Adjusting uncentered blade for Buck 110

W

worqgui

Joined
Mar 8, 2022
Messages
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My Buck 110's blade is off-centered. I know it is not even a problem for many people, but it bugs me a lot.
So I'm going to try the solution below.


However, I wonder it may reduce or widen the gap between the upper bolster and blade so that the brass rub the blade or blade wobbles or it may cause structural defects and weakens duarability of the knife.
(I know nothing about the principle of this soliton)

So... do you think this solution can solve the problem without damaging the knife?

The uploader of the video seems to have been using the above solution for a long time, considering that he is a knife seller, but I am posting the question here because I am afraid that I will not be able to get an answer from him because he seems to have not logged in for a long time.

Ps. Sending the knife to Buck Knives is not an option for me because knife possession law here forbids serialized knives taking out of the country.
 
Yes, this method may help resolve the issue, but it also may damage the knife if done improperly. To me, this method appears to slightly bend the brass liners to adjust the way the blade sits. It doesn't appear to have anything to do with the pivot.

My concern would be what you mentioned above regarding causing a gap or blade wobble, or possibly tightening up the action too much.

All that being said, the dead blow hammer might mar the brass, and I'd personally have some thick leather on the underside.

I get how the off-center blade can bug people, but these types of production knives are not produced with blade-centering in mind.

Good luck (if you try)
 
Does the blade wiggle side to side when closed?
No way in Hades would I try bending the liners/handle to "fix" an off-center blade, even if the blade was rubbing the liner.

Owner of a knife shop or not, the guy in the video doesn't have a clue about how to repair a knife.
I would think a bent handle, which can be felt no matter how slight the bend when using the knife, would be much more annoying than a slightly off center when closed blade.

If there is a bit of blade wiggle when closed, you can use a pair of padded (even if just by a rag) pliers, 1 jaw covering the pivot pin, the other jaw just off the pivot pin, and give it a squeeze. You'll need to hone down the pin slightly on the one side, or live with the pivot pin being slightly proud on one side by maybe 0.25mm at the most.

I fail to understand how a blade that isn't perfectly centered on a working/carry knife that isn't hitting a liner or if applicable another blade, or somehow affects the functionality of the knife, can bother someone.
You can't see or feel it when it is in your pocket or sheath. You can't tell (at least I can't) that the blade tip is some tiny fraction of a mm off from the centerline of the knife when using it.
I fail to see how an uncentered blade is an issue unless it affects the functionality of the knife.

The standard production, and even the custom shop factory Buck 110 is designed to be used, not put on a pedestal to be ohh'd and ahh'd over. (admittedly there are a few customizers, for example David and Brian Yellowhorse, (Father and son) who make a Buck 110 (or other knife) into a work of art.)
 
afishhunter said:
Does the blade wiggle side to side when closed?
No way in Hades would I try bending the liners/handle to "fix" an off-center blade, even if the blade was rubbing the liner.

Owner of a knife shop or not, the guy in the video doesn't have a clue about how to repair a knife.
I would think a bent handle, which can be felt no matter how slight the bend when using the knife, would be much more annoying than a slightly off center when closed blade.

If there is a bit of blade wiggle when closed, you can use a pair of padded (even if just by a rag) pliers, 1 jaw covering the pivot pin, the other jaw just off the pivot pin, and give it a squeeze. You'll need to hone down the pin slightly on the one side, or live with the pivot pin being slightly proud on one side by maybe 0.25mm at the most.

I fail to understand how a blade that isn't perfectly centered on a working/carry knife that isn't hitting a liner or if applicable another blade, or somehow affects the functionality of the knife, can bother someone.
You can't see or feel it when it is in your pocket or sheath. You can't tell (at least I can't) that the blade tip is some tiny fraction of a mm off from the centerline of the knife when using it.
I fail to see how an uncentered blade is an issue unless it affects the functionality of the knife.

The standard production, and even the custom shop factory Buck 110 is designed to be used, not put on a pedestal to be ohh'd and ahh'd over. (admittedly there are a few customizers, for example David and Brian Yellowhorse, (Father and son) who make a Buck 110 (or other knife) into a work of art.)
Click to expand...

I really hope to be a sane person like you.
 
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Live with it. The method in the video you showed may work but when pressure is applied to the knife while using it, it might just go back the way it was and leave you with a wobbly blade.
 
