Kershaw Leek DISASSEMBLED (Speed-Safe)

I noticed that if you tightened the pivot screw down just enough to 'hold on', the blade will hang up.

How tight do that come from the factory?

Are you supposed to tighten it up just until you feel a little resistance then fix it in place with locktite blue (or perhaps even red??)

Thanks in advance for anyone who knows....
 
gdavis9999 said:
I noticed that if you tightened the pivot screw down just enough to 'hold on', the blade will hang up.

How tight do that come from the factory?

Are you supposed to tighten it up just until you feel a little resistance then fix it in place with locktite blue (or perhaps even red??)

Thanks in advance for anyone who knows....
Click to expand...

When I took apart my Chive and Leek the pivot screw came off with light finger pressure, exact poundage I have no idea about.

When I put the pivot screw back in I will tighten it untill the speed-safe will not kick the blade all the way open, then I will unscrew it a couple milimeters to where it is tight but will still open all the way on it's own. I ONLY loctite my pocket clip screws, I've never had any other problem besides losing the clip screws and clip itself. Hope that helps.

Do not use red loctite, if you ever need to get the screws back out you'll strip them all to hell. Use blue if ANY.
 
Still got a problem with the pivot screw. If I tighten it down just enough to stay there, the knife will bind.

I checked all the internals, even took out some of the grease (I agree, overkill).

How tight is the Pivot screw on your leek. Here is my letter to Kershaw:

=============
Hello Craig, we have spoken on the Blade Forums.

I have a new Kershaw Leek and the pivot screw was loose (about to fall out). I used a Torx 8 and adjusted it back in. The problem is if the screw has even just enough tension to hold it in place, the knife will bind and not flip open as it should with Speed-Safe.

I also noticed the back of the pivot screw seems to be press-fitted into the handle (under the clip). Is the back side of the pivot screw (disk) supposed to turn when adjusting the screw?

Please let me know how to adjust the pivot so it's still held in place and will not fall out, and the knife will still function properly. Thank you. Greg
 
Greg, use the blue loctite (not the red). The trick is to tighten the pivot screw just enough so that the torsion bar works freely and there's no side to side wobble. Let the Loctite set and you're ready to go.
 
If the 3 frame screws are too tight it WILL also effect the blade opening. Loosen up the 3 frame screws by say 1 to 2 milimeters (still tight but not torqued majorly), then put the pivot screw in untill it stops then back that off by less than a milimeter, it will snap open UNLESS the internals are slightly messed up and this is possible because it's happened to me. Try to loosen the frame screws, then if that doesn't work take it apart again and check to make SURE the internals are in the right order.
 
Thanks for the link.
I really wish they'd come with another spring design. I already replaced three torsion bars at my Chive (that's why I seldom carry it anymore). :(
 
gdavis9999 said:
Did your bar break or just loose it's 'spring' ???
Click to expand...
All are broken, though not in two separate pieces. :( There is a visible deep crack where the maximum curvature is. I didn't count, but it seems to me that a spring lasts for less than 500 openings (and closings, of course). That's a bummer, I really used to like the little Chive.
 
Guys, I know this thread is way old but I ran across it accidentally and thought I would post a reply.
I used to carry this knife a lot. I have since moved on to carrying a newer kershaw that has 0 mechanical parts to fail. But I still have this knife and carry it when I want something a little less obtrusive to the average person.
since I makje weapons for a living I tend to take everything apart to see what genious there is in some of these mechanisms.
In any case, there are a few secrets to the speed safe reassembly.

First off if you have a broken torsion bar just email Kershaw your mailing details and they will send you a torsion bar for free!! Tell themk your model number and how much you love your little knife. Just don't tell them you bought the knife 10- years ago. They are pretty quick about it too- I got mine in less than three business days.

Second, if your knifes action isn't what it used to be but your spring isn't broken you can adjust it!

disassemble the knife as shown in the previous portions of this thread. Examine the torsion bar for cracks. It is a waste of time to adust the torsion bar if the bar is broken.
Adjustment: On the deep bend take a pair of channel locks and a pair of needle nose pliers and hold the spring as close as you can in the bend with your tools. Bend the spring ever so slightly out(away from the front). Yes it is a spring and it "should" return to it's original shape. However over a period of use the spring loses it's temper through internal heat build up. If you are like I am you probably sit and play with the thing mindlessly this create internal heat on the spring and thusly it loses it's spring tempering.

Anyone who knows what a spring does knows that if a spring sits coiled for a long time it will tend to keep that shape over time. This one is no different.
These factors in mind it is possible to ever so slightly bend the spring back into shape. Do not over do it or you will break it!

Third: Assembly secrets:

use a light synthetic gun OIL inside the spring chamber do not use grease! Too much lube causes friction and will slow the action of the knife. A good synthetic oil will last a long time and is less likely to attract dirt and grime like grease will(dirt and grit will also destroy the spring over time). Light syn grease on the pivot pin is ok but not too much. I use a qtip for application and it doesn't take but a smudge of this on the bushings. Be sure to apply inside and outside the brass/copper bushings.

Next YES do use the blue thread locker.

When you reassmble your knife after cleaning or replacing the spring tighten the frame screws from back to front of the knife. the beauty of this design and it's parts is that the plastic busing that is used on the bottom of the frame also acts like a lock washer of sorts. It uses the tension of the frame created by the torsion bar to hold the screws in place(note this when you disassemble the knife slowly to see if I speak the truth). I doubt Ken had this in mind when he created this design so if he ever reads this he will know the genius of accidental creation.

Only tighten the pivot screw tight just enough to take up the side to side play in the blade (use thread locker before your tighten the screw).

Next return back to the last screw from the back of the knife frame and tighten slightly, also using threadlocker on these screws as well.

Hold the knife up to the light so you can see light between the gap of the frame and the plastic bushing. Gently tighten the screws down from back to front until the light just disappears. thge front screws should be a touch looser than the rear ones. This keeps the frame screws from being too tight in the front and pinching the blade thusly slowing down the action of the blade opening. This is perfect tension on the screws.
The tension created by the spring in the knife frame coupled with the thread locker will keep those pesky 6T screws from coming out and you will have perfect tension on those screws.

Hope this helps.
 
Greg, very nice pics!

As for the torsion bar cavity, you only need a very small bit of grease in there. It's not there so much for lubrication, but to also keep the torsion bar from rattling.

I'd appreciate it if you would post a link to your pictures in the Kershaw sub-forum. There are a lot of people there that have never seen the insides and are hesitant to open them up due to the "complexity" of SpeedSafe.

Again, very nice pics and write up! :thumbup:

EDIT: Greg, you are spot on on how to adjust the pivot screw. I have used this method since I got my first SpeedSafe. However, I have found that the handle screws do not effect the performance of the SpeedSafe. Tighten em down! They can be adjusted for blade centering if you wish.

As for the problem of the pivot spinning when trying to remove the screw, there are several ways to overcome this. You can use a little piece of rubberband, and either hold it tightly against the pivot, or remove the clip, place it against the pivot, and reattach the clip. Another way is to open the blade, and apply enough lateral pressure to the blade to put the pivot in a bind. It doesn't take a lot of pressure at all. This has always worked for me. The third most common method, and I haven't tried this, is to apply heat to the back of the pivot via a soldering gun. The heat will soften the loctite enough to allow the screw to be removed.

On another note, Kershaw has tested their torsion bars to 10,000 openings. But like everything mechanical, they will fail. If you contact Kershaw for a replacement, don't be surprised if they send you two or three of them. And they're free, along with any other parts (except the blade) that you might need, including pocket clips.
 
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