How do I clean the pivot of my new Emerson CQC-8?

H

High King

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Jan 4, 2013
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I just received my CQC-8, and it came with a really tight pivot, so I loosened it ever so slightly. I can open it now, but it feels very gritty, and makes a sandy sound, as if I were sandpapering something. Like, even if I loosen the pivot all the way, the blade "jerks" as it is opening (and closing) almost like watching a gif animation with a very laggy computer. I have a CQC-15 that doesn't have this issue, so I know it's not because the pivot is too tight.

I figure there's grit inside the pivot that wasn't properly cleaned or there's not enough lubricant. How do I go about remedying this? Do I have to take it apart? Because I'm not confident in my abilities to take apart something and not screw up. I'm always paranoid that I'll lose a screw or something.
 
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Unlike other knives, Emerson folders have 2 ball detents, an upper and a lower.
If you look at the pivot area with the knife closed you'll see the extra detent opposite the one on the lock.
If the upper one is too tight it can cause a gritty sound when opening
You can try to clean and lube. I use Remoil, it's a cleaner and lube.
Give the pivot area a good spray and shake out the excess.
If that doesn't work and you're not comfortable adjusting the upper detent, you might have to send it back.
 
I should also mention they need a little break in time too
So after cleaning and lube, give the knife a few weeks to break in.
 
Ok, what I did was to open the knife and put a drop of Coconut Oil on both sides, then I closed it and let it drip out. The sandy sound is gone, and the knife opens smoothly. Looks like there simply wasn't enough lubricant on the pivots. I'll also play around with it for a week or so. Thanks.

Oh, and quite a bit of blackish stuff came out along with the excess oil. Looks to me like that was what caused the gritty sound. Seems good to go now.
 
High King said:
Ok, what I did was to open the knife and put a drop of Coconut Oil on both sides, then I closed it and let it drip out. The sandy sound is gone, and the knife opens smoothly. Looks like there simply wasn't enough lubricant on the pivots. I'll also play around with it for a week or so. Thanks.

Oh, and quite a bit of blackish stuff came out along with the excess oil. Looks to me like that was what caused the gritty sound. Seems good to go now.
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Yes don't worry, Emerson does this on purpose. The gritty-ness is there to help the knife break-in. You can oil it with the knife assembled, work the blade open and closed under running water (and blow it out with compressed air), or you can take it apart/clean and relube.
Most Emersons do take a bit of a break-in period. But don't worry, they'll be right as rain in no time.
 
Emereons are good knives to learn how to take apsrt, clean and put it all back together. Theyre faily simple and dont have many problems with off center blades and stuff. Glad you got it taken care of. Now post some pics!
 
I opened/closed mine a few hundred times when I first got it. I wouldn't say mine was gritty, but it certainly wasn't smooth. Once I played with it long enough, I finally took it apart and cleaned/lubed and put it back together. It is very smooth, but not fling-open loose now. I'd say it's perfect.
 
There seems to be one issue I can't fix though, and that's an incredibly sticky lock. It doesn't always stick, but sometimes it the lock engages almost 60% of the way across and requires a lot of force to disengage. Looking at some reviews and other people who have the CQC-8 (or one of its variant sizes), this seems to be a fairly common issue. Will it go away with time?

As mentioned above, I have a CQC-15, and while there is a slight stick to the lock there, disengaging is very easy.
 
Just use it! The lock stickiness will go away, and it will smooth out. The CQC-7V I recently got took about a week, now its as close to perfect as it can be. No need to take it apart, unless you really want to....
 
My cqc 15 came pretty sticky but it smoothed out eventually. You can put some sharpie on the back of the blade tang to help break it in. It still gets the occasional stick but its not hard to move it al all. As long as its not near impossoble to unlock id rather have a little stick than none at all.
 
Wash your knife in hot soapy water. Use a detergent like Dawn.
Open and close it repeatedly while submerged in the water.
Rinse the knife with cool, clean water.
Use canned air (keyboard duster) and blow out the excess water.
You don't need to lubricate the knife. The material the washers are made from is self lubricating (Nylatron).
 
EZ Bake said:
I opened/closed mine a few hundred times when I first got it. I wouldn't say mine was gritty, but it certainly wasn't smooth. Once I played with it long enough, I finally took it apart and cleaned/lubed and put it back together. It is very smooth, but not fling-open loose now. I'd say it's perfect.
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Exact same for me.
Cheers
 
give the knife time to break in, the sticky lock will go away, there are ways to make a lock not stick, but I'm not going to post them anymore as I did it for a friends knife this week, and it caused a lock failure, had he not had on kevlar gloves he would be in a world of hurt right now, just open and close the knife a lot and let it break in on its own.
 
I generally allow sufficient time to 'wear-in' the pivot and the Nylatron washers. When the action is smoother, I apply Blue Lube cleaner and work the action several times. After the action is clean and smooth, I apply a small amount of BlueLube and Bobs your Uncle.
 
A.P.F. said:
I generally allow sufficient time to 'wear-in' the pivot and the Nylatron washers. When the action is smoother, I apply Blue Lube cleaner and work the action several times. After the action is clean and smooth, I apply a small amount of BlueLube and Bobs your Uncle.
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So, you use the Blue Lube "cleanser" and then apply the Blue Lube "lubricant?"
I've been looking at these products and was wondering about the "cleanser" and "lubricant." The labels seem self-explanatory but the cleanser is often advertised as a lubricant.
 
Indiana Joe said:
So, you use the Blue Lube "cleanser" and then apply the Blue Lube "lubricant?"
I've been looking at these products and was wondering about the "cleanser" and "lubricant." The labels seem self-explanatory but the cleanser is often advertised as a lubricant.
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Technically, the 'cleanser' evaporates to a 'dry' lube, which is not bad by itself. I'll quote from the bottle:

CLEANS - Removes all foulings and contaminates by better penetration. We use the safest industrial grade solvents and inert additives.

PROTECTS - Provides a thin protective skin to seal out moisture and repel the small amount of contaminates that may remain. Makes for easier repeat cleaning.

LUBRICATES - It's DRY solid base reduces friction and wear. It will not build up, become sticky, freeze, or flash off. It endures the test of time. For best overall performance, use BLUELUBE LUBRICANT.

It also mentions that it prevents wood deterioration and restores the natural look. Biodegradable and ozone safe. (Also great for arthritis and kidney stones) jk

The BLUELUBE products certainly perform as advertised and work the best of anything I have tried. The 'lubricant' definitely improves on the 'cleaner' where smoothness is concerned. From my experience, TriFlo is very good as well.
 
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