How often do you take the sebenza apart.

[marthinus]

When required I clean the pivot area with either a hose, or some warm water and dish washing liquid. Ad some fine sowing machine oil and good to go. Take it apart....mmmmm.... once a year maybe 2.

 

[brownshoe]

"Nonsense, I and many others have used many different lubrication mediums than the CRK grease with zero problems over literally years."

Excuse me, but you may think it is nonsense, but that's what CRK states. I was just repeating what I was told. I know very well, as does anyone else who reads this forum, that many people do not use the CRK lube.

The study of lubricaton is a whole field, called tribology. I find it kind of funny that people pay big bucks for a knife, but then don't follow the advice of the manufacturer when it comes to ~$10 for lubrication. I wonder if the same person ignores the lubrication specifications for their car's transmission, engine, etc. I know an engineer who thought he new better than Ford...his wife certainly didn't appreciate the blown engine. Trouble with the guy was he was an electrical engineer

 

[Haze]

A knife is not an engine, gear box or wheel bearing so I don't really see the comparison, but please do explain to me how using different lubrications is going to have a detrimental affect on a knife ? That is what you're suggesting with your analogy I presume ?

"Nonsense, I and many others have used many different lubrication mediums than the CRK grease with zero problems over literally years."

Excuse me, but you may think it is nonsense, but that's what CRK states. I was just repeating what I was told. I know very well, as does anyone else who reads this forum, that many people do not use the CRK lube.

The study of lubricaton is a whole field, called tribology. I find it kind of funny that people pay big bucks for a knife, but then don't follow the advice of the manufacturer when it comes to ~$10 for lubrication. I wonder if the same person ignores the lubrication specifications for their car's transmission, engine, etc. I know an engineer who thought he new better than Ford...his wife certainly didn't appreciate the blown engine. Trouble with the guy was he was an electrical engineer

 

[CrimsonTideShooter]

A knife is not an engine, gear box or wheel bearing so I don't really see the comparison, but please do explain to me how using different lubrications is going to have a detrimental affect on a knife ? That is what you're suggesting with your analogy I presume ?

He was presenting one hell of a straw man argument. Transmissions and gear boxes have nothing to do with knives. They both need lube to some extent, but the similarities end there. I too would like to hear the explanation.

 

[brownshoe]

Hey, Hazey calls it nonsense, but it's what the manufacturer recommends, and it's not expensive. Why not use the right lube?

With knives, the type of lube is important. If you flip a bali, you may love Mil-tech. Benchmade used to suggest Tri-flow, now Mil-tec, and guess what...Mil-tech is better. If you use a slipjoint, a light oil, such as mineral oil is best given the metal/brass contact surface. Mil-tech can be too viscous and you couldn't even get lithium grease into the cracks to lube. Oil also protects from rust. If you always sharpen your carbon steel slipjoints using honing oil (a light oil that penetrates easily) you find you get very little rust. But if you use the sharpmaker, no oil, you need to regularly oil your blades. Unlike a sebenza, my Bob Terzuola frame lock ATCF is designed never to be lubricated. Bob recommends just blowing out the knife and if really sticky, washing it in hot soapy water. Oiling, and god help ya using grease, will attract dirt and lint and gum up the works. I've been using the blade for 4 years w/o oil.

However, this is the sebenza thread. Per Customer service, grease is best. I don't know exactly why, but I'd bet it's due to wide open space between the handle slab and blade, plus the operation of the pivot and the "holy" washers. CRK customer service told me the yearly lube and the grease helps stop corrosion in the pivot area. Remember its "stainless" not "rust proof."

Ooohwee..."strawman argument"...must be a college boy. The principles of tribology that govern knife lube also apply to cars. If you put light oil in an engine and it needs heavy, you'll get more wear. Just like in a knife. If you put too heavy of an oil in your car it will take more force to operate (wich creates more heat) and maybe sieze up, just like in a knife. With a sebenza if you use the wrong lubricant, you can take it apart and clean it; with a car, sure its more dramatic, but its the same priciples of tribology at work.

