Sebenza 25 Cleaning/Takedown/Assembly

Gburgs

Gburgs

Joined
Nov 22, 2014
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202
I'm familiar with the Sebenza 21 takedown and assembly, but know the 25 is a bit different internally. I did a search on here and found nothing outlining the process with any particular tips or heads up about the differences when puttin it back together. Has anyone found a good YouTube video or have a link addressing the Sebenza 25 Cleaning/Takedown/Assembly?
 
The 21 shines in not needing adjustment, but the 25, with no bushing, can be re-assembled 'sandwich style', with no special techniques required. You just build it up from the lockbar slab, as you do not need to worry about pinching a washer with the bushing like on the 21.

I'm a '21 guy' at heart, but think these knives are about equal in terms of maintenance and take down. If anything I think the 25 might be faster and easier if you are not afraid of loctite, and setting your own pivot tension. At the same time this is just my opinion, so you gotta weigh what others are saying too.

I don't think this point about assembly should be the deciding factor in which knife to get. After a lot of time owning both I would offer the following on why I prefer the 21 over the 25 if I had to choose: Firstly - weight and thickness in pocket are my first reason to prefer a 21 (thinner and lighter), and secondly - strange as it might sound, I just really love the double click of the 21 lockbar setting over the 25's single clunk. Sound like an idiotic reason, but the knives are both so great, you gotta split hairs to choose sides.
 
Since you're not having luck finding a video on the take down of a 25, here's what I've done. Take the knife apart carefully and take pictures of what you see as you break it down piece by piece. You will have a visual reference as you do the re assemble. You can mark, the stop pin position, it has a flat spot that will prevent the blade from closing if it is moved out of alignment. The washer on the slab side has a tab and cut out on it. Just be careful not to bend the tab. I find that you have to pay attention to the knife a little more when you clean it. That's all.
 
For just a quick clean and lube I don't take mine apart all the way. I just crack the handle screws loose and remove the pivot screw and slide the blade and washers out. Then I don't have to worry about the stop pin getting out of position. You have to put the lock side washer in separate because of the holding tab on it but other than that it's not a lot different than my 21's.
 
flyingjon said:
For just a quick clean and lube I don't take mine apart all the way. I just crack the handle screws loose and remove the pivot screw and slide the blade and washers out. Then I don't have to worry about the stop pin getting out of position. You have to put the lock side washer in separate because of the holding tab on it but other than that it's not a lot different than my 21's.
Click to expand...

Another trick is to leave the stop pin attached to the lock side. I have never removed the stop pin. It came from the factory lock-tited in place, so I have left it attached to the lock slab during cleaning, and not had to worry about alignment.
 
I've got a 21 small, and I've taken it down and reassembled a half dozen times. Relatively easy, aside from the possibility of the washer sliding and getting pinched. Hasn't happened yet.

It sounds like the 25 is easier, but the loc-tite on the pivot is the one area I'm hesitant on. I'd like to see someone else fail/succeed from trial and error on YouTube so I can watch it a few times before messing with it.

Does the loc-tite simply break apart once the bond is broken? What do you use to clean up the old residue with before you reapply? Simple isopropyl or do you need goo gone or acetone?
 
Great tip.

Do you recommend loc-tite as soon as you game it? I just carried it for the first time yesterday.
 
kidcongo said:
Another trick is to leave the stop pin attached to the lock side. I have never removed the stop pin. It came from the factory lock-tited in place, so I have left it attached to the lock slab during cleaning, and not had to worry about alignment.
Click to expand...

Great tip.

Do you recommend loc-tite as soon as you game it? I just carried it for the first time yesterday.
 
Gburgs said:
Great tip.

Do you recommend loc-tite as soon as you game it? I just carried it for the first time yesterday.
Click to expand...

Mine came from the factory with the stop-pin loctited (or screwed in very, very tight) to the lockbar side. I have never removed it to see which it is, but assume it is loctited. If you feel you must remove it, you can scribe around it with a mechanical pencil or thin sharpie to mark it's orientation. Both sharpie and pencil will rub off, so they provide a temporary reference for it's orientation.

Some things to know about Loctite:

1 - Use the "purple" low-strength stuff. Loctite is reasonably standardized between the various companies who make it (sell it / re-package it etc), including the Loctite company. Typically red is 'permanent', blue is 'strong' and purple is 'low strength'.

2 - Loctite will only harden in the absence of air. This is why the bottles only come half-full as they would harden if they were totally full. It has to do with an exchange of chemicals to the atmosphere that keeps it liquid. Without that going on, it hardens.

3 - Congratulations!!!! you own a 100% metal knife (with a tiny bit of ceramic)!!!! The Loctite is not going to affect the surfaces of anything, but you want to keep a very small amount just on the threads, but if you get too much, just wipe it off. Try of course to be tidy and keep it off the washers etc, but in general you can do some trial and error and not stress out about it. It will not harden where it is exposed and can be easily wiped off. The hardened loctite will come off too. It breaks away a little like a layer of hard plastic. In general, less is more. I sometimes don't bother with any on my 25 and it doesn't seem to matter too much.

