Cant get my xm-18 centered. Need some help

K

KyleMS11

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Mar 20, 2014
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I just bought my 3rd 3"xm posted as lightly used off here. I have followed the blade centering instruction in the stickies to the T but the blade just wont center. Havent had this problem with my other 2. Any other suggestions or ways to do this? Its off to the right not rubbing but very close to it.
 
Kyle......if following the instructions in the stickies did not do it for you.......then replace the washers and try again.......the washers can wear and that can lead to an off-center blade in some cases.......but replacing the washers should fix everything.......it has happened to me as well - but not very often - the washers generally last quite a long time (years)...
Hope that helps.........
 
I did try a disassemble/reassemble like 5 times. Didnt work. When i look the lock side from this view i can see part of the washer poking out. I dont remember being able to see this on my other xm's but i dont have them with me right now to compare. Could this have something to do with it? Maybe washers were replaced with wrong size. They did seem a little loose when i was putting them back on like maybe they were a little too big.

 
xxfalconxx said:
Kyle......if following the instructions in the stickies did not do it for you.......then replace the washers and try again.......the washers can wear and that can lead to an off-center blade in some cases.......but replacing the washers should fix everything.......it has happened to me as well - but not very often - the washers generally last quite a long time (years)...
Hope that helps.........
Click to expand...


Woukd they sell teflon washers that small at a home depot or lowes you think? Do you know what size they are on the 3"?
 
They are a specific thickness and outside diameter. They are also two different sizes, one for each side of the knife. The washer on the lock side is a smaller outside diameter to allow for the lock bar. Monkey Edge is supposed to be the exclusive source for these but it appears they are out of stock. If you need some and Monkey Edge is indeed out of stock then you should contact Rob Orlando at RHK.
 
Well i just took both my xm's apart to compare. And the washers on this one im having problems with are bigger then the ones on my other one. So they must have been replaced.
 
Tolerances as tight as they are, an incorrect set of washers would indeed bugger up the works.
New set, a correct set will have you squared away.
Least you have a pair of EDC's to step into duty.
 
RubiconSS said:
Tolerances as tight as they are, an incorrect set of washers would indeed bugger up the works.
New set, a correct set will have you squared away.
Least you have a pair of EDC's to step into duty.
Click to expand...


Well now im stumped because i just took the washers from my other xm and put them in this one and the blade still wont center?
 
Yup......just like Mike said.....on the 3" XM, there is a bigger washer for the liner side of the blade and a smaller washer for the lockside of the blade......the washer should not be visible through the break in the frame by your lockbar........that happened to me once as well.......replaced the washers........put the correct ones in and all was good.......
Rob is great for helping out with stuff like this........he helped me out once when Monkey Edge was out of stock.......
Next time Monkey Edge has them in stock you should definitely buy a set of spares.......they are not very expensive and they are extremely useful spare parts to have on hand if you need them........I have never worn a set out.....or even come close.......they are actually very durable.......but I have had to replace a few sets on XMs I have picked up.......
 
Washer size being different for each side is true for all XM's. It also has nothing to do with centering the blade.
It does make the washer "visible" however when installed on the wrong side. At this point I Highly suggest getting a New set of the correct washers whether from M.E. or Rob and see where it goes from there.
 
I just put the bigger washers on my other xm and i got the blade centered. So this is telling me it has to be somthing else besides the washer.
 
Once you've done to the the best of your abilities to center the blade (using the stickies). Could you show a picture of it (the centering), and maybe your other XM for comparison?
 
Perfect thanks!

Okay now to reiterate on the centering (isn't this fun) :-)....... with minor adjustments (seen in bold).

Brought to you by the Stickies :-)

Centering the Blade:

Here we go:

1. Open blade to 90 degrees and tighten pivot so that it is really tight. Tight as possible....... but not arrgh let me use all of my muscles, to break/strip it tight :-).

2. Close the blade and loosen the frame screws so they aren’t tight, but still holding the frame together. Maybe 3/4 of a turn loose.

3. While the blade is still in the closed position, pull blade towards the side you want the blade to move. This is the important part. Since it's off to the right (I'm guessing looking at straightforward with the blade closed??? So the presentation scale or in other words....... non locking side). Press the blade over to the frame lock side of the knife, until the blade is touching it. Then, take a folded up piece of printer paper (folded into to 3x3 size square, this way it's nice and wide) and slide/wedge it in place to keep the blade touching the frame lock side of the knife.

4. Now it's no need to pull/hold the blade, because the folded up piece of paper is holding it in place (to the opposite side in which it was off-center). So now you can tighten the frame screws. Haha, would you look at that....... Mr. Rubi (I know you're laughing xxxfalcolnxxx) already incorporated what I said but I just moved it up a few lines. Great minds think alike I guess :-) ----> (Note: Using a folded business card or the like wedged in between the liner and blade to Hold position works well).

5. Loosen the pivot and adjust it to the desired tension.

As you can see the centering guidelines via the Stickies were already adequate and thoroughly written....... but the minor adjustments (seen in bold) I made were more for "emphasis" than anything else.

By the way, this procedure should take no longer than 5 minutes....... and shouldn't cause too many problems, I hope :-). I say that because I know you've done it multiple times already, and when things don't go as planned....... it can be frustrating/tiring.

(P.S.) You'll know when you've done it correctly, because the blade will be favoring the "frame lock" side of the knife, instead of the non locking side (as seen your photo). This way when you get to the final step of loosening the pivot to the desired tension, the blade will become centered when complete.
 
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