Removing a detent ball from a blade...

Hairlesstwinkie

Hairlesstwinkie

Joined
Feb 4, 2013
Messages
1,562
Well... I have a detent ball stuck inside a blade detent hole. The hole is only drilled to one side, so I can't reach through from the other side to punch it out. Any suggestions? to make things worse, it's a ceramic detent ball...
 
Did you try and hit it with a center punch. Ceramic is hard but will shatter if dropped like a ceramic blade, spyderco stones etc. ?
 
Lightly heat the blade.
Hot to touch but not enough to change the temper.
Steel will expand,followed with a light tapping.
 
I'll try both methods out. Thanks.

Regarding heating water. should I just dip it in boiling water for a few seconds or longer?
 
Crack pipe torch.

Cigarette lighter.

Flame around the area.
A few seconds with the crack pipe torch.
Or the burner on a stove.
Heat.. ball side down. Smack it
 
heat the blade then apply ice to the ball? or freeze the knife for a while (freezer, water, isoprolyl) to chill the ball, then point heat the knife with something like a soldering gun?

another idea would be to sandwich the blade between two large pieces of wood, so that the ball is exposed. then use the wood as a handle to strike downward, with the ball facing down, impacting on the wood, not the ball or blade (make sense?) this might allow you to use the momentum to pop the ball free, like a kinetic bullet puller.
 
gadgetgeek said:
heat the blade then apply ice to the ball? or freeze the knife for a while (freezer, water, isoprolyl) to chill the ball, then point heat the knife with something like a soldering gun?

another idea would be to sandwich the blade between two large pieces of wood, so that the ball is exposed. then use the wood as a handle to strike downward, with the ball facing down, impacting on the wood, not the ball or blade (make sense?) this might allow you to use the momentum to pop the ball free, like a kinetic bullet puller.
Click to expand...

I'm in the process of trying out the first.

I've already tried the latter... it's not coming out though that.
 
You can try to make ball smaller using acid. It should "eat" carbon steel ball more than stainless frame.
Works with titanium.
 
You can try an engraver. Like a mini needle gun on rust.

Try to break up the ball
 
Ice didn't work....

I don't have an engraver, and I don't think I have anything harder than ceramic that can break it.
 
Hairlesstwinkie said:
Ice didn't work....

I don't have an engraver, and I don't think I have anything harder than ceramic that can break it.
Click to expand...
Like I mentioned before, you can break ceramic by dropping it. Since it is so hard it does not take shock well. Diamonds are harder then ceramic and can get chipped if hit against something not as hard. If you are looking for something harder you need a diamond. It needs to be shocked to break or shatter it. Drop a ceramic plate on the floor. It shatters.
 
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I took one of the diamond carbides out of my Accusharp and shattered the ball with it. I had almost forgot that I had that diamond sharpener. It was messy, but it got taken care of
 
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