has been covered with so much crud. Hot water will help all the dirt get away quickly and easily but it should not be so hot that it will burn you and destroy the knife handle.
4. Step 4: Deal with tough dirt
If soapy water and tools like a toothbrush do not help, try some rubbing alcohol and then rub off the dirt. Although alcohol evaporates, clean that area anyway.
5. Step 5: Do not disassemble the Knife
In some cases, there may be still some gunk left in the pivots and you can not clean them up if you don’t disassemble your knife. But you know what? Disassembling voids your warranty! So never do that, send it to the manufacturer instead to have professional cleaning.
6. Step 6: Dry your tool completely
This step applies to all multi tools, including those coming from the best multi tool brands. A very small amount of moisture still leads to corrosion and destroys the wooden handle.
7. Step 7: If rust appears
Do not worry, rust does not mean your knife is ruined. When rust appears, it normally lies on the surface only so it does not cause any damage. However, leaving rust on the surface for too long
will really destroy your toll; therefore, you should take care of rust at the moment you see it.
You Might Also Enjoy: https://thekinglive.com/how-to-close-a-pocket-knife.html
To remove dust for a multi tool, you can count on some following products:
- Metal Glo
- Rust Eraser
What you need to do is to put a small amount of the rust remover and wait for a couple of minutes before scrubbing it away with a mildly-abrasive pad. If it does not work for the first time, repeat the process at least 2 – 3 times. When you have been satisfied with the result, rinse the tool again.
8. Step 8: Oil your tool
Even top rated multi tools need to be added oil to keep all the pivots and locking mechanisms work well. There are actually a lot of questions regarding this topic, some of the typical questions are:
- How often to oil?
It totally depends on your frequency of use. Basically, you should oil every time you clean your knife. Even when you do not use it, make sure to oil every 3 months. If you are living in a humid climate, oil more often, maybe 1 month.
- Which oil should I use?
Some popular answers are Mineral oil, Break-free CLP, Finish Line Dry Teflon, Sentry Solutions Tuf-Glide, …
- How to apply oil?
- Apply one or 2 drops of oil in the pivots and locking mechanisms;
- Use a toothpick to make sure oil is placed precisely;
- Open and close the tool several times after applying oil.
- One or two drops of oil are more than enough;
- If your knife will be used on food, use edible oil only;
- 3-in-1 oil is the greatest oil for knives that are not used on food;
- No vegetable and motor oil should be used
The bottom line
Hopefully, our post prepares you with all the necessary information in order to keep your good multi tool works well and stays with you for a longer time. If you have not got any multi tools on hand, remember that you can always check them out through our other posts, where all the best and incredible tools are recommended to readers. Comment to let us know your opinions and do not forget to share if you have other great cleaning tips, we would be glad to see your comments.
