How To Oil an Italian Switchblade

How To Oil an Italian Switchblade Today I want to talk about Italian Stiletto Automatics. A common problem with Italian Stilettos is that after a period of time they stop working. You push the button and nothing….. No blade slings out. It just stays there. If you press on the blade the blade engages and slings out. Or Maybe it's just starts firing slow. It's obvious the spring still works. At first you may think your knife is toast, ready to retire. But the problem is easy to solve. Your knife needs oiling. An automatic knife needs to be oiled to keep them mechanism working. Oiling your knife is not complicated but it is essential to your knifes maintenance. Open your knife. Look at the blade. Close to the base of the blade you will see a small beveled hole in the blade. This is the oil hole. Get yourself some knife oil. Machine oil like 3 in one works. I use a Remington knife oil or a any 3 in one type oil will work. Take your oil and put a couple drops in the oil hole. Your are now half way there.

Where the knife blade breaks you want to put a couple drops in there.

How to oil an Italian stiletto switchblade

Now work your blade by just moving it up and down. After 10 or 15 strokes close your knife. Push the button and the blade should shoot out fast. Do this 5 to 10 times. Your knife is now ready to go. Learning basic knife maintenance is a must for the avid knife enthusiast. A well oiled knife will give you years and years of service

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Comments

David - July 17, 2015

Thanks for your reply. I recently purchased a 13" stiletto that misfired quite a bit when I first received it. No doubt it was sitting in a warehouse for quite some time, plus it’s been quite humid here. I oiled the hinge with a few drops of 3 in 1 (before I found your article). The knife now fires properly almost every time. It does appear, however, that larger knives naturally fire more slowly than say the 9" knives.

One Arm Don - July 15, 2015

David, great question. I try to put a light coat on the blade at lease every few weeks after a light sharpening on a whetstone, although I use mine fairly frequently for opening boxes. As to the springs and the hinge, adding a drop or two every month or two is good maintenance for the blade. I know people that will wait until the switchblade doesn’t work smoothly anymore but in my opinion, I’d have added a little bit before that happens.

David - July 14, 2015

Should oiling be done at regular intervals, or only when the knife fails to open properly?

David M - July 12, 2015

Should you only oil your knife when it misfires or fails to lock up?

David - July 17, 2015

Thanks for your reply. I recently purchased a 13" stiletto that misfired quite a bit when I first received it. No doubt it was sitting in a warehouse for quite some time, plus it’s been quite humid here. I oiled the hinge with a few drops of 3 in 1 (before I found your article). The knife now fires properly almost every time. It does appear, however, that larger knives naturally fire more slowly than say the 9" knives.
One Arm Don - July 15, 2015

David, great question. I try to put a light coat on the blade at lease every few weeks after a light sharpening on a whetstone, although I use mine fairly frequently for opening boxes. As to the springs and the hinge, adding a drop or two every month or two is good maintenance for the blade. I know people that will wait until the switchblade doesn’t work smoothly anymore but in my opinion, I’d have added a little bit before that happens.
David - July 14, 2015

Should oiling be done at regular intervals, or only when the knife fails to open properly?
David M - July 12, 2015

Should you only oil your knife when it misfires or fails to lock up?