Detent ball issues.

GermanyChris

GermanyChris

Joined
Feb 18, 2015
Messages
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I'm guessing this isn't specific to CRK or really any frame but I've never owned one I've always carried autos. The detent ball seems to gum up pretty quick making the action unpleasant. The unpleasantness for me is sorta painful since I'm missing the tip of my right thumb so it's sorta bone on steel contact. I've tried just rinsing the knife out and it'll be OK again for a day or two then it's back to the same. I've tried oil and it stays better for longer but when it gums up it really gums up. I tried grease and had the same problems as the oil but it takes a bit longer. Short of pulling it apart every week and thoroughly cleaning it what are my options?

Here's an example; I rinsed the knife out Thursday night carried it all weekend and used it working on the Jeep then yesterday it needed rinsed again so I did. Yesterday evening I got called to the range for some issues in the shoot house and some one of the 50M popups on the outdoor KD range and I used it out there. This morning it was really sticky so I rinsed it again and the action sorta came back but in order to get it back to right I needed to drop some bore solvent in it. The bore solvent will get me through the day but tonight I'm going to have to pop it back apart and really clean it.

I know it's the detent ball because if you push the lock bar far enough that it doesn't interface with the tang it's free. It's getting a bit frustrating and I'd like to solve the issue.
 
So I'm confused here bud and I think there may be something else at work here that you haven't thought of yet.

Let's ignore both oiling and greasing because if we get into that we're going to get 1000 responses on what people are using.

The thing we should try to figure out ehre, is even when you have no oil or grease on the detent ball, something is causing it to gum up. Is grease or oil running down off the washers? Something in your pocket? Something where you work that is airborne?

That's honestly where I would start. If we can figure out how you are gumming up a clean detent ball, we can probably solve the entire problem. FWIW next time you break it down toss some degreaser like simple green on the ball and scrub it with a toothbrush then don't use anything on it. Ensure there's basically nothing there and work backwards from a clean ball and try to see immediately when you notice it and what you've had it around.

That's what'd I'd do. If you want 1000 try this grease/oil recommendations I can probably help there too, but I don't think that's your problem.
 
It's dust and crap from my pocket and dust and crap from the environment. I've tried the completely dry thing and stuff still manages to clog the ball up but it takes longer.
 
GermanyChris said:
It's dust and crap from my pocket and dust and crap from the environment. I've tried the completely dry thing and stuff still manages to clog the ball up but it takes longer.
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Do you feel you could solve that by just opening the blade and taking like the a baby bottle brush or something like that and just brushing off the ball once or twice a week?
 
If you look real closely at the ball did it develop a flat spot? Ive seen that happen which caused an unpleasent action.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
 
Since you haven't mentioned which CRK this is happening to, you can try to slightly adjust the pivot or stop pin tension by backing the screw off and then re tighten to snug.
I've never had this happen to me before and occasionally some of mine get so clogged up that you can't tell there's a detent ball. But they've never become gritty.
I've adjusted most of my CRK's to my liking initially and readjust after a complete cleaning. Mainly my 21's and smalls. For me, the smalls are the tightest CRK's I own.
 
I agree with adjusting the pivot and the stop pin screw. Maybe you're tightening it a little to much. I had this problem with my 25. I would clean and reassemble it and the action was impeccable but would soon gunk up and it would get its hydraulic feel back.

I eventually just messed with the pivot enough to my liking. If it gets any worse I would send it back to CRK though that might be a little too much trouble being in Germany and all.

Hope you get it resolved.
 
It's a 21

I pulled it apart again last night, cleaned the ball with a little lighter fluid and put it back together taking it easy on the grease. Maybe I'd been putting to much grease in there but I dunno either way I'll see how long it lasts this time before the action gets all wonky.

@highestpoint I live in Germany and have 13 years but I work for the USG so getting stuff back to the states is no issue it just takes a bit longer.
 
GermanyChris said:
It's a 21

I pulled it apart again last night, cleaned the ball with a little lighter fluid and put it back together taking it easy on the grease. Maybe I'd been putting to much grease in there but I dunno either way I'll see how long it lasts this time before the action gets all wonky.

@highestpoint I live in Germany and have 13 years but I work for the USG so getting stuff back to the states is no issue it just takes a bit longer.
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I gotcha, I know how the military mail system works but personally wouldn't want to do the waiting lol.
 
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