 

[Haze]

So in a round about way you're saying you don't know.

I also didn't call CRKs recommendations nonsense. I was refering to your statement that not using any other lube becaue of a pivot/washer design as nonsense. Ones knife will not simply stop working if one uses Tuff-Glide over fluorinated grease. That knife will not see excessive or unusual wear even when not lubed at all. So saying that...."Of course, don't use anything other than the CRK lube, since that's what the pivot/washer system is designed for.".... is nonsense.
You also went on to give an analogy that resulted in catastrophic failure of a cumbustion engine as though you were implying that is what would happen to the knife. That's the problem with poor analogies they tend to be rather poor representations of the subject at hand.

Hey, Hazey calls it nonsense, but it's what the manufacturer recommends, and it's not expensive. Why not use the right lube?

With knives, the type of lube is important. If you flip a bali, you may love Mil-tech. Benchmade used to suggest Tri-flow, now Mil-tec, and guess what...Mil-tech is better. If you use a slipjoint, a light oil, such as mineral oil is best given the metal/brass contact surface. Mil-tech can be too viscous and you couldn't even get lithium grease into the cracks to lube. Oil also protects from rust. If you always sharpen your carbon steel slipjoints using honing oil (a light oil that penetrates easily) you find you get very little rust. But if you use the sharpmaker, no oil, you need to regularly oil your blades. Unlike a sebenza, my Bob Terzuola frame lock ATCF is designed never to be lubricated. Bob recommends just blowing out the knife and if really sticky, washing it in hot soapy water. Oiling, and god help ya using grease, will attract dirt and lint and gum up the works. I've been using the blade for 4 years w/o oil.

However, this is the sebenza thread. Per Customer service, grease is best. I don't know exactly why, but I'd bet it's due to wide open space between the handle slab and blade, plus the operation of the pivot and the "holy" washers. CRK customer service told me the yearly lube and the grease helps stop corrosion in the pivot area. Remember its "stainless" not "rust proof."

Ooohwee..."strawman argument"...must be a college boy. The principles of tribology that govern knife lube also apply to cars. If you put light oil in an engine and it needs heavy, you'll get more wear. Just like in a knife. If you put too heavy of an oil in your car it will take more force to operate (wich creates more heat) and maybe sieze up, just like in a knife. With a sebenza if you use the wrong lubricant, you can take it apart and clean it; with a car, sure its more dramatic, but its the same priciples of tribology at work.

 

[brownshoe]

Haze, I am not sure of what you are sure of that I don't know. I do know what I first said, that CRK recommends to use only their lube, is true. Read my first post, I never said that the grease was the only thing to use, I stated that CRK says that the lube is the only thing to use. In my second post I stated "I know very well, as does anyone else who reads this forum, that many people do not use the CRK lube."

I would never tell someone not to use 3in1 oil on their sebenza, but I will tell them that it is not recommended by the manufacturer. Just like I would never tell someone they are OCD about cleaning their sebenza, but I would tell them that CRK says if it gets dirty or gummy you don't have to take it apart. You can clean it with soapy water, a good rinse and a blow out with compressed air. CRK says at least every year do a take down, clean and relube with GREASE. That ain't me Haze, that's CRK.


Sorry you didn't like my analogy. I was more comparing the person who believes they are an expert, and thus decides not to follow manufacturer's advice, and does harm to the equipment. Using a waxy lubricant in some knives will result in a build up of the wax that can render a knife unuseable...per past reports on this forum. Using too light of an oil can result in extra wear in a system designed for a heavy lubricant...like grease. Whether or not using too light of a lubricant can lead to premature failure in your knife or less than optimum performance, that's for CRK to tell you...but then they do

Edited to Add:

I found one CRK reference on the topic. In the cleaning sticky at the top of the forum "Concerning lubricants – we absolutely recommend our Fluorinated Grease. This is not because we want to sell more of it but because it fits best with our tolerances. Other types are either to thin and they dissipate too readily or they are too thick and offer too much resistance."