Blade Centering help

JDieseljoe69

JDieseljoe69

Full Throttle Tools
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Mar 16, 2010
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I have a XM-24 that the blade keeps going off center to the scale side. I have tried this trick over and over,

1. Open blade to 90 degrees and tighten pivot so that it is really tight.

2. Close the blade and loosen frame screws so they aren’t tight, but still holding the frame together.

3. While the blade is still in the closed position, pull blade towards the side you want the blade to move. In my case, I pulled the blade toward the liner/scale.

4. While pulling blade, tighten the frame screws.

5. Loosen the pivot and adjust it to the desired tension.
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But it just will not keep center. After about a dozen or so flips it is back to off center and starting to rub on the scale side.
Any help would be appreciated.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that if I tighten the pivot down fairly tight it will hold center but when I back off the pivot screw it goes off center.
 
I hate when that happens. Do you have a micrometer. The detent maybe out to far. How's the lock up? When the lock engages in the open position look Down the back of the knife to see if the blade is kicked over a little.
 
This may be a warranty issue but several dozen Hinderers have passed through my hands & I've taken every one of them apart & never had one that was off center.
There are no tricks for getting the blade centered, I simply put the body screws in but leave them loose & with the blade CLOSED tighten the pivot until the blade is centered & tighten the body screws & it's done. If however you find that tightening the pivot down all the way does not center it, we'll go from there.
 
Try loosening all the screws. Keep the knife closed. Now, push the blade over to the side using a folded piece of paper. Now bang the back of the knife down a few times on your palm and tighten the pivot screw all the way. Now tighten the body screws all the way. Now pull out the paper wedge. Is the blade still off center? Should be. Now loosen the pivot slightly so you can get a smooth flip. If this doesn't fix it then send it to Rick.
 
Maprik said:
Try loosening all the screws. Keep the knife closed. Now, push the blade over to the side using a folded piece of paper. Now bang the back of the knife down a few times on your palm and tighten the pivot screw all the way. Now tighten the body screws all the way. Now pull out the paper wedge. Is the blade still off center? Should be. Now loosen the pivot slightly so you can get a smooth flip. If this doesn't fix it then send it to Rick.
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I tried this and it seems to be about on center. I think the taps in my hand made a difference. Its not rubbing anymore. I will see how it fairs for a couple of days and see if it tracks back to the non lock side.
I appreciate all the suggestions and help.
Thanks Joe
 
JDieseljoe69 said:
I tried this and it seems to be about on center. I think the taps in my hand made a difference. Its not rubbing anymore. I will see how it fairs for a couple of days and see if it tracks back to the non lock side.
I appreciate all the suggestions and help.
Thanks Joe
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Glad you fixed it. It's almost mechanically impossible to have an XM that's off center, the only way that could happen is if the blade were ground uneven somehow or maybe the detent ball sticks out too far but even then the blade would center if you tightened the pivot tight, something like that would be seen before it gets shipped.
The most common issue is that people keep the pivot loose so it flips good but the lockbar pushes the blade over off center, then when you tighten the pivot it goes to center but doesn't flip as quickly, the remedy for that has always been cured with a good grease.
 
Tagging this thread, because my beater 3.5" is pretty badly off center.
 
If you have it centered, and with use it gets off center, your pivot is loosening up. You need to keep the pivot from loosening when you get it properly centered. I'd recommend Vibra-Tite VC-3 or Loctite Blue (sparingly) on the pivot.
 
Good point. I started using blue loctite on my XMs because of slow loosening.
 
Maprik said:
Good point. I started using blue loctite on my XMs because of slow loosening.
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A drop of purple loctite on the very end threads (nearest head not tip) has never come loose but aids in scale changing by not having to hold the pivot screw on the frame side until the screw is all the way out. Once you unscrew it about 2-3 full turns its easy enough to unscrew without tools.
 
I went out and fond some purple Loctite, not the most easiest one to find! The blade fell off center again, so I will try again and use the Loctite to see if the pivot screw keeps loosening.
Thanks again for help!!
 
If the knife has been disassembled, it will likely need a little care in assembly to fit it together properly.
It's not much different than any precision tool with moving parts.

Sometimes attention must be paid to the washers as they may be ever-so-slightly different from one another.

A minimal amount of LocTite may be helpful in keeping things in place once you find the "sweet spot" you are seeking. I have yet to use it, myself.

