OK nit picking my Rijbak

L

longbow

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Jan 9, 1999
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So I have had this a few days and am liking it. Have not carried anything but this except at work, which is only 4 hrs a day. Well here's what I have found. My pivot screw keeps loosening up on me so you can wrist flick the knife open very very quickly. I don't think that is to good so I have put blue loctite on the screw and we'll see if that helps. I have noticed also that sometimes the action is as smooth as a babies bottom and other times it seems very very gritty. So being the curious sort I finally broke down and took the knife apart. Very simple to do so.

What I found is that they are using bronze washers for busings. Don't know really if that is a good thing or a bad thing as the nitrile and nylon washers normally found at pivots on locking knives like these, well I have never had a problem with any of them. What I did find is that these washers aren't that great of a fit around the pivot of the knife. I also noticed a bit of roughness to the inside edge of one of them also. They are also kind of small in diameter. So rummaged through my parts of crap drawer and found an old EKI GEN I that was disassembled cause basically it sucked. So I was looking at the bronze washers on it and they are tiny bit smaller i.d. but large o.d. so put them in instead. Then I noticed the pocket of the EDI is identical to the RB and it is black but has nicely worn look to it so I replaced pocket clip too.

Knife works even smoother now. No galling feelling when opening it and closing. Also I washed the knife like they said to do in TK's mag. and just wasn't making it. So I put Tetra around the bushings and pivot. I snugged it up a bit more too and so far it seems to be holding. I also noticed that the female pivot that the screw goes into has a flat on the side of it. Almost identical to the EKI pivot set up. Thing is the EKI's have a flat milled into the pivot hole in the scales and the RB doesn't. At least on mine it doesn't so the whole thing will spin around within the frames. Don't know if this is good or bad as of yet but if they put a flat on the female side of the shaft or whatever you want to call it but me thinks there should be a flat milled into one of the frames to keep it stable like on my EKI's. I can't really feel it spinning around indside the frames but I am sure it will want to at some point as it just seems reasonable to do so without anything preventing it from doing so.

So I have found a couple of things to nit pick on the RB. Oh yea it seems like it needs another ball detent when the knife is closed. Defintley shoud have one there. Just feels kind of wierd not to after having my knives like that for so long. So there you have it. Maybe improvements can be made after all. keepem sharp
 
Well I haven't dropped it on the floor to see if the blade comes out when closed but with a wrist flick you can gravity flick the knife pretty easily. I don't know if that is good or bad as the knife is tight when flicked. I am kind of bummed though I'll tell ya that. keepem sharp

PS actually it is a bit harder to gravity drop now but still can be done. It also opens when it hits the ground. keepem sharp
 
Hey lb, sorry to hear you are having some problems. When I first got mine I took it apart and used my Dremel tool to polish the liners, bladetang, and the washers. When I put it back together I used some miltec lube. Since doing so I've not had a single problem with it. Are you saying that the liner doesn't have a detent ball, or is it not engaging? The last 1/4" of closing the blade, does the liner not come over flat against the blade tang? Btw, did you use the thread locker that was in the knife box? I didn't as I've always used the blue loctite. Hope all goes well as you may need to contact their CS department.
 
longbow, I don't think you're nit picking. The blade costs about 2 bills, it should work as it's
supposed to right out of the box. If you want to tweak a knife that works well, OK that's
one thing. But what you're describing? I think Blade Tech should know about it.

My .02
 
I'll let them know for sure. The ball detent engages only when opening the knife at about 3/4 or better in the open position. The blue loctite seems to be doing its job as far as securing the screw like it should. I detect no ball detent for tension on the blade when it is in the closed position. I am kind of bummed actually. Does anyone detect the ball detent when the blade is fully closed? I'll run this by Blade Tech to see what they say. keepem sharp
 
Looks to me like the ball detent just keeps the blade off the frame-lock. I don't see where helps hold the blade shut. I wouldn't have thought such a tight feeling blade would wrist flick, but I just gave it a go and it did. Mine does not feel in the least bit rough when opening and it hasn't had any problems with anything at all loosening.
I don't mind if it can be flicked open, as it seems very tight and is a tip down carry knife. The knife I have that has a blade which will just fall out of the handle is a full sized Benchmade Dejavoo. I really like being able to open a blade like that, myself. The BladeTech is nowhere near as easy as that BM is.
 
