I'm an idiot. (Loosening a pinned knife?)

[Minibear464]

I think I read about this once, at least I really hope so, but my searches haven't really found much. Is there a way to loosen up a pinned knife? Because someone was an idiot and was too hammer-happy (me).

 

[12345678910]

You're talking a bout a slipjoint ?

Drive a wedge in the gap

 

[SBuzek]

Welcome to the club. Put it in a small vise aroud the center pin.Then insert screwdriver just behind the blade and turn gently.Then with the blade closed,do the same at the front of the knife.
Hopefully this will do the trick if you just over tightend the pin,if you hit it too hard and upset the pin in the blade hole you may have to drill it out and do it again.

Stan

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

First, clean the joint and then re-oil well. Cycle the blade 30 times and see if it loosens up any.

If not, set a #11 X-acto blade in the joint of the knife with the blade open. Close the blade in such a way that you "wedge" the scalpel blade in the joint. Breaking off the first 1/4" of the scalpel blade makes this work easier. This should push the joint open a bit. Do it on both sides a few times until the knife moves better. Cycle the blade several times to decide if it is OK before deciding if it needs to be looser.

If the pin actually got thicker by over hammering ( upsetting) then it has to be removed and replaced.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

First, clean the joint and then re-oil well. Cycle the blade 30 times and see if it loosens up any.

If not, set a #11 X-acto blade in the joint of the knife with the blade open. Close the blade in such a way that you "wedge" the scalpel blade in the joint. Breaking off the first 1/4" of the scalpel blade makes this work easier. This should push the joint open a bit. Do it on both sides a few times until the knife moves better. Cycle the blade several times to decide if it is OK before deciding if it needs to be looser.

If the pin actually got thicker by over hammering ( upsetting) then it has to be removed and replaced.

 

[Minibear464]

Well, I tried twisting a screwdriver in there, and it did loosen up some. Not perfect, but at least I can open it with one hand now! Still trying more militec and seeing if it will help. Also, I'm having a hard time imagining the xacto blade method... closing it so that the blade is wedged?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Put the sharp edge of the X-acto blade up against the blade/ liner joint. Close the knife blade so the X-acto blade gets caught in the joint as the ricasso comes across it. The harder you close the knife blade, the more the X-acto blade wedges the blade away from the liner...thus stretching out the pin a bit. It is basically that same as the screwdriver trick, but much gentler and applies the pressure directly against the pin.