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A basic maintenance kit of one's own

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I posted a PSA a month or so ago about the perils of using bad screw driver sets. In the comments Kodai had a rather good idea: Perhaps Massdrop could orchestrate a basic maintenance kit for opening and cleaning pocket knives. One of the biggest pain points for people who just enter the knife community is figuring out the proper/best way to handle maintenance and cleaning. It's a lot of work to figure out what you need and how much of each thing to use.
In the comments below I'd love to hear what the community thinks of this idea and what they'd like to see it include.
Personally I'd love to see it contain at the bare minimum the following things:
  • Blue Loctite (or equivalent, non-permanent thread locker)
  • A quality Torx driver set (Wiha being my preferred brand now)
  • Nano-oil (5, 10, and 85 weight) or equivalent (I'm sure Christian at Nano-oil would love the business)
  • A pouch to hold the loose components with room for additional tools
Extras they might consider
  • A rubberized work surface
  • Small cloth pads for cleaning
  • Isopropyl alcohol
  • Fine point tweezers
  • Potentially additional lubricant for scales (like frog lube)
  • A small guide on how the above products can and should be used
  • A moderately powerful, but very compact flashlight
Overall it's ambitious because it would require contacting a variety of companies and seeing what the best deal would be. It would also probably require some hand packing and organizing on MDs part.
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JonasHeineman
5987
Jun 18, 2018
I just picked up a nice set of Wera tools that Sheepdog Knives compiled for KC Tools. If you like this, maybe we can ask them about doing a kit with Loctite, Nano-Oil, and a rubber work surface for Massdrop - check it out and LMK what you think: https://www.kctoolco.com/wera-knife-maker-maintenance-set/
JonasHeinemanThanks for the shoutout! I use this set every day and think it's great too.
Kielt26
1
Jun 25, 2018
JonasHeinemanI also have this set and it's excellent.
Kavik
5531
Jun 16, 2018
Sounds like a fun idea, but I'd be really shocked to ever see it come to fruition. Like you said, too many party's involvement required to get all the basics. Unless some company put out a pre-made kit, I doubt we'd see this here.
I'd say even offering some maintenance supplies and tools would be cool, but individually most are so cheap they aren't worth the wait of a drop.
If it were ever to happen, I think strops and sharpening supplies should be a separate thing. Way too many options, opinions, preferences, etc. For the added cost I think many would skip it if that one party wasn't to their liking.
I just got this as an early Father's day gift the other day : iFixit 64 Bit Driver Kit - Precision Tools for Electronics, Smartphone, and Computer Repair and Upgrades https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0189YWOIO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_13ijBb66S9R07
Seems to be a decent set so far, but does go way above and beyond what's needed for basic knife maintenance. (does have a spanner bit that fits the free spinning bestech pivots very well though 😁)
GearBest is also having a flash site on a Wiha set right now if anyone is looking : found a very interesting goods in Gearbest:Xiaomi Wiha 24 in 1 Precision Screwdriver Kit - GRAY https://gearbest.app.link/Lia0sJ9OMN
I l haven't tried nano-oil, but have been happy enough with the Hoppe's No9.
And a tip on the blue Loctite; get the stick kind... The paste that looks like a big chapstick tube. Waaaay less messy than the liquid stuff in the squeeze tube.
Kodai
17
Jun 16, 2018
A strop and a diamond stone or ceramic stick would cover the basics. There’s lots of inexpensive choices out there. The cheapest full on system is probably something from lansky.
Kodai
17
Jun 15, 2018
A pouch or a compact plastic box that snaps shut? I find it easier to organize a box. I also would include a strop but not a full on sharpening system. There are a lot of different sharpening systems out there and people will want to choose their own.
Omniseed
1972
Jun 15, 2018
Good call! Might be helpful if the light has a diffuser cap, to help make out details without too much glare.
fhood
715
Jun 14, 2018
Got a question for you. I am in the middle of testing a ton of cheaper alternatives to nano-oil (3 in 1, that number 8 stuff, tuff glide, super lube, basically any oil lubricant on amazon with prime). Do you have any suggestions for things I should try? I am trying to be exhaustive, because when you google best knife lubricant, a lot of non ideal options get recommended.
JonasHeineman
5987
Jun 18, 2018
fhoodThat's really cool - please take some pics and post what you find in a new thread here! I am sure that a number of members would be really interested to hear what you've learned from this.
fhood
715
Jun 27, 2018
JonasHeinemanThanks for the response. I will do that for sure. Got a little side-tracked with moving and a backpacking trip, but once things settle down I will go back to testing.
OmegaMullet
41
Jun 13, 2018
That does bring up a good question. Where is the best place to get extra/replacement screws? Do I really have to go to the manufacturer?
Kodai
17
Jun 16, 2018
Me too. It’s very difficult to find an exact fit sometime. I would gladly pay a little extra.
JonasHeineman
5987
Jun 18, 2018
OmegaMulletHardware for most knives is specific to each application. Some larger companies carry over between models, but for smaller ones who produce varying designs, the lengths are cut to fit each application. For Massdrop Made knives, I'm actually working on a solution right now that would enable us to carry a replacement hardware kit for each knife - it's not feasible for us to stock every screw individually, but I am hoping that we can offer some replacement parts for you guys in the coming months.
Thatuglydood
6
Jun 12, 2018
A sharpener would be a good addition. Along with several extra screws and whatnot. Something in a small tackle box sort of setup would be great.
I would like to also see some green loktite, as I have some trouble screws from time to time that just dont want to stay put with the blue loktite. Ive used green on them and dont have any issues anymore, but would not recommend putting it on anything you dont want to make permanent.
I'm a diesel tech, and beat the crap out of my knives. I'd really like to start getting more than 6months out of them.
MaxwellDemonic
838
Jun 13, 2018
ThatuglydoodA small field sharpener would probably be nice. I tend to think of maintenance and cleaning as being separate from sharpening personally. Sharpening requires a rather robust skillset to do properly.
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