My new 21 large micarta is too stiff (long post)

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Socom Elite said:
I am starting to think they are slipping in the QC department. Also "flawless in every other respect" is not true. At least not in mine.
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My statement in its very nature and context was referring to my knives and my knives alone.
 
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BBQ BOY said:
I know. I was just having some fun. Send it into Chris.
Try sanding the washers down a little with 1000 grits sandpaper. Just rub the washer across the paper a bit.
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This is all it needs, the pivot needs a little help breaking in. Knock down a little of the washers with 1000 or 2000 grit both sides and both washers.... That will slick your action up and take some of that pressure off the pivot. :)

Thats all CRK is going to do, but it's going to cost you $25 in shipping :cool:
 
BBQ BOY said:
I know. I was just having some fun. Send it into Chris.
Try sanding the washers down a little with 1000 grits sandpaper. Just rub the washer across the paper a bit.
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If you try this remember that moderation is the key, I got a little excited with the sandpaper once, and in the end made it alot worse and ended up sending it in anyways, so go slow with the sandpaper.
 
GarrettWeidman said:
If you try this remember that moderation is the key, I got a little excited with the sandpaper once, and in the end made it alot worse and ended up sending it in anyways, so go slow with the sandpaper.
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Yes, slow and very high grits :)

Fit the blade every few minutes, see if it's in that sweet spot, you don't want to take too much off. If you do then you will be sanding the bushing or sending it in :(
 
I wonder if there is a correspondence between the new perforated washers and the stiffness. I know that it shouldn't make a difference in the action but it seems that every sebenza i have had with the old washers is smoother, could just be coincidence though, any thoughts?
 
GarrettWeidman said:
I wonder if there is a correspondence between the new perforated washers and the stiffness. I know that it shouldn't make a difference in the action but it seems that every sebenza i have had with the old washers is smoother, could just be coincidence though, any thoughts?
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I have one with perforated washers and it's smooth.
 
Call me a hardass, but if I buy a $400 knife, the very last thing I should have to do is take sandpaper to the washers to make it as smooth as another one I got. Totally unacceptable for a company where QC and tight tolerances are their claim to fame.
 
Medic1210 said:
Call me a hardass, but if I buy a $400 knife, the very last thing I should have to do is take sandpaper to the washers to make it as smooth as another one I got. Totally unacceptable for a company where QC and tight tolerances are their claim to fame.
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I agree. I hesitate to modify my sebenza, but if polishing a washer on some paper will fix it, I may give it a try. I could also switch the washers out of another to see if that works.
 
My large classic sebenza started to get to the point where it was getting hard to open... all it needed was some lube in it. I put some of the Synthetic ATF fluid in between the blade and washer and now it is seriously one of the smoothest opening knives I have. Yup... be very careful sanding those washers down. Use broken in 2000 grit.. and even then remember that the washer are really soft and a lot of metal will come off with even 2000 grit. Just make a couple of passes on each side and keep putting it back together until its good.

Or.... send it back to CRK and have it fixed. <---- I would do this.
 
kmj153 said:
I agree. I hesitate to modify my sebenza, but if polishing a washer on some paper will fix it, I may give it a try. I could also switch the washers out of another to see if that works.
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You could... but I wouldn't. The washer/ blade/ spacer are all matched perfectly for each sebenza. A new washer might be wayyyy... too loose or tight.. but I guess it couldn't hurt to try it out.. if it doesn't work it doesn't work.
 
I Have Flat Sanded The Washer's In CRK's More Than I Time & It Solved The Problem Everytime. The One's I Have Dealt With Appeared To Be A Little Warped. I Flat Sanded Them On The Kitchen Table...........
I Would Not Hesitate To Polish A CRK Washer On Any Of My Knives..........
And Yes I Know Its Not A Recommend Repair, But It Works.........
 
I wonder if the stiffness is a function of age after manufacture? Perhaps sitting on the shelf reduces the effectiveness of the assembly lube or something. Are these brand new stiff knives coming from CRK or from dealers who may have had them in stock for some time.

I've seen no degradation (I'll not discuss "Idaho made" here) in the quality of their products from my first small inlaid to my most recent damascus blade added to an existing small standard.

On a couple of occasions I have used 1000 grit emery paper to polish the washers on one or the other of my Sebbies - please note, I said polish, not sand down.

I would imagine they at least open and close their folders before putting them in the box so anything as nasty as the one that started this thread is unlikely to have come from the factory like that.
 
Any CRK I had that was slightly stiff was fixed by taking it down, washing everything in some sightly soapy water, and reassembling with a bit of grease.

I would not recommend sanding or making alterations to the knife.
 
RICKSTER said:
I Have Flat Sanded The Washer's In CRK's More Than I Time & It Solved The Problem Everytime. The One's I Have Dealt With Appeared To Be A Little Warped. I Flat Sanded Them On The Kitchen Table...........
I Would Not Hesitate To Polish A CRK Washer On Any Of My Knives..........
And Yes I Know Its Not A Recommend Repair, But It Works.........
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+1

Plus the knife is never at the risk of being lost, and you would also saving $30 on shipping! :)
 
I had a similar issue with a small 21. Had to open and close it over 2,000 times and it's just now more manageable. I just attributed it to break-in, but maybe it came with a pinched washer too. I've been avoiding this, but looks like I may have to dissasemble the knife to check it out. I know I've read about how easy it is to do, but if something can get screwed up, I'm usually the guy to do that.

-- Steve
 
I will dissasemble and clean it first. Any recommendations on grease if I don't have CRK grease?
 
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