Folder Pivot Screw

C

CanonRebelXTi

Joined
Oct 13, 2007
Messages
155
When you set the tightness on the pivot screw of a liner lock folder, do you have a little bit of play in the blade back and forth, a tiny almost undetectable amount or none? Also, if you do have it tight, like an almost undetectable amount of play left to right, will this wear out/ruin the knife over time any more than it being a bit loose?
 
On knives without pivot bushings the tightness of the screw determines both blade movement and ease of opening and closing, so how tight is a compromise and you get to decide where you compromise. There is no right answer.
As far as wear goes, on a good knife, and unless you sit in front of the TV and flick continually, wear is going to be negligible and can always be compensated for a slight change in screw tightness.
Greg
 
Well, i guess, i didn´t get it, but the tightness has no effect on up and down (back and forth) play but on side to side.

Let the blade hang free, with no friction of the liner, than hold the blade with two fingers and move it slightly back and forth. What you my notice is a play considered by the tolerances of priduction. The bigger the bader.

This has an effect on vertical play.

There are other reasons too, but none of it should be done by tightening the pivot screw.

You may consider bending the liner towards the second liner to get more pressure on the tang.
 
Well, the thing is. When the liner is deployed, there is no movement in the blade left to right. But if i hold the liner shut and wiggle the blade there is barely, just barely any blade play.
 
Greg said:
On knives without pivot bushings the tightness of the screw determines both blade movement and ease of opening and closing, so how tight is a compromise and you get to decide where you compromise. There is no right answer.
As far as wear goes, on a good knife, and unless you sit in front of the TV and flick continually, wear is going to be negligible and can always be compensated for a slight change in screw tightness.
Greg
Click to expand...

It has one brass spacer/washer, whatever you wish to call it and one white teflon one. It was a rough opener to begin with (benchmade vex) but i tried to adjust it and when i got it a bit looser the blade got flimsy. So now i have it where the blade doesnt wiggle but i can feel a hair of play, but the blade is still rough. Does benchmade lubricate their knives? I have some hoppes lubricating oil near me... shall I or no. I know if you oil knives they collect dirt and stuff easily. I dunno, im at my minds end.
 
What?

"The liner is deployed" is what, knife ready to use or ready to close?

"The liner hold shut" is holding the liner to close the blade or holding it to keep the blade open?
 
Deployed i mean as its behind the blade, locking it in place. Closed i mean that it is against the scales and the blade is able to close.
 
So the blade is wedged when opened (even Striders do so, so you may say the little china knife is as great as..). Unsatisfieing because you expect the blade to be held between the spacers and a liner, fitting behind.

You may adjust the liner so it fits better but a new knife, well a would firstly look for a replacement. If both are the same, than self service would be my way to go.

But, looking at your new topics, you have made your decision..:D
 
Yeah, i decided on this one... I guess i'll learn to like it lol. Well, with things wrong with it maybe ill decide to use it hard, i tend to go easy on my nice knives. Its just kind of dissapointing to me because i own other benchmades that i love, i get this one and its horrible to open. Any tips to adjust/lube this knife to make it flip better?
 
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How much tension is very much a personal thing. I tend to tighten mine more than most and most of my friends and my wife all think I have a higher pain tolerance than they do for opening folders. Maybe it comes from years of carrying a Buck 112 or 110 I added a thumb stud to and pocket clip. After opening one of those one handed for a few years anything else seems easy.

Seriously I see a vast sampling of knives from a lot of end line users and some have the pivots very loose and sloppy with obvious movement in the blade laterally. Others have them like I do and still others somewhere in between.

The truth is a little bit of side to side movement is not going to hinder the usefulness of the folder at all. If thats the tension your thumb likes set it there and leave it. If it moves from there loctite it down with some blue loctite after resetting the tension where you want it and leave it sit overnight and you should be good to go for a long time.


Sloppy loose pivots, especially ones where the blade stop is held in by the pivot tension or ones where the washers are thick enough to create a good size space between the liners and the blade that the lock can fit into if the gap is allowed to get bigger can lead to problems. If the pivot gets too loose I've actually recieved knives needing new stop pins because they fell out. If its so loose as to allow the gap to increase between the liner and blade and your lock happens to travel all the way across the contact like many well used liner locks do then you may be in for a surprise if you push cut too hard one day and find the blade spun around backwards with the spine pinching your hand.

Otherwise as I said a little play is fine. Just insure it stays there as just a little and you'll be fine.
STR
 
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