I just looked at my ZT0200 and it's ball detent does the same as my Rijbak. It doesn't do anything besides keep the blade from scraping the liner when opened/closed. I can wrist flick it just as easy as the Rijbak. I guess if that ball detent is supposed to seat into a depression and help keep the blade shut, on a liner lock it's been lost on me as it seems my Rijbak stays closed about as well as the rest my liner-locks. As they say ignorance is bliss.
 
I don't know that could be the case I guess. I just had it apart again and cleaned everything really well and put it all back together with just a bit of tetra on surfaces. The washers aren't really tight around the pivot and don't know if that should be like that or not. My 13 I took apart and the nylon washers on it are tighter around the eccentric may be a better word for the pivot bushing. Also the ball on the liner lock sits inside the hole when closed and does the same thing as the RB as for locking it at the 3/4 open position.

I can still gravity open the knife and I just don't think it should be like that but maybe it should be. Operation is smoother for sure since I put on the larger brass washers. I always thought the ball bearing on the lock side was made tokeep the knife closed even if it fell on the floor but could be wrong on that too. Well we'll see how it goes. I do like this knife though. It is just a very well made folder that could use better fitted bushings me thinks, keepem sharp
 
Maybe the ball seating in a hole when 3/4 open is a safety feature, to help prevent the blade closing too suddenly on a person's fingers? A lot of knives have a blade that stops part way closed and I always heard that was the reason.
Most liner locks are tip down carry for the very reason that there's not a lot holding the blade closed. As opposed to say lock-backs. Which are often tip up.
Geez, I just looked at mine again and I see what you mean it seats in the hole right before it opens fully. I don't know why it would be designed that way, but sorry you aren't 100% pleased with yours. I love mine and can't find any flaw with it.
As to opening it with a flick of your wrist that's pretty darn common with any liner-locker. I must have 50 of them and I can flick just about everyone of them and the axis locks as well, the only knives I own that can't be flicked open are lock-backs.
Another thing I'm noticing is that all my knives with heavy blades that are liner-locks seem easy to open with a wrist flick. The Rijbak sure doesn't have a light weight blade. In fact a little dagger like knife I have (BM 875) that also happens to be a ti-frame-lock, with it's light thin blade is harder for me to open with one hand but I can do it.
 
Ok guys. Just got my Rijbak out, and I was already edcing my ZT0200. On both knives, as you close the blade the last 1/4", you should be able to see, and feel the liner come over on the blade tang as the detent ball seats in the hole on the blades tang. This does help to apply pressure on the blade and give opening a little resistance. I just did each knife and both have the detent ball seating upon closure, although the ZT's is more apparent. I tend to keep a tight pivot just because I've never quite trusted those little steel balls to apply a lot of pressure. The tight pivot is why I never noticed that the ball detent was not applying a lot of pressure. I don't really see a problem with it for me, but you still may want to check with Bladetech.
 
I've had a few liner-locking knives open a little in my pocket and was cut twice on my fingers by them. One was a tip up carry knife with a very heavy blade the other a cheap tip down. The Rijbak doesn't seem dangerous at all compared to those two. In fact it seems very safe. At least to me.
I hardly carry anything in my jeans pocket by the clip anymore because, I've ran the clips into things too often in the past, springing them or at least scarring them up. So since I carry blades when hiking and often through thick brush I've went to sheath carry. I just feel better knowing I can go full out and not be worried about losing my knife or bumping into stuff with the clip. So I guess whether a blade will gravity open isn't much of a big deal to me. I rarely carry clipped in my pocket, going up and down hills and all it's just too easy to lose your blade, or at least bang the clip up on brush.
 
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