• The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
    Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
    Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.

  • Today marks the 24th anniversary of 9/11. I pray that this nation does not forget the loss of lives from this horrible event. Yesterday conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was murdered, and I worry about what is to come. Please love one another and your family in these trying times - Spark

Sebenza pivot tightness?

lemmuhj

lemmuhj

Joined
May 2, 2010
Messages
3,058
I'm having trouble with a new(to me) used 21 micarta(2010) pivot.

I've always thought you could really tighten the pivot up, and it wouldn't effect the action/ smoothness? I've tightened it pretty snug, and then the blade doesn't move. It wasn't until i backed off it a tad , that it was smooth again. I found a sweet spot that i liked, and noticed a tiny bit of play. I retightened it some more, and have found that it becomes loose after a while?

I've had a few other 21's, and i hadn't really had this problem? Trying to find some more experienced knowledge from my fellow CRK buddies:)
 
Send it back - Sounds like the pivot bushing is a tad to short. CRK will take care of you
 
Here's a pic for the thread: I love Micarta inlays...
DSC04559.jpg
 
Happened to me. I then took it apart, lubed and reassembled and it fixed right up.
 
I did take it apart, and put it back together like i was doing open heart surgery! After i tightened the pivot real good, and then tried to "flick" it, and it was tight, i knew something was wrong:(
 
Check the link a few posts above. Odds are very high that you've pinched a washer. We've all done it. Most of us :) have done it many times.
 
Can you "see" a pinched washer, say on a flat surface, or is it something that can't really be seen?

JNewell said:
Check the link a few posts above. Odds are very high that you've pinched a washer. We've all done it. Most of us :) have done it many times.
Click to expand...
 
Impossible to see, unless you are Superman. :D Take it apart per the link and do it their way... :thumbup: The tolerances are extremely tight.
 
I have had a Sebenza that was like that, the problem was the previous owner had for some reason decided the bushing was too long and sanded it down a bit. Apparently someone on "a forum" had recommended this as a fix to what ever probem he thought he was having. This resulted in the exact problem you have, it also resulted in him getting his knife back and returning my money. (No, it wasn't the knife you have now :p)

A pinched washer may or may not be obvious but you can usually see where the washer has been pinched, at best there will be a very small ding at worst there will be a crescent shaped "bite mark". The washer can be a tiney amount out and still make the action feel a little off. What you describe doesn't sound like just a pinched washer to me though.
 
Haze said:
I have had a Sebenza that was like that, the problem was the previous owner had for some reason decided the bushing was too long and sanded it down a bit. Apparently someone on "a forum" had recommended this as a fix to what ever probem he thought he was having. This resulted in the exact problem you have, it also resulted in him getting his knife back and returning my money. (No, it wasn't the knife you have now :p)
Click to expand...

I'd like to say "unbelievable," but I guess it's not... :(
 
I've bought two Sebenzas with this problem. It wasn't pinched washers, I had to send it in to get it fixed.
 
Could either be a pinched washer or the pivot bushing is a little short. If you have another sebenza you can try to switch the bushings
and see if that fixes the problem. So you can narrow down and see whats really causing the problem.
 
I have had sebenzas that you could tighten down tight and others where you just slightly snugged them. Neither have ever resulted in blade play of any kind. The thickness of the bronze bushing also co-insides with this as a thicker bushing would cause blade tightness when tightened down, while a thinner one would cause a "loose" feeling. This is why CRK will not just send out bronze bushings....(This is where the umnumzaan shines and you can just set the tension and do not have to worry about any of this)....But on the other hand, the sebenza was designed for the simplicity and it has excelled well beyond that....You mentioned it was a used sebenza and sometimes you get one where someone that can barely use a screwdriver decides what is best for a sebenza to work properly. The end result is them goofing it up, selling it, then you having to deal with it. I have gone through this at least 3-4 times.....lol.....As mentioned by others, a pinched washer will cause tightness and is quite common, especially for someone newer to sebenzas. I did it way back when, now, its a non-issue for me as I haven't had one in some time.
 
Just to clarify, is it different now than before it was taken apart, or was it always tight?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top