kershaw leek lubrication and maintenance questions

B

bobthebob

Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Messages
5
Hi there - I'm a rookie knife guy, i don't have any Sebenza's or Striders or anything like that... But I've been EDC'ing knives for years and years and use them in my work - sometimes quite roughly - almost every day.
i have a few that i rotate through - a Benchmade Volli (great all around knife - very strong), a Spyderco Native5, a Kershaw Blur (which i loved but have lost), and for delicate stuff a Kershaw Leek.

i really loved carrying the Leek quite a bit - it's light and wicked sharp and has great action... or should i say it USED to have great action.

some months ago i lost the Leek and by the time i recovered it it was thoroughly gummed up, wouldn't open and close easily. i decided I'd take it apart and give it a thorough cleaning and lubrication.

unfortunately, i failed to check what kind of lubrication was best beforehand. i cleaned the parts with Goof Off and used a little 3-and-1 oil to put it back together, but it didn't seem to like that all so i took it apart, cleaned it again and tried some graphite lube... but the knife still wouldn't flick open anymore.
i then decided that the problem was that i was tightening the main axis bolt too hard and i tried various different settings, but the ones that worked the best were just way too loose... so i decided to take it apart and start again. looks like there's a lot of gunk in there, so i plan to clean everything with acetone and then use - what? to lubricate it...
FWIW the washers are copper on this knife and the blade and handle are steel.

any links, tips, videos would be welcome, I'd love to get this knife back to proper working order!

ok - thanks for listening to me ramble on!

cheers,
Bennett

PS - is it common to use low strength Loc-tite to secure the axis bolt on a knife so that it doesn't have to get tensioned too much? it seemed like you could then adjust for just the right amount of 'flick' vs blade wobble etc.
 
When i took mine apart to replace the spring i didnt have,any lube either so i used vaseline and that was almost a year and a half ago, still works fine.
 
I have used Breakfree CLP, or mil spec version, since Vietnam, on my guns, tools, knives. You can find it at most sporting goods stores or gun stores. It is not expensive. I buy the gallon size and transfer it into small spray bottles. A gallon last forever.

Here is some info about clean-lube-protect products that may be helpful.

http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html

I'm a Ken Onion fan and like the style and quickness of his LEEK, AND SHALLOT. They are good blades for the bucks, U.S. made too!

You can use locktite if this helps, just a tiny dab will do the trick.
 
If you have any mobile 1 oil laying around, give your pivot area a drop of that! Synthetic lube is great and I use it on my guns and knives alike.

As far as lock tite, the answer is yes, that is common. You should be able to lock tite it and then adjust it where you want it, then let it dry.

Keep us posted!
 
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