Centering the blade on a Cold Steel Rajah II

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fallknivener

Joined
Sep 7, 2009
Messages
26
Hi guys,
can anyone give me an advice on how to center the blade in the closed position.
When the blade is closed it is resting next to one of the steel liners and when I'm opening the blade with my right hand thumb I can hear the blade brush against the liner.
I have read on the forums that people tried to tighten the pivot torx screw but then some owners messed up the screw so that it couldn't be unscrewed (the threaded cylinder with the flat piece rotated as well as the torx bit).
Please, give me your two cents on this matter.
P.s. Sorry for the bad english
 
I've taken my Rajah 2 apart a couple of times for cleaning. Pretty easy knife to dis/re assemble. To line up blade (my method)... loosen pivot, loosen pocket clip, loosen 6 frame screws, position blade so it is centered. Now, time to experiment. Tighten frame screws and/or pivot screw in a yet undiscovered order that will keep the blade centered as you tighten everything back up. Sorry I can't offer more specific directions. You'll just have to see what works for your particular knife.

Addition: If I remember correctly the pivot barrel inside the Rajah 2 has a flat side that can only fit one way in the steel liner. This should prevent any pivot barrel rotation when tightening.
 
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stormbird said:
Addition: If I remember correctly the pivot barrel inside the Rajah 2 has a flat side that can only fit one way in the steel liner. This should prevent any pivot barrel rotation when tightening.
Click to expand...

In your opinion is there a way to mess up the pivot screw? How tight do you tighten the frame screws and how much do you tighten the pivot screw?

I have noticed that there are some (brass?) spacers between the blade and the liners. Do they reposition themselves (do they just slip onto the pivot)?
 
stormbird said:
I've taken my Rajah 2 apart a couple of times for cleaning. Pretty easy knife to dis/re assemble. To line up blade (my method)... loosen pivot, loosen pocket clip, loosen 6 frame screws, position blade so it is centered. Now, time to experiment. Tighten frame screws and/or pivot screw in a yet undiscovered order that will keep the blade centered as you tighten everything back up. Sorry I can't offer more specific directions. You'll just have to see what works for your particular knife.

Addition: If I remember correctly the pivot barrel inside the Rajah 2 has a flat side that can only fit one way in the steel liner. This should prevent any pivot barrel rotation when tightening.
Click to expand...

This worth a try. When the blade is centered, wedge the blade with a folded piece of paper in the centered position before tightening.
 
ok now, I just took my R2 apart and put it back together after cleaning it. I was partially correct about the pivot barrel. It does have a flat side, but it is the black handle that has the matching flat cut out, not the steel liner. The brass (and white) spacers slip on over the pivot barrel.

In my opinion the pivot barrel should give you no trouble when loosening or tightening it. singularity35 has a good suggestion. Loosen the pivot screw, wedge blade into desired position, tighten. Maybe used more thread locker and let it dry.

Later today I'll post pictures of the dismantled Rajah 2 so you can see how it is put together. Andrew Demko sure designed a heck of a knife:thumbup:
 
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stormbird said:
Loosen the pivot screw, wedge blade into desired position, tighten.
Click to expand...

How much do you tighten it?

Today I have disassembled the knife. Cleaned the parts and lubricated them using Geralyn (food grade lubricant - used in food industry).
I have tried to wedge the blade on each side with a pair of toothpicks and proceeded to tighten the side screws and at the end the pivot screw (I just screwed ti until I felt resistance and then made an extra 1/4 to 1/2 of a turn). It made no difference. The tip of the blade is near one of the liners (looking the blade from the tip to the back it is near the left liner, 1-2 mm).
 
Hey Fallknivener, sounds like I can skip the pictures :)

The only other thing I can think of is loosen the pivot screw, loosen the 6 screws holding the back spacer in place. Then slightly move the two handles in opposite directions until blade is where you want it (see my crude drawing). Tighten everything up like you did before (snug, plus a bit more).

r2.jpg
 
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stormbird said:
Hey Fallknivener, sounds like I can skip the pictures :)

The only other thing I can think of is loosen the pivot screw, loosen the 6 screws holding the back spacer in place. Then slightly move the two handles in opposite directions until blade is where you want it (see my crude drawing). Tighten everything up like you did before (snug, plus a bit more).

r2.jpg
Click to expand...

tried it and failed :(
I even tried to slightly bend the steel liners (microscopically) in the opposite direction but even that failed.
nevertheless, thanks for the pic :(
 
Had that problem on my RajahI, no matter what I tried I could not correct it. I called Cold Steel and they replaced it with a new one. My RajahII was perfect. If you have your invoice give Cold Steel a call.
 
zeronefatboy said:
Had that problem on my RajahI, no matter what I tried I could not correct it. I called Cold Steel and they replaced it with a new one. My RajahII was perfect. If you have your invoice give Cold Steel a call.
Click to expand...

