Sebenza question

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Mar 2, 2002
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618
I went into a knife shop here to buy tuff glide, and there was a small stars & stripes Sebenza waving to me in the display case, so I bought that as well.
Question - it seems ungodly difficult to open and close! I took it apart and applied tuff glide and wiped it down, and put it back together. I have opened and closed it enough times that I think I am getting a callous on my thumb, and it does not seem like that blade is ever going to flick out.
It feels very smooth, but seems to require undo pressure to open it. Closing it is a little better now then when I brought it home, but it takes a *lot* of pressure to release the frame lock as well.
Other knives I have in that price range flick right open. Is there something I have to do to bring it up to snuff? Or is that just the nature of the beast?
 
Nothing wrong......
All mine are the same way, I just chalked it up to a solid construction! Also, I dont believe CRK recommends flicking it open.
 
I would take off it's pivot screw and put a small drop of locktite on it and put it back on to just before it gets tight, just snug, leave it for a few hours and that should help, that's the way i have my Large Classic Sebbie and it's blade comes out easy that way and i have been using it for a while now with no worries. It still has next to no blade play and opens like a dream, of course it still lockups like a vault, that's the way i like my Sebbie. hehe

James
 
I'd try somthing other than tuf-glide. I've heard that White Lightning makes a better actual "Lubricant" than just tuf-glide alone. just keep working with it...


I need a sebbie to break in :(
 
Make sure the washers aren't binding. Take them out and look at them, and see if anything looks out of whack (make sure they're perfectly flat, no "bad places", stuff like that). Check out the blade as well, and make sure there are no rough spots where the blade contacts the washers (should be highly polished). The pivot screw's tightness really shouldn't affect the amount of force it takes to open the knife, since the blade rides on a bearing.
It definitely shouldn't be hard to close. Both the small and large Sebs I've owned would drop the blade 90 degrees (well, to the fingernail of my index finger, anyway) when unlocked perpendicular to the floor.

It could just be that the ball detent is stronger than you're accustomed to, but it shouldn't make the blade that hard to open.
 
Hmmmm.., what you are describing sounds tight to me???? I would give Chris a call and describe the exact problem as you see it. "Flicking" the knife open certainly isn't the most important dynamic.., but I've handled an awful lot of Sebenzas and can "Thumb-Flick" any of them open without a problem.

It may take a little simultaneous wrist action at first.., but yours sounds very tight.


"Hunters seek what they [WANT].., Seekers hunt what they [NEED]"
 
Jerrinfla - Your Sebenza should not be as hard to open as you describe. I suggest that you send it back to CRK; they'll make it right for you.


I would take off it's pivot screw and put a small drop of locktite on it and put it back on to just before it gets tight

Kids, do not, I repeat, do not put Loctite in your Sebenza pivot screw. Go check out the Sebenza FAQ in the CRK forum, and you will find these recommendations:

SOME ADVICE ON CLEANING AND ASSEMBLY OF SEBENZAS.
After taking the knife apart, clean all parts with a paper towel or soft cloth.
When you assemble the handle, tighten all screws firmly.

(Do not over tighten! DO NOT USE LOCTITE! The knife is not designed for that and if you have used Loctite, the screws will need to be drilled out if the knife needs to be disassembled at some time in the future. This will require new screws and pins and can end up an expensive exercise.)

Clean the sides of the blade and the pivot hole, removing any lint or grease. Put just a drop of lubricant into the hole, then slip in the bearing. Seat the thrust washers on either side of the bearing, with just a touch of lube underneath them. Make sure the bearing and the washers are flush. Lightly lubricate the lock ramp and the ball race (the mark that is made by the ceramic ball on the blade).

Slip the blade into the handle, and insert the screw and pivot pin, tightening the screw firmly (but not too tight!). If the blade assembly does not go into the handle, DO NOT force it or loosen the stop pin screw – check the blade assembly.
If you have trouble putting it back together, start the procedure again. Check that the washers to do not get crimped – this is a common reason why the blade feels stiff.

- Anne Reeve, 07/21/99
 
Loc-tite can be a problem.....IF you don't know the "tricks". If you don't do not apply it to a Sebenza, if you do, it won't matter what you apply it too! :eek: :D :)
 
Still doesn't change the fact that Loctite isn't needed on the Sebenza. APM was suggesting that he put it on the pivot screw and leave it a bit loose. Sebenzas aren't designed to be assembled that way. They are designed to have all screws tightened down completely. It has no bearing on how hard the blade is to open. Since the problem isn't with screws working themselves out, it isn't an issue. The difficulty to open comes from the pressure of the lock bar against the blade tang, and this should ease up a bit with use once the ball detent wears a nice race into the tang. You can tell this is the cause if you just hold the lock open with your thumb, you will notice the blade is super smoothe then. Rev. Pete's Small Sebbie classic that I tried for over a month was the same way, but the large classic passaround that I have right now is much easier to open, however much more difficult to close.

Mike
 
There is only one thing to do when you pay an obscene amount for a production knife and you're not satisfied...return to the knife store and get another. If they're out of stock, wait for new stock, ask them to get it repaired at CRK or ask for a refund. Remember, per the savants on Bladeforums, CRK walks on water and their knives are better than customs. Don't settle for anything less than 100 % satisfaction or your money back.

One good thing about a tight sebenza, it won't open in your pocket like it does for some others.
 
I don't have a Sebenza, but I do agree with the suggestion to send it back to CRK. