new mini commander problem?

[waynejitsu]

i just recieved my "left hand" mini commander today. the blade is hard to open and close(compared to what i am used to..., benchmade), there is a squeeking noise when you open or close it, like metal scrubbing. i treated it with militec-1, but to my amazement, no improvement. militec-1 it worked for everything else, tools, knives, guns, locks, etc. i then tried white lightning, still no improvement. this is my first emerson knife. are the rest of emersons like this? if this is the performance i can expect, this is my last purchase. i also tried adjusting the pivot screw, which did make the blade easier to open, but then the blade wobbles, i slowly tried adjusting it and there seems to be no happy medium, it's either tight or there is blade wobble. i have had $10 knives perform like this, that is why i strted buying better brand name knives. this seems like what i had 10 years ago...

 

[longbow]

You probably are going to have to disassemble the knife. When you do this you are going to have to clean everything and then use your lubricant of choise on the pivot. It should work much better after that. Don't worry about disassembly either as it is allowed with theknife. Also as for the pivot adj. try green or blue lcotite or teflon tape on the screw. Once set to where you want it it should stay. Keep'em sharp

 

[SpelAtHome]

Keep it easy, WJ, it's probably not as bad as you think.

I've never had an Emerson that was smooth from the very beginning. You just have to use the knife and it will become easier to open and close. Be aware that it can take let's say 100-200 openings and closings. After that it should be fine. There is absolutely no need to dis-assemble the knife already, unless for example the blade rubs one of the liners. In that case you might be able to make some small adjustments. So the only thing you will have to do right now is open-close-open-close-open-close... And give it a small amount of lubricant in between. Even the little instructions leaflet coming with the knife says that upon initial use, you will notice that it is tight. It just needs some breaking in.

BTW. You probably have the hard chrome finish and not the black T? If true, then that is the reason it is squeeking. I own a mini-commander SF myself, which is squeeking and to be honest, I have not seen any other mini-comm SF which didn't. But it doesn't bother me at all.

 

[waynejitsu]

mine does have the black coating. i disassembled the knife this weekend, polished the metal parts with 400 grit stones, then 600, then polished with 1000 grit(liners, washers/spacers). i adjusted the "spring" .006" which made the blade a little looser(not wobble loose, but less friction when opening) i then treated all moving parts with militec-1 for 1 hour at 150 degrees. assembled the knife. opened and closed about 1,000 times. it is now the way it should have arrived, although the "squeek" is still there. i can not imagine why it does this, especially after all the "smothing out", breaking in and oil treatment. IMO, a LOT of work for a new custom ordered knife...