Loosening a stuck Opinel knife
Opinel knives can become hard to open or completely stuck and impossible to get out of the handle. This is a common problem and can be resolved easily, without ripping apart your fingernails.
Stuck or hard to open Opinel knives can be a pain and annoying, and can sour your experience with a brand new Opinel knife. Worry not, since there are a couple of easy fixes to resolve this problem.
Since the handle of the standard line of Opinel knives is made out of beech, olive, or other kind of wood, it absorbs moisture and expands. Therefore closing up the joint between handle and knife blade. This issue I have seen most with brand new Opinel knives, as you use it, this tends to only show up when you got the knife very wet. This problem can show up in both steel types for Opinel knives, Carbon and Inox.
Method 1, Oiling
First stop on the list to try out is to oil the joint with a bit of cooking oil, I recommend using food safe oil, such as olive or sunflower, if you use an industrial oil and afterwards use it for food prep, you could get sick from it.
Simply drop a couple drops in between the handle and knife joint and let it soak in for a few minutes.
Afterwards try to open it as normal. With no succes, you can move on to the other methods.
Method 2, Drying out
Drying out the handle of a Opinel knife will fix this issue 99% of the time, and can be easily done a couple of different ways. The most reliable method you can employ at home is to use the oven in your kitchen, set the temperature in between 50 and 80 degrees Celsius with the fan on (convection), pop in your Opinel, and check back in 20 minutes.
After 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how stuck your Opinel was, take it out with an oven glove, and simply let cool on the counter for a few minutes.
That should fix this issue for a long time, and the action should be a lot smoother.
In the field you can improvise with setting your Opinel on a stone or griddle next to the campfire a good 30 cm away from the flames. Laying it out in direct sunlight, or trying to find another source of heat that does not burn the handle.
Give the joint a little (cooking) oil again to keep the action loose after this method.
Method 3, Giving it a little tap
An old French farmers trick is to smack your Opinel with the tip of the handle against a hard surface, this is probably the most practical in the field when your Opinel is stiff to open, but you still need the knife to perform a cutting task.
Open the vibrolock if your Opinel knife has one, grab the handle at the metal end, or where the blade comes out off, and tap against a hard surface on the very end off the handle. Can be a tree stump, picknick table, etc.
Watch the YouTube short I made to get a picture of how it works:
Further maintenance tips
If you are looking for more tips on how to get the best out off your Opinel knives, you can take a look at some off my earlier articles on the subject. I love these knives, and they can a great option for a lightweight and versatile hiking knife. Give them a try if you havent already!
Happy Hiking and Hike for Purpose
Frank
I'm Frank, the main guy and owner of this website. Loves hiking, gear and bushcraft. And can get quite nerdy about them. In the woods several times a week preparing for my next hike. Always searching for another hill, which is quite difficult in the Netherlands. That's why I search around several countries. More about me on the about page.
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