Fixing Up my Dobruski Butterfly!

Gary W. Graley

Gary W. Graley

“Imagination is more important than knowledge"
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Mar 2, 1999
Messages
27,427
Well folks, one thing that kept bugging me about my Titanium handled, stag insert, bowie bladed Dobruski butterfly was that the handles could be on the lazy or slow side, one more than the other, well tonight the ~Good Side~ also became a little lazy and as you guys know, a slow handle is a dangerous knife! That Blade doesn't fall like it should and your wittle fingers will have some skin trimmed off in short order! I had sold this knife a while back, it worked well but not as fast as my other balis and I needed cash at the time so combine that with a slow handle I sold it...well the cash need went away and I was sitting at home without a Custom Bali, what was I to do? I emailed my friend, thanks again RJ you're the best!, and he came through for me and we worked out a deal so my baby is back. Well tonight as I sat flipping trying to work the handle in as others have told me, `Don't worry, it'll work it's self in...' well I couldn't hack that wait! So out comes my Allen Wrench and out come the screws and bushing to see what the heck was the HOLD UP...

Long story a little shorter, Inside there are two washers, the pressfit screw dealy and screw. The Washers seemed to be at fault as they looked a little unsmooth. So out come my Spyderco Ceramic Flat Stones, Thanks SAL!, I rubs them and I rubs them washers from stone to Ultra Fine stone to get them to a nice flat SMOOTH finish. Apply some White Lightening and reassembled them back together...watching very carefully that I didn't put the handles on backwards! :D

So now, she's a flippin' fool! I'm a happy guy and it's almost Midnight with me, my wife and youngest daughter, the other two are out with friends, first year they won't be home on New Years Eve...:(
And my Dobruski just a swingin' I told my wife and I was surprised that she didn't seem to be as enthused as I was...don't know why, it's ground breakin' news!

Had to share, everyone here have a Great and Happy New Year...!
G2
 
Well I'm happy as hell for ya Gary. Of course if it starts to stick on ya again I'll dispose;) of it for a small fee.
 
That's great, Gary. Glad you were able to fix that up without any trouble, and let those of us who haven't had a chance to handle a Dobruski imagine in a more detailed way how they are put together. :) I used my bali to open some irritating tape on a late Christmas present today, my ex-girlfriend called me a showoff. Sigh...guess we gotta rely on each other for support! ;)
 
Gary, if that Dobruksi was #21, thanks for fixing it up for me. :D:D I'd be more than happy to dispose of it myself, for an even more modest fee. :D:D
 
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Golly Gee Whiz thanks guys for all the Great offers! It's what makes this place so very special...:D BUT I will have to decline and just put up with the smooth operation of this butterfly as I intend to make it an every day carry...Happy New Years guys and Gals!
G2
 
Good for you Gary.., glad you got it back.., and have it singing!

I have the same problem with a couple of my Dobruskis.., but I'm gonna have Mauro/Mauricio re-do mine, simply because they are new.

Happy New Year!


"Hunters seek what they [WANT].., Seekers hunt what they [NEED]"
 
Hey Gary!

Glad ya got it back, and glad it flips as well as mine!! :)

-Michael
 
Gee, get it back for a short while, and you're already tweaking it. But I know the feeling. Just got back my CB24 from Mauricio, for a little tweaking of its own. So far no lazy handles... But if it ever shows up, I now know what to do. Thanks for the heads up.

That tip hs been filed under washer maintenance for future reference.
 
Gary,

Thanks for sharing the experience. My Dobruski is still a little stiff on one handle so I will probably have to do exploratory surgery too. Still, I recently posted to a thread inquiring what is your favorite knife. I thought about it long and hard, and I had to say, it is my Dobruski balisong.
 
That truly did the trick, as it flips with ease now and still not much if any play...

Word of warning, do one handle at a time...it's better that way!
The allen screws seem to be Metric, as the standard wrench didn't fit too well and I was worried about stripping out the opening of the allen head.

Then I used a larger Allen Head to to place in the hole and LIGHTLY tap the sleeve through the handle. I used a leather mallet and a plastic ended tool to hammer the threaded sleeve back into the handle when everything was lined up, those washers can be TRICKY to get back in line again so take great care!

I used only the ceramic stones as I didn't want to remove much if any metal off of the washers at all but to even them up and to polish them, which worked great!

So if you guys/gals have a slow/lazy handle, go for it but just take care to support the handles when you are tapping things in and out, I put some leather beneath to guard from marring the surface of the bolster areas...

G2
 
Some awesome tips Gary! Just a "quicky"...

For doing lots of stuff to knives.., a really great investment is a "Pana-Vise"...especially for ~~> Lazer-Bat-Blades!

http://www.panavise.com


"Hunters seek what they [WANT].., Seekers hunt what they [NEED]"
 
Originally posted by ExamonLyf
a really great investment is a "Pana-Vise"...
Click to expand...
I'll second that. Picked one up over the weekend (silly me forgot to order a base :o ), and now need to figure out what to do with my other hand now that it's no longer needed to hold the lazer-bat-blades.... Soft grips, ball head (keep it clean people), and low work height (screws won't go bouncing allover the place...) makes a real nice addition to the workbench.

Guess that's going into the FAQ...
 
Yeah...I thought you might have one Tony...lol. I don't know why the heck I haven't mentioned them before. But they are just GREAT.

I have both the low profile model without the higher base.., and the original one.., but there is nothing as good IMO. <~~ at least not even CLOSE to the price.

For those of you that might want one that's "mobile".., or don't have a "real shop" set-up.., they also have a suction cup base that actually WORKS! <~~ Very Very sturdy. I don't have that model and mine are bolt-mounted, but a freind has the suction cup version and they are solid as a rock!

If you look at the webpage (above)...you can also call a local Rep.., and see who has them near you.

Most large electrical supply houses have them with all the goodies you can get for them.., but the standard model is great for knives.



"Hunters seek what they [WANT].., Seekers hunt what they [NEED]"
 
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