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- Jul 10, 2011
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This is a topic that I think is relevant to anyone interested in folding knives of all kinds; no matter what, your folding knife needs to have a pivot mechanism, so this is a universal issue regardless of our taste in manufacturers, locks, etc.
The problem is this: free spinning pivots - by which I mean a folding knife pivot with a single male screw that goes into a female portion that is not fixed in place by way of a D or hexagonal shape, or does not have a torx/hex/flathead head. When any kind of threadlocker is applied, attempting to adjust the male screw results in the entire pivot mechanism spinning.
Why is this important? Well, for one, it's common to have pivots like this. Shirogorov knives are all like this, the body screws on Hinderer and Striders are, most Rike knives, Kizer, etc. I'm sure more can be named than I can think of right now, and anyone who uses the Alpha Knife Supply pivots in their custom knives will have this problem.. With the current flipper/strong detent craze, pivots are exposed to more vibration due to the force of opening that threadlocker is all but necessary on most pivot screws now. Unless you have absolutely incredible mechanical tolerances, eventually your pivot screw will loosen if there is no threadlocker holding it in place.
So at this point, you're left with two options: 1. don't ever use threadlocker and periodically tighten the pivot (unrealistic), or 2. apply threadlocker to the male pivot screw. Once you apply threadlocker and let it cure, you will no longer be able to adjust the male screw as the whole unit will spin. There are some hokey solutions to this problem, such as applying superglue to the very small gap between the female end of the pivot and the hole it goes through, or applying pressure to the female end with something like a rubber band or rubber glove.
Unfortunately, these don't always work. With stronger threadlocker, it will simply break the hold of the superglue (which if the tolerances of the pivot in the pivot hole are high, will likely not penetrate very far down). Using the rubber band/glove solution also is hit or miss because it can be very difficult to get it to grip the female portion well enough. Even when you heat the pivot up to loosen the threadlocker, it is still necessary to be able to turn the male screw without the female screw to break its hold, so you're left at square 1.
What can knife companies do? The more expensive solution is to make D shaped or octagonal female pivot ends that fit into a similarly machined hole, as Zero Tolerance/Kershaw does. However, it's as simple as using a two male screw pivot mechanism, or simply putting a torx/hex/flathead head on the female bolt portion of the pivot. I'm no insider, but I honestly don't see what the benefit is of not doing this. Cleanliness, maybe? That seems like an okay thing to sacrifice for a pivot you can actually adjust.
Maybe it's only me that constantly encounters this problem, but I've found it really frustrating lately because 99% of the time, the two solutions I mentioned above have not worked. Does anyone have a tried and true solution for this? And can you think of a reason why having a pivot like this is advantageous?
The problem is this: free spinning pivots - by which I mean a folding knife pivot with a single male screw that goes into a female portion that is not fixed in place by way of a D or hexagonal shape, or does not have a torx/hex/flathead head. When any kind of threadlocker is applied, attempting to adjust the male screw results in the entire pivot mechanism spinning.
Why is this important? Well, for one, it's common to have pivots like this. Shirogorov knives are all like this, the body screws on Hinderer and Striders are, most Rike knives, Kizer, etc. I'm sure more can be named than I can think of right now, and anyone who uses the Alpha Knife Supply pivots in their custom knives will have this problem.. With the current flipper/strong detent craze, pivots are exposed to more vibration due to the force of opening that threadlocker is all but necessary on most pivot screws now. Unless you have absolutely incredible mechanical tolerances, eventually your pivot screw will loosen if there is no threadlocker holding it in place.
So at this point, you're left with two options: 1. don't ever use threadlocker and periodically tighten the pivot (unrealistic), or 2. apply threadlocker to the male pivot screw. Once you apply threadlocker and let it cure, you will no longer be able to adjust the male screw as the whole unit will spin. There are some hokey solutions to this problem, such as applying superglue to the very small gap between the female end of the pivot and the hole it goes through, or applying pressure to the female end with something like a rubber band or rubber glove.
Unfortunately, these don't always work. With stronger threadlocker, it will simply break the hold of the superglue (which if the tolerances of the pivot in the pivot hole are high, will likely not penetrate very far down). Using the rubber band/glove solution also is hit or miss because it can be very difficult to get it to grip the female portion well enough. Even when you heat the pivot up to loosen the threadlocker, it is still necessary to be able to turn the male screw without the female screw to break its hold, so you're left at square 1.
What can knife companies do? The more expensive solution is to make D shaped or octagonal female pivot ends that fit into a similarly machined hole, as Zero Tolerance/Kershaw does. However, it's as simple as using a two male screw pivot mechanism, or simply putting a torx/hex/flathead head on the female bolt portion of the pivot. I'm no insider, but I honestly don't see what the benefit is of not doing this. Cleanliness, maybe? That seems like an okay thing to sacrifice for a pivot you can actually adjust.
Maybe it's only me that constantly encounters this problem, but I've found it really frustrating lately because 99% of the time, the two solutions I mentioned above have not worked. Does anyone have a tried and true solution for this? And can you think of a reason why having a pivot like this is advantageous?
