So I was using my leatherman wave to cut some food, and so i put the whole tool under running water. I opened the knives and dried them out, but when I open the knives there is still a bit of water on them. Is this a problem, to get it wet?

It should be okay, don't they recommend using fresh water to rinse if it is exposed to salt water? If you worried just use a hair drier and dry it out or apply some mineral oil.

I use WD40, It displaces the water and then lubes it as well. Besides, the WD stands for Water Displacement. Or so I've heard.

Yeah but I'm using it for food cutting and stuff, so I can't use WD40. I put it in front of the fireplace to dry a bit.

You might consider getting a cheap kitchen knife for cutting food. IMO a multi-tool has far too many moving parts to clean after using in food processing. The knife on my LM is rarely used simply because so many knives have better ergonomics. Never needed to clean it in the kitchen, use FP-10 as lube and preservative.

Last I checked WD40 was made of fish oil and other stuff and was non-toxic. If your concerned use alcohol to flush it with as it will take the water with it and leave it sanitary. YMMV

Why would you use it to cut food on a consistent basis? You can buy a cheap Forschner for that purpose. Or upgrade to a Japanese knife like a Tojiro or Togiharu...believe me once you use a decent Japanese chef's knife you will never go back...even to Wusthofs or Henckels

I just use it for smaller foods such as apples, oranges, ect because my kitchen knife isnt as sharp as my Wave.

I'm getting some food safe lubricant soon. How much do I apply, and where?

Toss it in the oven, 250 for 10 minutes. I do it all the time. Works like a charm for all my all-metal knives.

Open all the tools and bury it in a ziplock bag dry uncooked rice. It only needs to be covered not submerged. The rice will draw the water away.

I was under impression WD-40 was kerosene based....

http://www.wd40company.com/files/pdf/msds-wd494716385.pdf

List of ingredients:



Don't use it on anything that will be used on food products.

Maybe that's why I'm getting that third eye on my calf?

I've used my Leatherman Wave extensively for expedient food prep. After I am done, I wash it off and open it up to air dry. I hit the joints with a little mineral oil and wipe off the excess. I might occasionally wipe it down with my tuff cloth afterwards.

As with my cast iron, the only time I ever had my Leatherman rust up on me was when she put it through the dishwasher.

Izzy, I came to learn that anything with steel in it will rust eventually in Florida.(LOL)

"food safe lubricant" = olive oil. A "must have" in every kitchen for a variety of reasons.

(edit: or any other vegetable oil can be used as lubricant - olive oil is thicker than most commonly used cooking oil.)

Be careful not to get it on your brakes. That might lead to some unwanted excitement.
I've been using vegetable spray (E.G.: Pam) on the wheels of my KLR for quite a while now. It helps keep the muck from sticking.

- Dave

I just put mine through the dishwasher, no rust no problems.

Isn't that the old joke...

"Hey, every time I use my brakes, they really squeal!"

"OK, put some oil on the rim, it'll stop them from squealing"

Buy Victorinox. No rust.

Sorry to say, but my SAK got rust stained in Florida too.

That'll work, that's what I did with the black powder pistol I used to have. I usually blow my Leatherman out with that canned air stuff you used to clean your computer keyboard and such...

I think your going to find that in around salt water any stainless hard enough to hold a decent edge is going to develop rust without extra protection. Generally any stainless that has enough carbon and/or a low enough percentage of nickel to hold an edge will not be entirely unsullied by salt water without some preservative. Some individuals may have additional problems if their sweat and skin oils are more corrosive than most.

A trick is to clean the knife really well, to coat it with a generous coat of the rust preventative you like and to heat the knife a bit to get it to soak into the grain of the metal. Warm it a bit but keep the heat below about 150F, roughly the point it starts to becomes uncomfortable to touch. Doing this a blow drier on high works well. Down here in Florida I have often just let it sit on the dash with the truck in full sun on a summer day.

Of the preservatives that I like:
Marine TUF-cloth by Sentry Solutions works really well. This is what I would go with if I had to choose just one. The regular TUF-cloth almost as well. Combine with TUF-glide for the tight spots for complete protection. IMO it works best if the knife is cleaned well, applied generously and baked in. Every time you retreat it last a little longer. Baked in and reapplied regularly for a few times and it is both foolproof and as good a rust preventative as I know. Bonus is that it is dry and won't attract or hold dust or dirt.

Ballistol. Old, an adaptation of the gun oil used by Germany in WW2, but it still works well. Like most of these compounds it works best if baked in and gets better as reapplied. Ballistol is one of the few preservatives that can be applied wet, even around salt water, and it will still control rust. I quickly wiped down my hand tools after each use with it. For a knife a few drops every couple of days rubbed in and wiped dry after truing the edge on a steel. Down side is it has a decided fishy smell for a short time after you apply it and it can attract dust. I haven't been able to find a local supplier and my last can was used up some time ago. I keep meaning find a supplier and buy more.

DuPont "performance dry multi-use lubricant" Picked it up at the local hardware store as a stopgap until i could get more Ballistol. Once it dries dust and sand don't stick. Probably a bit less effective against rust around salt water but it was all I had and I reapplied it every few days on my Leatherman, smear on a good amount and work it around with an old toothbrush, with no rust. After a couple of weeks it seemed to last longer. A good product.

TC-11. At least as good as the Ballistol but lighter and thinner. A friend turned me on to it, last I checked it was available at ace hardware. It has worked well on tools in the rain and around a chemical plant. I originally got it for my tap and die set where you don't want a heavy oil or wax but have to have good protection because everything is high carbon steel. Mostly used it on micrometers, calipers, taps and other precision tools and keep it in that kit but it should work on anything.

Oh my... well, I'm sure Swisstools do better.

SAK's and SwissTools all use the same type of steel. I've never had a SAK rust on me here in Florida and I've been here a while...