Does ZDP stretch seem prone to getting gritty?

[FlaMtnBkr]

I got a ZDP carbon fiber Stretch not too long ago and so far haven't used it much, just opened and closed it at my desk mostly but has been dropped in my pocket once or twice.

It seems like it gets gritty very quickly /easily. I have had to put it in running water a few times to clean it out and it seems like it has a gritty action without almost any use.

I even took the blade out and polished the washers and made sure there wasn't any kind of metal shavings in it from the factory and it still seems to do it.

Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this with this model?

 

[gine]

I few drips of oil should do it.

 

[AF]

Maybe it's picking up lint/dirt in your pocket.

 

[FlaMtnBkr]

I have tried it with and without lube. Doesn't change anything. I use Breakfree CLP BTW.

I don't do anything different with the knife than any of the other knives I clip in my pockets and I don't have the problem with them. It seems to be this particular knife. Didn't know if it could somehow be the design or the tolerances or something. That's why I was wondering if anyone else had noticed the same thing.

 

[spoonrobot]

Note that the tang is fairly exposed on the top of the knife between the handles. Combine this with the pocket clip holes in the handle and you have two vectors for grit/dirt to get into the action.

Probably picked up some grit from your pocket. What I do is turn my pockets inside out when washing and keep the knife oiled and it mitigates the problem as much as possible.

 

[FlaMtnBkr]

Note that the tang is fairly exposed on the top of the knife between the handles. Combine this with the pocket clip holes in the handle and you have two vectors for grit/dirt to get into the action.

Probably picked up some grit from your pocket. What I do is turn my pockets inside out when washing and keep the knife oiled and it mitigates the problem as much as possible.

Very good point about the clip holes! That is a perfect access to the pivot. I wonder what a good solution to plugging the holes would be? I think having a bunch of screws might look a little bulky plus having to track down that many screws.

It would be good if you could put some sort of goop (a very technical term!) down in the hole to plug it that wouldn't stand out too much and get everywhere applying it. Maybe some black silicone? Does someone have an idea or a pocket full of screws they want to send me?

 

[The Deacon]

Model railroad hobby shops sell black nylon rod stock. You might be able to find some that you could "screw" into place, then cut off flush with the surface of the scales. As for the grittiness issue, I've carried mine for a couple years, never had that problem.

Paul

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[Harry Callahan]

This is just a wild guess here but what about the dis-similar hardness of the moving parts? I remember a while back there was talk about Spyderco having to deal with this issue because the lockbar was real soft and ZDP is way hard plus it has all the anti-wear properties inherent in it's formula. Don't remember what Spyderco ended up doing (probably going with a harder lockbar). Maybe the gritty action is evidence that your bladesteel is eating away at your lockbar. Got a jeweler's loupe or some kind of magnifying glass? It would be interesting to see what's going on here...

 

[gunmike1]

I haven't had any grittyness with mine. I've used Tuf Glide and Blue Lube both with good effect to keep it smooth.

Mike

 

[spoonrobot]

I remember a while back there was talk about Spyderco having to deal with this issue because the lockbar was real soft and ZDP is way hard plus it has all the anti-wear properties inherent in it's formula.

There was a lot of chatter about the lockbar hardness for a while when the E4/D4 ZDPs came out but I don't ever recall an issue of any ZDP lockbars being too soft, just a lot of speculation on the hardness and composition of them by us hobbyists.

To the OP; IIRC there was a chap who used epoxy to fill the screw holes on his Mini-Manix. Gave it texturing to match the G10 and make it less visible, looked pretty good and would keep the grit out. Then again, you could always just take the knife apart, put some tape over the holes in the liner but under the scale and see if that works. Would not have any aesthetic effect but should perform the intended function fine.