Kershaw Salvo problem

mwhich50

mwhich50

Joined
Jan 18, 2011
Messages
3,236
I really love my Kershaw Salvo. The fit and finish are incredible for such a reasonably priced knife. Despite having it almost a year it still has a bad sticking problem at the beginning of thumbstud deployment. Once the blade gets past that first millimeter or so it flys open. I tore a thumbstud size hole in my thumb last week when I was practicing emergency deployment! What gives?? It seems to loosen some while doing multiple openings but freezes back up a couple of hours or days later. There is a little ball bearing inside the framelock that is probaly the culprit. Any help would be appreciated.:(
 
Yeah sounds like there is something gummed up in there or something, what have you been using for lube on the pivots? If you are good with mechanics and knives you might consider opening it up and cleaning it out, lubing it, then putting it back together.
 
I would suggest a teardown and cleanup. A member here or Kershaw would clean it up for you for free if you requested. The little ball bearing is in a fixed position on these knives. It serves as a detent to keep the knife shut and act as a small contact point against the blade rather than the whole liner while opening. This ball wears down and causes a lot if grinding and friction. I would take your knife down, Polish the ball, clean the gunk out, and lube up/rebuild the knife. That should fix your problem.
 
My damascus barrage/salvo flies open after I replaced the washers and lubed it. I can't say for sure that I've had the same sticking problem like you have. It definitely seems that the detent ball or the detent itself might be the culprit here. What do you use to lubricate your knives? I forget the term, but many types of lube tend to "sleep" and revert to a sticky, less viscous state if left to sit for a while. Kinda like how ketchup is easier to pour after you shake the bottle.
 
I just use regular gun oil to lube. It doesn't seem to make much of difference after I put in a drop. I haven't had similar problems with my other folders. The thumbstud is really close to the frame, that doesn't help either. I heard from a youtuber that the washers are not bronze. I haven't seen any metal shavings in the oil. Thanks for the input!
 
mwhich50 said:
I really love my Kershaw Salvo. The fit and finish are incredible for such a reasonably priced knife. Despite having it almost a year it still has a bad sticking problem at the beginning of thumbstud deployment. Once the blade gets past that first millimeter or so it flys open. I tore a thumbstud size hole in my thumb last week when I was practicing emergency deployment! What gives?? It seems to loosen some while doing multiple openings but freezes back up a couple of hours or days later. There is a little ball bearing inside the framelock that is probaly the culprit. Any help would be appreciated.:(
Click to expand...

Push straight up on the thumbstud instead of out. You should be able to get consistent deployment with that method. (Sounds like a slight tweak in technique) If there is a problem, everybody else's responses should work to fix any similar issue. :)
 
Pushing straight up @ 6 o'clock does help some, but I still get stuck about every 10th deployment. I am getting a dremel this Xmas. I will probably file down the sharp edges on the thumbstud so at least I will not get cut in the future. I will probably have it looked by my local knife collector/dealer. Thanks.
 
I would definitely consider sending it in to Kershaw for maintenance

Maybe if they can't get it to spec, they'll send you a new one!
 
It is just dirty. A friend of mine had this same knife and stopped by the other day. It was almost impossible to open with the thumb stud. I took it apart, cleaned it up and put a few drops of lube on it. It is smooth as silk.
 
I just got a new Salvo/Barrage this evening and am experiencing the exact same problem. It looks like the frame lock is keeping the ballbearing in the detent pretty tight. I'm not quite sure how to fix it other than let it wear down with use....
 
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