I would gladly do that but I live in Croatia and the shipping to the USA is rather expensive so I would like to fix it myself.
I have sent them an e-mail 4 days ago describing the problem and still no response.
 
Well, I'm sorry none of our advice helped you fix your knife. Do call them though. They have never answered any of my emails over the years. But they do answer the telephone. :)
 
One of my Rajah 1's had an off centered blade. I sent it in to Cold Steel warranty and they replaced it. This may not be a viable option for you but they told me there's no "fix" like centering the Spyderco Military and to send it back. :(
 
cziv said:
One of my Rajah 1's had an off centered blade. I sent it in to Cold Steel warranty and they replaced it. This may not be a viable option for you but they told me there's no "fix" like centering the Spyderco Military and to send it back. :(
Click to expand...

damn :(
 
Try these steps:

Open the blade.
Loosen the screws.
Hold the knife horizontal, blade facing away from you, so you are looking down between the liners where the blade goes when folded.
Press the side of the end of the blade against a vertical surface, like the edge of your desk.
Put pressure on the side of the blade, to move it in the opposite direction that you want it to be shifted when closed.
While maintaining pressure, tighten the screws.
Let us know if this works for you.

I hope my instructions make sense. Good Luck!
 
Ookpik said:
Try these steps:

Open the blade.
Loosen the screws.
Hold the knife horizontal, blade facing away from you, so you are looking down between the liners where the blade goes when folded.
Press the side of the end of the blade against a vertical surface, like the edge of your desk.
Put pressure on the side of the blade, to move it in the opposite direction that you want it to be shifted when closed.
While maintaining pressure, tighten the screws.
Let us know if this works for you.

I hope my instructions make sense. Good Luck!
Click to expand...

are you referring to something like this?

Untitled1.jpg
 
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Not even close!
I'm not sure how to explain what I mean. The knife should be in your hand with the tip of the blade pointing away from you. The edge of the blade should be facing up. You should be applying pressure on the side of the blade, as if you were trying to bend the blade. You aren't trying to bend the blade, so don't press that hard! Press the side of the blade in the opposite direction that you want the blade to move when it is closed. If the blade is too close to the right liner when closed, press to move the blade to the right when the blade is open. Tighten the screws while maintaining pressure. This will have the same effect as trying to centre the blade while it is closed, by pressing it to the left. The advantage of doing it with the blade open, is that you can apply more pressure and move the blade farther, without it hitting the other liner as you push it.
 
fallknivener said:
damn :(
Click to expand...

EDIT: Sorry Ookpik I posted in between your instrutions and don't mean to add confusion. :)

I should add that my blade seemed to be more than off center but warped?

Here's the pic I sent to Cold Steel before the return.

870619006_aiBbN-L.jpg
 
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Ookpik said:
Not even close!
I'm not sure how to explain what I mean. The knife should be in your hand with the tip of the blade pointing away from you. The edge of the blade should be facing up. You should be applying pressure on the side of the blade, as if you were trying to bend the blade. You aren't trying to bend the blade, so don't press that hard! Press the side of the blade in the opposite direction that you want the blade to move when it is closed. If the blade is too close to the right liner when closed, press to move the blade to the right when the blade is open. Tighten the screws while maintaining pressure. This will have the same effect as trying to centre the blade while it is closed, by pressing it to the left. The advantage of doing it with the blade open, is that you can apply more pressure and move the blade farther, without it hitting the other liner as you push it.
Click to expand...

I have centered it :cool:
I opened the blade and then, like any caveman in rage i tried to bend the handle (below the pivot) in the desired direction. grabbed it with the fingers on the one side and bent it with the thumbs from the opposite side. Of course, I was rather gentle and did it in steps. Few bends, close the blade, check and repeat. Man, the grivory + liners are incredibly tough.
 
fallknivener said:
I have centered it :cool:
I opened the blade and then, like any caveman in rage i tried to bend the handle (below the pivot) in the desired direction. grabbed it with the fingers on the one side and bent it with the thumbs from the opposite side. Of course, I was rather gentle and did it in steps. Few bends, close the blade, check and repeat. Man, the grivory + liners are incredibly tough.
Click to expand...

Hey excellent! Congrats. :D
 
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