Sanding inside of Delica 4 scale to reduce blade rub when opening?

E

edgecentricity

Joined
Feb 10, 2018
Messages
90
So I've got a a Delica 4, and notice that the blade gets pushed toward, and rubs against, the inside of of the clip-side scale from the pressure my thumb exerts when opening the knife. I've played around with the lock bar and pivot screw tension, even trying the hold-the-blade-to-one-side-while-tightening-the-pivot-screw trick that seems to work with off-center frame locks... but no luck.

I also tried adding a thin, extra washer to the pivot to create more snugness, but that interfered too much with the opening action.

Other than getting used to it or seeing if it goes away, what do you all think about lightly sanding the inside of the scale to keep it a bit further away from the blade? I can't foresee any problems with doing so, but am curious if you guys have any thoughts about it.

Cheers
 
No need to add bushings.
All you need to do is scrape the inside of the
scale near the pivot area...

The outer edge that is contacting the blade.
 
uxo2 said:
No need to add bushings.
All you need to do is scrape the inside of the
scale near the pivot area...

The outer edge that is contacting the blade.
Click to expand...

That's kind of what I was thinking. Looks like that's where most of the rubbing occurs, but also near the tip of the blade, which gets pushed over to the side when I open the knife. I'll give it a try -- thanks!
 
Any chance of sending it to Spyderco in Golden ?
Would they do it for him ?
 
I don’t have Delica, but plenty of Endura. How hard do you press own into the hole when opening? My Endura flexed a little but never rubbing on normal operations. If pivot tightness doesn’t prevent blade rubbing the handle, I’d recommend sending it in with clear explanations. If possible, call them first so they are aware.

Sanding it might help the blade not getting marks, but the rubbing itself doesn’t get fixed, which I think a warranty issue.

ETA: if you have modded it, then disassemble and check for liner being really flat. Sometimes it is not 100% flat.
 
Disassemble the knife and flatten the liners:

Find a surface that's close flat, lay the liner down, hold one end down, and tap the other to see if it's flat. Bend it which it anchored in a vise if it's convex relative to the flat surface. Flip the liner and repeat. Do the opposite liner.

When you reassemble the knife, tighten all body screws down, and adjust pivot to a bit beyond the point where you can fell horizontal blade play (hold handle right behind pivot, grab tip, and move side to side). If all the parts are playing as they should be you'll have a centered blade with a blade that's deployable with thumb. It may or may not be flickable.

Test for blade rub at this point. I've just tried out a few delicas (old and broken in to new and stiff) to see if I could push the blade into the liner. It will rub in a minor way with a good amount of force directly toward the opposite scale.

If it's still rubbing there are a few things you could do like convex the rub liner relative to the scale and concave the near liner relative to the scale, but you should first look at how you're holding the knife and applying pressure to open in. You may be applying too much force directed toward the opposite scale rather than toward the front of the knife.

If it's still rubbing with a light amount of force toward the opposite scale, the knife is centered, no horizontal blade play, and all body screws are properly tightened look at the pivot holes in the liners and scales before you send it to Spyderco. There is probably enough room to wiggle the cuff side of the pivot assembly. Although, I am thinking a wide pivot holds will produce horizontal blade play at all but the most torqued pivot screw.

As for sending it in, only write a brief description of the problem and your phone number to call you to discuss further. It frees the maintenance rep to fix the knife without having to be concerned with anything like "damage during disassembly". They know what the issue is, likely whether it can or cannot be fixed, and more than likely what's been done to the knife between when it left the factory to when it made it to them.

Good luck with the fix. I hope it comes out well.
 
Chris "Anagarika" said:
I don’t have Delica, but plenty of Endura. How hard do you press own into the hole when opening? My Endura flexed a little but never rubbing on normal operations. If pivot tightness doesn’t prevent blade rubbing the handle, I’d recommend sending it in with clear explanations. If possible, call them first so they are aware.

Sanding it might help the blade not getting marks, but the rubbing itself doesn’t get fixed, which I think a warranty issue.

ETA: if you have modded it, then disassemble and check for liner being really flat. Sometimes it is not 100% flat.
Click to expand...

"How hard" is a bit subjective, but I'd say I use more force than with, say, a well-oiled liner lock like the RAT-1 (down partly to the Delica's back lock mechanism). The knife is tight enough that flicking it open is nearly impossible (which also means exerting more pressure, over the blade's entire opening arc). I could loosen things up, but that might allow for a bit of vertical blade play/lock bar rock, and doesn't seem to make the knife that much easier to open.

I don't know if Spyderco would warranty it for me -- I've already disassembled it a number of times, reshaped the handles, and stonewashed the blade and lock bar. :D It's a lot more comfortable in hand now (maybe I'll post some pictures some time). Oops -- just noticed your comment about having modded it -- yes, I didn't think to check for flatness when I had it open. If I take it apart, I'll take a look. Thanks!
 
Hey, thank you for the thorough reply! To spare myself from disassembly (though at least now I know how to put it back together -- that lock bar was a head-scratcher, as I'd never reassembled a lock back before, ha ha), maybe I'll play with it a bit first to see if it loosens up enough that opening it requires less force -- and try exerting more force toward the front of the knife. It is thumb-deployable, but it could be easier. Failing any improvement, I'll take it apart at take a look at the liners as you suggested.

I do wonder if Spyderco's warranty department would be amenable to working on the knife, considering I've done more to it than just taking it apart to oil or clean it, but I appreciate the tip to not go into many details if sending something in to them.

Cheers

SKB182 said:
Disassemble the knife and flatten the liners:

Find a surface that's close flat, lay the liner down, hold one end down, and tap the other to see if it's flat. Bend it which it anchored in a vise if it's convex relative to the flat surface. Flip the liner and repeat. Do the opposite liner.

When you reassemble the knife, tighten all body screws down, and adjust pivot to a bit beyond the point where you can fell horizontal blade play (hold handle right behind pivot, grab tip, and move side to side). If all the parts are playing as they should be you'll have a centered blade with a blade that's deployable with thumb. It may or may not be flickable.

Test for blade rub at this point. I've just tried out a few delicas (old and broken in to new and stiff) to see if I could push the blade into the liner. It will rub in a minor way with a good amount of force directly toward the opposite scale.

If it's still rubbing there are a few things you could do like convex the rub liner relative to the scale and concave the near liner relative to the scale, but you should first look at how you're holding the knife and applying pressure to open in. You may be applying too much force directed toward the opposite scale rather than toward the front of the knife.

If it's still rubbing with a light amount of force toward the opposite scale, the knife is centered, no horizontal blade play, and all body screws are properly tightened look at the pivot holes in the liners and scales before you send it to Spyderco. There is probably enough room to wiggle the cuff side of the pivot assembly. Although, I am thinking a wide pivot holds will produce horizontal blade play at all but the most torqued pivot screw.

As for sending it in, only write a brief description of the problem and your phone number to call you to discuss further. It frees the maintenance rep to fix the knife without having to be concerned with anything like "damage during disassembly". They know what the issue is, likely whether it can or cannot be fixed, and more than likely what's been done to the knife between when it left the factory to when it made it to them.

Good luck with the fix. I hope it comes out well.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top