help with ZT 0452 - does lockbar naturally ...

[vanadium]

On a 0452, just a torx bit on the show side if I remember correctly. Just a slight turn should do it.

What he said.

Also make sure the Torx bit fits tighty with no wiggle, and turn it just hard enough clockwise that you can see the pivot rotate a little. Watch the tip of the blade. As you tighten, the tip should move towards the lock side. If it's not working, stop.

Bear in mind: Once you've done this, you bought the knife.

 

[vanadium]

Don't expect to tighten more than a small fraction of a turn. Like from 12:00 to 1:30 on the clock.

 

[sliceofaloha]

It did not take much at all and it worked like a charm.

 

[nwmetalbug]

Keep an eye on it, if it goes off center again you will want to take the pivot out (just the male half) and use a drop of blue locktight on it. let it sit over night to cure after you have it where you want

 

[sliceofaloha]

I now feel like Billy Madison after he passed his first grade exam! Thanks everyone! Straightened out perfectly! Mahalo, my Hakka friend.

 

[vanadium]

I'm glad this worked out for you, sliceofaloha !

My 0452 also came off-center, and my 0562 and 0909 were less than buttery smooth out of the box. Adjustment turned each one into a gem.

+1 for blue or purple Loctite

 

[vanadium]

Well, if I had to guess, I would think that the lack of tight tolerance's would attribute to the blade being off center. The lock bar tension should not be a factor when a knife is closed.

You can tell when lock bar tension is a factor, if you observe that tightening the pivot moves the tip away from the show side, and loosening moves it away from the lock side. I find this is almost always the case, except on (a) poorly-constructed knives with indelible symmetry problems, (b) knifes with temporary symmetry problems due to poor assembly, or (c) knives with pivot bearings or other exceptional pivot systems, where the pivot screw doesn't really affect compression of the bearings. If it was just random manufacturing variation, then you wouldn't be able to predict which direction (tightening or loosening) would move the tip in which direction.

I get that some knives stay centered all the time, no matter what. Sometimes that's a pivot bearing. Sometimes it's just awesome tolerances of the pivot. Always impressive.

 

[vanadium]

In the case of this ZT, the pivot pin fits loosely through the blade. You can feel the 'slop' of this fit and enjoy its rattling sound if you disassemble this knife. That loose fit is good enough* to form one leg of the lockup triangle (lock bar, pivot pin, & stop pin) but it will only keep the blade loosely oriented perpendicular. The lock bar will thus tend to tilt the blade towards the show side. Adjustable compression of the whole scale/liner/bearing/blade sandwich creates lateral stability and allows centering. *This is not suddenly a ZT spine-whacking thread!;-)