Completely assemble the knife, loosen the handle and pivot screws a bit, place thick paper material in the handle, beside the blade, to push the blade away from the side it's rubbing on....then re-tighten the pivot and hadle screws. Remove the paper and do a very minimal (if any) tweak on the pivot screw to get the proper "resistance".
 
Need2Know said:
If the knife has been disassembled, it will likely need a little care in assembly to fit it together properly.
It's not much different than any precision tool with moving parts.

Sometimes attention must be paid to the washers as they may be ever-so-slightly different from one another.

A minimal amount of LocTite may be helpful in keeping things in place once you find the "sweet spot" you are seeking. I have yet to use it, myself.

Completely assemble the knife, loosen the handle and pivot screws a bit, place thick paper material in the handle, beside the blade, to push the blade away from the side it's rubbing on....then re-tighten the pivot and hadle screws. Remove the paper and do a very minimal (if any) tweak on the pivot screw to get the proper "resistance".
Click to expand...
If you need to do tricks to get the blade centered, there's something wrong with the knife. If you can't get the blade to center by just tightening the pivot the knife should be sent in because something's wrong, XM-18's are precisely made & it should fit together just like a precisely made tool should. The only knives I've had to perform centering tricks on is loosely made cheaper knives.
 
Need2Know said:
If the knife has been disassembled, it will likely need a little care in assembly to fit it together properly.
It's not much different than any precision tool with moving parts.

Sometimes attention must be paid to the washers as they may be ever-so-slightly different from one another.

A minimal amount of LocTite may be helpful in keeping things in place once you find the "sweet spot" you are seeking. I have yet to use it, myself.

Completely assemble the knife, loosen the handle and pivot screws a bit, place thick paper material in the handle, beside the blade, to push the blade away from the side it's rubbing on....then re-tighten the pivot and hadle screws. Remove the paper and do a very minimal (if any) tweak on the pivot screw to get the proper "resistance".
Click to expand...

I had a centering problem after taking apart a 24 to swap scales. After trying everything else I saw about this, I took a close look at the washers. Turns out that after fiddling (some rotating) with the one on the front side twice, I got the knife back to dead center with no further issues. :)
 
MODiFiEDZ said:
If you need to do tricks to get the blade centered, there's something wrong with the knife. If you can't get the blade to center by just tightening the pivot the knife should be sent in because something's wrong, XM-18's are precisely made & it should fit together just like a precisely made tool should. The only knives I've had to perform centering tricks on is loosely made cheaper knives.
Click to expand...

Do not mislead people. There is nothing wrong with the knives. The problem are with those who fiddle with and pimp them believing they can do things "better".

I posted that suggestion as a simplified hopefully helpful fix. I don't use that trick, but I can see it helping others.
 
Jaxx said:
I had a centering problem after taking apart a 24 to swap scales. After trying everything else I saw about this, I took a close look at the washers. Turns out that after fiddling (some rotating) with the one on the front side twice, I got the knife back to dead center with no further issues. :)
Click to expand...

Indeed. The washers are often suspect. Attention should be paid to how the knife comes apart so assembly is simplified.
 
I tore down the knife and reassembled, blade still fell off center. I opened the blade to locked position and loosen the frame screws, tighten the pivot, then closed the blade and put a piece of paper on the side where the blade leans. I then tighten the frame screws, then backed off the pivot screw to where it was on center. So far after that it has been good, but I will have to check after a few days of carry.
Once again I really appreciate the suggestion's.
 
Hope your fix works for you. If not, as long as the blade is centered with the pivot tight you should be able to find a happy medium. Blade centering is never a warranty issue but if you do all that is suggested and it still rubs the scale side you should send it in. If it does center when tight you just need to back it off enough so that it still resists the lock-bar enough to keep it "relatively" centered while allowing easy flipping.

I would highly recommend you use the blue and not the purple locktite. Dab a little on the end of a toothpick and put some on the last screw thread.

Good luck!
 
Last edited:
...And don't forget some lubrication. A little lubricant in the pivot can and does make "sticky" knives smooth. If the knife lacks lubricant, one may loosen the pivot a tad too much to compensate and this can contribute to a off-centered blade.
 
Need2Know said:
Indeed. The washers are often suspect. Attention should be paid to how the knife comes apart so assembly is simplified.
Click to expand...

I was just gonna say- the teflon washers can compress slightly on a side. imperceptible to the eye but will screw the centering. If all else fails, try a new set of washers.
 
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