Okay, I hate to make my ignorance publicly known, but… so be it. I do a lot with knives. I’ve been on pro Staff with numerous knife companies. I’ve been sponsored by numerous knife companies. I’ve helped design knives, but I never properly stored them when I put them away after the hunting season was over.
A couple of things changed my behavior. The first was my brother. We were shooting the bull probably 4-5 years ago. He told me how he always sharpens his knives before he puts them away. That way, next season, he can throw them in his pack and go hunting.
That sounded better than staying up late the night before opening morning sharpening knives. So I thought that was a good idea.
Then, about 3 ½-years ago, I helped Knives of Alaska design their new Professional Boning Knife. Charles Allen invited me down to his ranch to bone out a steer, a deer, and a wild hog. He had Keith Warren (The High Road with Keith Warren) do three TV shows on the venture, and one of the top 15 chefs in America was invited to do the cooking.
While watching the show, I noticed an ad in which Keith recommended cleaning and oiling your knife when you put it away. That further prompted me to start taking care of my knives. My DiamondBlade Knives cost $475.00, so they’re a good investment, and I need to take better care of them.
So, with all of the above said, let’s get into how to store your knife properly. I love leather sheaths, but if you’re elk hunting in a blizzard and kill an elk, don’t stick a bloody knife in a sopping wet sheath and throw it in a cabinet when you get home, or it will rust up.
First, wash the blood and fat off the blade using warm water and soap. Blood is really corrosive. After it is clean, dry it off and set it aside to dry thoroughly. Next, the sheath. If it has blood, mud, etc. on it, wipe/rinse that off. Let it dry thoroughly, and then apply some Neatsfoot oil or Lexol to it. If you don’t take care of your leather products, they can get dried out and crack, or if you put them away wet, they can mold.
The last step in taking care of your knife is to apply a thin layer of oil to the blade (And any exposed metal). This is what finally prompted me to write this article. I first met Chris Lalik years ago when he was at Puma Knives, which he has long since left, but we still stay in touch. He recently introduced me to his Father-in-Law, who is at Frog Lube. He sent me some Frogg Lube oils to test out on knives, which, as I said above, prompted me to test them out and write this article. I tested out the following two products.
FrogWipes CLP
Live Inventory Price Checker
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FrogLube CLP FrogWipes - 5 Pack | GunMag Warehouse | $ 11.99 |
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FrogLube CLP FrogWipes FP-W | Palmetto State Armory | $ 14.99 $ 12.99 |
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FrogLube CLP FrogWipes FP-W | Palmetto State Armory | $ 17.99 $ 12.99 |
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These are handy to oil your knives. They come in a self-sealing plastic bag. They are larger than necessary for oiling your knife blade so I cut each rag into 6-pieces. This option is probably the easiest.
FrogLube EXTREME
Just apply 1-drop to each side of the blade and wipe it in with a rag. It is a low viscosity oil (That means really runny) so one big drop on each side of the blade should suffice.
Your knife is now ready to be stored for the off-season. Before you use it next fall I’d recommend wiping the blade to remove any excess oil so you don’t get any oil on your meat.
About Tom Claycomb
Tom Claycomb has been an avid hunter/fisherman throughout his life as well as an outdoors writer with outdoor columns in the magazine Hunt Alaska, Bass Pro Shops, Bowhunter.net and freelances for numerous magazines and newspapers. “To properly skin your animal, you will need a sharp knife. I have an e-article on Amazon Kindle titled Knife Sharpening for $.99 if you’re having trouble.”
A useful article. However, FrogLube is not an “oil.” It is a vegetable-based lubricant that penetrates the molecular structure of steel that, when heated, provides superior lubricity between metal surfaces. It is ideal for firearms, and is used by the US Navy. I’ve used it since it first came on the market and swear by it. But it is not an oil. Using it on knives is not useful. Stick with petroleum-based products, apply the oil, then wipe it off.
I’ve used Break Free CLP (Cleaner/Lubricant/Preservative) for decades to keep my gun collection rust and corrosion free, even for some guns left in storage for years. I’ve read about two endurance tests, years apart and by different people, both subjecting identical pieces of steel to salt-water spray for days to see which preservative is best, and Break Free CLP was the clear winner in both tests. If it works that well for guns, it should do the same for knives. (Disclaimer: I don’t know if Frog Lube existed when they did those salt water spray tests, but I know that… Read more »