4 - Adjusting the pivot is not a big deal. Do not be afraid to screw it up. The Loctite takes a few minutes to set, so you can try the knife, decide if you want it looser or tighter, and then adjust accordingly. It is really a case of personal preference, but ideally you have no lateral blade play, yet the knife is not too tight to open.

5 - the most common error seems to be crushing the tab on the lock-side washer, so take your time. Really you only need to take it apart once or twice a year, but us knife guys like to tinker, so get aquainted with your awesome new blade and don't sweat the details. You can always send it in to CRK if you goof up.
 
For the nerds (and scientists) in the group.......:)....poached from a chemical vendors website.....what is Anaerobic Threadlocker (IE Loctite) ????

"By definition, anaerobic adhesives remain liquid until isolated from oxygen in the presence of metal ions, such as iron or copper. For example, when an anaerobic adhesive is sealed between a nut and a bolt on a threaded assembly, it rapidly “cures” or hardens to form a tough cross-linked plastic with tenacious adhesion to many metals. Though anaerobic applications differ widely, in most cases the adhesive provides high shear strength.

When used to lock threaded assemblies together, anaerobic adhesives prevent loosening and corrosion of the fastener, maintain proper clamping force, and offer controlled torque for removal of the assembly.
For rigid cylindrical assemblies, such as joining a bearing onto a shaft, anaerobic adhesives known as retaining compounds enable manufacturers to bond parts that once could only be assembled using press fits or shrink fits.
Anaerobic gasketing materials are widely used as formed-in-place gaskets that produce leak-proof seals between mating flanges, preventing leakage of moisture, gasses, fluids or contaminants.
Anaerobic adhesives fixture in minutes at room temperature and fully cure within 24 hours. Full cure of anaerobic adhesives may be achieved more rapidly using short-term exposure to heat (e.g. 30 minutes at 120 degrees Celsius). In assemblies where a liquid primer or activator is required to accelerate cure, the primer is applied to one or both fastener surfaces before the adhesive is applied. No mixing of components is required.

As an anaerobic adhesive cures in a threadlocking application, it forms polymer chains that find their way into every tiny imperfection in the threads. Thread friction increases with the application of threadlockers due to interfacial connections to the surface roughness of the metal. The adhesive completely fills the microscopic gaps between interfacing threads to positively lock and seal threaded assemblies, preventing lateral movement and protecting the joint from corrosion that can result from moisture, gasses and fluids.

A typical nut-and-bolt assembly has as little as 15 percent metal-to-metal contact. Just a few drops of liquid threadlocker fills the remaining air voids between the thread roots and then cures to a thermoset plastic which provides a 100 percent unitized assembly until the user wants it to come apart. These adhesives offer high torque strength, good temperature resistance, rapid cure, easy dispensing and good vibration resistance."

Always something new to learn on the CRK sub-forum! ;)
 
Something I like to do when taking apart my 25, is using a medium sized or larger flat tip screw driver with a piece of heat shrink (you could use a McDonalds straw, or whatever you can find) pushed onto the tip. This way when I insert the tip between the scales and turn the screwdriver to separate them, it doesn't mark them up or scratch anything. Sometimes I'll have to work it on both ends where the screws are, because everything fit so tightly and perfect. I think it works excellent when I can't get it apart..
 
kidcongo said:
For the nerds (and scientists) in the group.......:)....poached from a chemical vendors website.....what is Anaerobic Threadlocker (IE Loctite) ????

Always something new to learn on the CRK sub-forum! ;)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the great info! that was an interesting read, I hate to admit to this but here's the story of my first take down experience with the 25;

I bought a used 25 and the seller sent along a tube of what I thought was CRK fluorinated lube with the knife. I am sure you can see where this is going ... the knife really needed a cleaning so I thought perfect! no time like the present and I stripped it down and proceeded to lube it with thread lock. I discovered it was Loctite after the washers started to fuse to the scales. I don't know what I was thinking. I have used thread lock before and I know what it looks like, consistency etc. so fortunately it didn't take too long for the hamster to start running. To make a long story shorter, luckily I had a hot air gun at our shop and some rubbing alcohol (which I considered drinking for a moment) but needless to say it was a bit of clean up and lesson learned.

The above dumbassness aside the knife was really easy to take down and put back together. I marked the stop pin, started the re-assembly on the lock side and worked my way back up, it was a breeze easier than I imagined.
 
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Leave the stop pin in one side so you don't have to worry about alignment when you put it back together. Loctite that side.

There is enough of the washers exposed at different times when you open or close the knife that you can add lube without disassembly. Just use a toothpick to apply it at a couple of spots and open and close to work it in.
 
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