My sebenza is stiff to open after cleaning

[legato1]

Ive had this senbenza 21 large since 2011 and after cleaning today it gets really stiff when I'm opening it. Its smooth until the blade reaches 90 degrees and then it kind of hangs up and i have to use two hands or change my grip to open it. Its only when I'm using the thumb stud if i grip the blade between two fingers and open it and close it, it is smooth but when i try to use the stud it doesn't want to open. I polished the washers and used quick release for lube. Never had this problem before, very confused.

 

[kwazyjuice]

Take apart and reassemble. Sounds like a pinched washer

 

[joeC76]

How what position was the blade in when you inserted the pivot pin? I am new to sebenzas and when I took mine apart and put it back together for the first time I put the pin back in when the blade was fully open and it did this same thing.

 

[legato1]

It was the pinched washer, good call. There is a small indentation where the bushing contacted the washer now, is that gonna be the issue?

 

[nyefmaker]

Yep, the classic tell tail sign of the good ole Pinched Washer.....!!!

 

[Tripton]

Seriously...the ONLY way to properly reassemble a Sebenza is by sliding the blade/washers/bushing assembly into the assembled handles.


Takes the possibility of a pinched washer out of the equation.

 

[Ernie1980]

^^^^ very true! I learned this the hard way after many times reassembling my knives after discovering pinched washers or off center blades after cleaning.

 

[Mad_Maxx]

happened to me once too, now I on ly assemple them the correct way, not the way you assemble all other folders

 

[Don M]

Seriously...the ONLY way to properly reassemble a Sebenza is by sliding the blade/washers/bushing assembly into the assembled handles.

This is the only way I have ever done it, and I have never had a pinched washer or off center blade. The instructions on the CRK web site show it being done this way as well.

http://chrisreeve.com/Sebenza-Assembly

 

[Tripton]

This is the only way I have ever done it, and I have never had a pinched washer or off center blade. The instructions on the CRK web site show it being done this way as well.

http://chrisreeve.com/Sebenza-Assembly

Great link! I am glad they put that on their site.


I am a little surprised that they don't show CRK grease during assembly, though.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

Seriously...the ONLY way to properly reassemble a Sebenza is by sliding the blade/washers/bushing assembly into the assembled handles.


Takes the possibility of a pinched washer out of the equation.

This is the best way, it takes all the possibility of pinching the washer, one of the problems of such right tolerances is that there is little room for error when reassembly.

 

[nyefmaker]

If not the infamous " pinched washer ", here are a few other possibilities. On some sebenzas, you can tighten the blade pivot screws down tight and the blade will be fine. On others, you just need to slightly snug them and the blade will move fine, on these few, tightening down tight, will make the blade very tight. If you backed it off a tad and its still tight, Open the blade and close it until its almost closed. Look for the detent hole ( on the lockbar side where the lock engages the blade ) and put a drop of CRK oil in it ( the detent hole ). This will oil the detent ball and make it much smoother. I have come across this a time or to and it has worked perfectly.