ChazzyP
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2014
- Messages
- 8,264
We've all had 'em--knives we love or want to love that aren't quite right one way or another. Especially for those of us who are into folders, there's plenty of things big and little to drive us to distraction--off-center blades, gritty action, lock-stick, blade play, etc, etc, etc. If they come that way new from the maker or dealer, they go back to get fixed (or go back forever). If you bought it here on the Exchange or elsewhere used, then you're faced with working it out with the seller or trying to make it right yourself. Some things are easy, some harder, and some seemingly insoluble. Sometimes, the answer is so simple as to be forehead-slapping--Duh
why didn't I try that first?
I bought my Wilson Combat Eagle on my return from a family vacation in Barcelona last March. I had picked up my second Wilson Combat on that trip at Ganiveteria Roca, a gorgeous, old-school cutlery shop in the Placa del Pi. It was the European edition of the Ultra-Light in cocobolo, marked a little differently from what you buy here from WC, and it followed my CRK StarTac. It immediately re-kindled my interest in the Eagle, I PM'd a bunch with a member here who had one on the Exchange, and bought it on my return home.
The knife was a safe-queen, LNIB, the seller was cordial, upfront, and it was a very good and easy deal. I loved the knife when I got it, but was disappointed in the flipping action. It seemed sluggish and I couldn't get it out without a bit of wrist. I opened it up, cleaned it, and it got a little better, but not much. I tried it dry (no lube as it has Teflon washers), with Nano-Oil, with fluorinated grease, adjusted the pivot many times, polished the bushing and pivot hole, messed with the lock-bar tension, and still couldn't get it right. I wrote to Les George, and he very kindly told me to send it in and he'd see what he could do. The next day, I did something else to it--don't remember what--and it flipped great, so I wrote Les and said no worries, it's ok now, thanks. The next day, of course, it was back to it's old sluggish ways. Grrrr.
RamZar had written glowingly about his Eagle and he told me the knife had to be fully light-switched to flip well and I wore a hole in my finger practicing and it still came out hard and not every time. So I'm thinking, maybe I'll try phosphor-bronze washers, but mostly the knife sat in the drawer and I'd pull it out occasionally to see if it had magically healed.
Last weekend a little light went off and I remembered using TriFlow lubricant years ago and that it contains PTFE, which is Teflon. I bought a can, cleaned every part of the knife thoroughly, lubed the washers on a TriFlow soaked paper towel, and applied some to the bushing, pivot hole, and nearby slab flats with a Q-Tip. I tightened the pivot down all the way, tensioned the blade to center it (it tends toward the presentation side), and tightened the spacer screws. Voila!! It flips great!! Still needs a bit of a light-switch, but not exaggerated, and it comes out smoothly with a nice thwack. Oh joy .
So, if you had one that took some tweaking to get right, be so kind as to share your tale for our enlightenment and amusement. Howja fixit?
And here's my now-happy Wilson Combat family .
I bought my Wilson Combat Eagle on my return from a family vacation in Barcelona last March. I had picked up my second Wilson Combat on that trip at Ganiveteria Roca, a gorgeous, old-school cutlery shop in the Placa del Pi. It was the European edition of the Ultra-Light in cocobolo, marked a little differently from what you buy here from WC, and it followed my CRK StarTac. It immediately re-kindled my interest in the Eagle, I PM'd a bunch with a member here who had one on the Exchange, and bought it on my return home.
The knife was a safe-queen, LNIB, the seller was cordial, upfront, and it was a very good and easy deal. I loved the knife when I got it, but was disappointed in the flipping action. It seemed sluggish and I couldn't get it out without a bit of wrist. I opened it up, cleaned it, and it got a little better, but not much. I tried it dry (no lube as it has Teflon washers), with Nano-Oil, with fluorinated grease, adjusted the pivot many times, polished the bushing and pivot hole, messed with the lock-bar tension, and still couldn't get it right. I wrote to Les George, and he very kindly told me to send it in and he'd see what he could do. The next day, I did something else to it--don't remember what--and it flipped great, so I wrote Les and said no worries, it's ok now, thanks. The next day, of course, it was back to it's old sluggish ways. Grrrr.
RamZar had written glowingly about his Eagle and he told me the knife had to be fully light-switched to flip well and I wore a hole in my finger practicing and it still came out hard and not every time. So I'm thinking, maybe I'll try phosphor-bronze washers, but mostly the knife sat in the drawer and I'd pull it out occasionally to see if it had magically healed.
Last weekend a little light went off and I remembered using TriFlow lubricant years ago and that it contains PTFE, which is Teflon. I bought a can, cleaned every part of the knife thoroughly, lubed the washers on a TriFlow soaked paper towel, and applied some to the bushing, pivot hole, and nearby slab flats with a Q-Tip. I tightened the pivot down all the way, tensioned the blade to center it (it tends toward the presentation side), and tightened the spacer screws. Voila!! It flips great!! Still needs a bit of a light-switch, but not exaggerated, and it comes out smoothly with a nice thwack. Oh joy .
So, if you had one that took some tweaking to get right, be so kind as to share your tale for our enlightenment and amusement. Howja fixit?
And here's my now-happy Wilson Combat family .
