Fixing blade-play in slip-joints?

[KennyB]

I can't seem to get the blade-play out of my Case Trapper. I've tried tightening it in a vice and tapping on it with a rubber mallet, but the play always comes back even if I do manage to tighten it up a bit.

Does anyone think I should just send it to Case? I'll have to wait a little while to do so for shipping/insurance and what not, but I'm wondering if I should try something else out or what the problem may be.

The play isn't even noticable in use, just when I grab on to the blade and wiggle it a little I can feel it tapping the sides of the liners. There's a little bit of up-and-down-play too but I've never had a slip-joint without that so it doesn't seem too abnormal.

One thing is I'm not even sure if Case would cover it under warrany. Do they care if you've put a patina on?

 

[Blues]

Case will accept the knife (with or without patina) and do their utmost to return a more satisfactory product.

You might be able to address the side to side wiggle but the up and down play is a different animal.

If it troubles you then you should send it. Don't agonize over it.

Good luck.

 

[ea42]

If it keeps loosening up you're probably not using enough force on the tightening. You have to get the rivet to spread a bit in order to hold the bolsters together. If you're using a mallet you want to whack it pretty hard, not just tap it. I'm not even sure if a rubber mallet would work due to its softness. Possibly a hard plastic mallet (the amber colored ones) would work better. In the factory they just use a cuttler's hammer. Most likely the head of the pin will be somewhat disfigured, and it would have to be resanded and buffed. This in itself is a good reason to send it back. They can repair it in about ten minutes and make it look like new.

 

[KnifeHead]

Case will accept the knife (with or without patina) and do their utmost to return a more satisfactory product.

You might be able to address the side to side wiggle but the up and down play is a different animal.

If it troubles you then you should send it. Don't agonize over it.

Good luck.

If it keeps loosening up you're probably not using enough force on the tightening. You have to get the rivet to spread a bit in order to hold the bolsters together. If you're using a mallet you want to whack it pretty hard, not just tap it. I'm not even sure if a rubber mallet would work due to its softness. Possibly a hard plastic mallet (the amber colored ones) would work better. In the factory they just use a cuttler's hammer. Most likely the head of the pin will be somewhat disfigured, and it would have to be resanded and buffed. This in itself is a good reason to send it back. They can repair it in about ten minutes and make it look like new.

Ditto and ditto. :thumbup:

 

[rprocter]

Do you need to whack 1 side or 2 ? and are you trying to whack the entire bolster surface or just the end of the pivot pin ?
This has been a long burning question in my mind. Where and how to whack.
roland

 

[LKJW]

I sent a knife back to Case because the blade wasn't centered. One of those things that didn't matter too much...but it did. They sent it back fixed in about 2 weeks.