All I gotta say is good luck. And if it were me and I was dead set on trying to to this. I would grab a few business or bank cards and insert them on the side that was close to the liner until I was fairly close to center.
Then get some thick leather/material and put on both ends of the knife to avoid marring/scratches. Followed by inserting the pivot end into a vice and gently tightening. Then checking tolerances to see if it is working. If after 2 or 3 tries it did not work. I would give up.
Just know if you try to do this you run the real risk of ruining your Buck knife to the point of being unusable and broken.
 
The method demo'd in the video is interesting and something I've not seen or heard of before. So, in that respect, I'll be curious to see if others are able to repeat the same technique with the same good results as apparently seen in the video. I always wonder if some of these 'fixes' are just a lucky fluke with a particular knife in one individual's hands, or if it's truly reliable and repeatable without creating new problems.

The brass bolsters on these Bucks are actually pretty easy to fix cosmetically if they get dinged, scratched or otherwise marred. Sanding with a progression of wet/dry sandpaper up through 1000-2000 grit, and then polishing with a product like Flitz or Simichrome can have them looking new again. So, I don't worry too much about scratches, minor dents or dings on brass anymore, like I used to. I cleaned up an old Buck 112 with a few dings a few years ago with that method, trying it for the first time. It turned out to be easier than I expected and with good results - brass is very responsive to such sanding and polishing. So it was a good learning experience for me and eliminated a lot of the fears I had about trying it.

As mentioned by others, if it were mine, I'd probably just let it be. I'd be more upset if I created new issues in trying to fix the one complaint, like a newly loose pivot or blade play issues after the fact. But each of us owns our own knives. So long as we're willing to truly own the consequences of experimental repair methods, whether the results are good or bad, I can't tell anybody not to do what they choose to, with their own knife. There's something to be learned either way, in trying things out.
 
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David Obsessed with Edges Obsessed with Edges hit the nail on the head when he said; "So, as long as we're willing to truly own the consequences of experimental repair methods, whether the results are good or bad," .

Your's is a Buck knife made on an assembly line for hard, utility, tasks not a Buck knife made in their Custom Shop.
 
Just out of curiosity, on my Bucks, the blade has some play when closed, but locks up solid when open. Centering is only an issue for me if the blade has no play when closed (for slipjoints as an example). From this perspective, why fix it when it's not broken? 🙂
 
I'd personally only fret about centering if the resulting rub actually impeded full closing of the blade. And sometimes, just a weak closing pull in tandem with a slightly rubbing blade is enough to keep it from closing fully on it's own. To me, the weak closing pull is a bigger issue and more inexcusable, and something that'd usually be a deal-killer in a knife I might inspect for a possible purchase. I have actually rejected one knife for exactly that combination of issues (light rub + weak snap -> blade wouldn't close on it's own). Even with some off-center rub, the vast majority of traditional knives still have enough closing pull to close the blade fully without issue. And with those, I don't worry about it otherwise.
 
euroken said:
why fix it when it's not broken? 🙂
Click to expand...

Did you ever have something that you kept trying to make perfect, until you ruined it? Yeah, me neither. Seriously, my German wife calls that eine Verschlimmbesserung. It's such a common occurrence, that the Germans had to invent a word for it. The best way to repair blade centering on a Buck 110 is to use it every day for 10 years and then see if it still matters.
 
Bastler said:
Did you ever have something that you kept trying to make perfect, until you ruined it? Yeah, me neither. Seriously, my German wife calls that eine Verschlimmbesserung. It's such a common occurrence, that the Germans had to invent a word for it. The best way to repair blade centering on a Buck 110 is to use it every day for 10 years and then see if it still matters.
Click to expand...
That is funny...because...my wife is also German!

I just showed it to my wife and she just walked away chuckling....as if I do that all the time...lol

W worqgui ,
I would consider getting in touch with Buck to see if they'll remedy it. They are generally really good with warranty services.

Regardless, good luck!
 
It has always been my understanding that a little blade play in the closed position was within specs as long as it locked up tight when opened. The same with the blade being off center in the closed position.
I have 8 or 10 110’s as well as a 112 and some have play in the closed position, some don’t. They all lock up tight when opened.
I definitely would not try this “fix” on one of mine. Good luck tho if you decide to try it. I hope to hear your results.
 
For that to work you've got to bend the liners and lock bar without loosening the pivot pin in the process. I don't know, an off-center blade versus bent liners? It's an interesting tradeoff, one internet obsession for an internet fix...
 
Give it a shot, will probably straighten the liners. They are likely a little bent already or the pivot wasn’t drilled square to the liner. Or the blade was ground crooked. I once fixed centering on a gec by putting the bolsters just snug between some leather in a vise and giving it a little tweak. Did not hurt a thing, dead center and even functioned better.
 
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