well, you're right, you've got me there, WD-40 is not really an oil, what oil would you recommend, a 2 cycle mower oil type? or is that too heavy?

White lithium grease (I think thats what its celled) comes in a spray can like wd40. Although it is funny that leatherman mentions WD-40 http://www.leatherman.com/products/tool-maintenance/default.asp
they say light machine oil (sewing machine oil if it still exists) but I like the spray white, its a bit thicker than oil so it doesn't run. Its the same kind of stuff you should spray on door hinges for cars.

I use WD-40 for cleaning stuff and sometimes in machining certain alloys. I buy it in 1 gallon cans. But I don't consider it a lubricant. If you want a thin lubricant, try Kroil - which is also a superior penetrant. Kroil is in the "magic" category for many applications.

Ordinary carbon steel blades that might be used with food stuffs may be safely protected and lubricated with pure mineral oil (pharmacy section of your local stores). There are USDA-approved food grade lubricants (usually silicone based *I think*), but I have not tried any of those. You could try mineral oil on your Leatherman, but read on...

IMO the leathermans are what I consider a "sticky" alloy - it may be the alloy or the hardness or a combination of both, but if the Leathermans we own were firearms or powered machinery, I predict that we would have constant galling problems. So you might want to look at anti-galling type lubricants - these tend to be synthetic thin greases, usually with a micro suspension of PTFE ("Teflon"). One that I am personally familiar with and can recommend is Tetra® Gun grease.

You can also try moly disulfide treatment. I have it powdered, suspended in a volatile carier, and as a suspension in various oils and greases. It only takes a little bit, but it's pretty darned messy getting rid of the surplus! Moly adheres to both surfaces and dramatically reduces friction. By itself it is NOT a protectant and may even cause stainless steel to pit underneath the moly layer, so be sure to use a rust preventative oil or grease after treating with pure moly. Action Lube Plus is an example of a moly-containing grease.

Don't want to go to a gun store? Get a quart of automatic transmission fluid from whereever you purchase automotive oils - that's a pretty good thin lubricant at a bargain price. If you need it even thinner to penetrate tiny crevaces, thin it up to 50-50 with mineral spirits - the solvent will help carry it in and then evaporate.

Or, as previously mentioned, sewing machine oil or 3-in-1 oil are good as well.

WD-40? Use it to flush out any gunk in the Leatherman, but don't expect it to really lubricate or protect the tool.

Lots of better choices than WD-40.

HTH,

Tom

Improvising there? I've done the same. I was woken up a couple weeks ago around 3am to the sound of squealing bearings from my furnace fan. A little bit of 5w30 mobile 1 fed into the bearings via a drinking straw and the fans running better than ever.

Alright, Tom. What's are "galling problems?"

Also, I've been using Sentry Solutions Knife & Tool Care Kit

"A unique product for complete knife and tool care. Award Winning TUF-CLOTH and TUF-GLIDE, conveniently packaged in a handy cloth pouch with GATCO's Micro X Pocket Ceramic Four-Rod Sharpener and easy to use lint-free cleaning tools.



I've been happy with it so far, but I'm not a heavy user of my knives. So how does that compare to your suggestion? Should I follow a different care for my Leatherman Wave.

BTW, I haven't noticed any appreciable wobble in my Wave. I still have some sticky tools, like the screwdrivers, that are a real PITA to open. But other than that I am very satisfied.

Willie,

"If it ain't broke..." I guess I wanted to point out that although it has good uses, almost anything is better than WD-40 *for lubrication*. Also that IME, the Leathermans can be a bit of a PITN lube-wise.

Galling is, hmmm, well, sometimes when two metal surfaces that touch each other move, surface metal on one surface sticks to the metal on the other surface (and tears off the parent part). The mating surfaces get "rougher"; resistance to movement gets higher. Here's an example of galling that you may not be able to see naked eye but can easily demonstrate to yourself; it came to my notice when scouts were builfing pop-can alcohol stoves: Use an aluminum "nut" like a pop-rivet threaded fastener and an aluminum screw to match. At first, they run in and out fairly freely. Now use alcohol on them. After as few as one application of alcohol - greatly exacerbated by heat - the screw "siezes up" in the nut. If we use, say, a steel nut and an aluminum screw or vice-versa, there is no problem - no galling.

Galling is frequently a problem with same-alloy surfaces and sometimes a problem with dissimilar alloys. Think of it as microscopic welding together of the moving surfaces - because that's basically what it is. Increase heat or pressure or both and galling problems usually go up orders of magnitude.

So IME, a tightly assembled Leatherman tends to have very noticable galling problems. The only practical way to prevent the problem is to prevent the surfaces from touching - moly disulphide treatment or PTFE does the trick if you can get the particles into the contact area. On a very tight joint, finely divided moly may be the only possible cure, but remember my caution about possible corrosion under a moly plating. Some oils will also work, depending on contact clearances and assembly clamping force as well as the specific properties of the oil.

This propensity to gall is a known physical characteristic of many alloys and tends to be typical of many (most?) of the non-rusting steels and is rarely a problem with plain carbon steel alloys that are properly hardened. Some non-rusting steels *are* very resistent to galling, of course.

Bottom line? Use what works. But a stiff Leatherman is only going to be helped momentarily with WD-40, if that.

HTH,

Tom

Well, it sounds like I should consider PTFE and see if that helps and save the Sentry lube for the rest of my knives. BTW, where does one get PTFE? Is there a common brand name I should look for?

Thanks.

Ok, it's a little unfair to rip on the wave this way but the gerber legend is sooo nice. I replaced the brake fluid cylinders on my minivan last night and the only tool that could get a certain spring off was the legend, due to its spring action pliers it stayed open as I pushed on the end of the pliers with no fear of the pinch effect. One beauty of the gerber is that you can adjust the tension of the tools. I have mine set just shy of falling out of the handle.

Ok, here's what I really wanted to say. The same lube used by most cyclists, stuff called white lightning, works great on knifes and tools. I don't like oils and such for they attract grit. you can get a nice dry lube that works well.

Lapping compound, like break-free is a good place to start when breaking in a new tool. I used it on my pistol when out of the box. Place some on the slide rails and cycle the slide a couple dozen times, wipe off, put more on, action the slide a couple dozen more times (repeat until nicely broken in).

Same goes for knives.

Just for the info, Wal-Mart carries a 4 oz bottle of Singer Sewing Machine Oil for about $1.50.

Where can one find the spray white oil? Automotive stores i.e. AutoZone, etc...?