Soak your tool

[SwampNut]

I have some very nice Knipex dykes that were getting harder and harder to open and close.  I thought they had a defect.  Why would a hinged tool get harder to use instead of loose?  Their warranty department told me to soak it in light penetrating oil for at least a day, as that should cure it.  Skeptical but ok.

 

Well fuck me if it didn't work.  Also, after a week or so, it's smoother than it every was.  So if you have tightly hinged tools like this, soak them.

 

I have no idea what was in there making them stick.  They got to where two-handed use was about impossible.  They live in my tool bag and get light use for appropriate electrical wire and super light metals like tying wire or tiny screws (3mm or less).  

 

[superhawk996]

My guess is that the factory lube dried up and got hard.  Or, being in an AZ garage, the summer heat had changed the metal's grain structure.

 

I've never had that happen without signs of rust, which I assumed was the cause, but it was only light surface rust so maybe it was actually whatever happened to yours.

 

I'll douse them with penetrating oil and work them repeatedly and see dark stuff slowly oozing out of the joint, I assumed it was rust, but it could have been dried up lube.  It's funny how we'll let a tool slowly get shittier and not feel compelled to do something 'till they're really bad.  It's similar to doing something with the wrong tool at hand instead of getting the right tool, I'm slowly training myself out of that.

[Biometrix]

On 3/11/2022 at 11:37 AM, SwampNut said:

Why would a hinged tool get harder to use instead of loose?  

Probably some form of galvanic corrosion from being held constantly by another tool that's exposed to a lot of peppers and scotch. 😁

[SwampNut]

59 minutes ago, Biometrix said:

Probably some form of galvanic corrosion

 

Yeah, not in our dry weather...

 

59 minutes ago, Biometrix said:

from being held constantly by another tool that's exposed to a lot of peppers and scotch. 😁

 

Fucker.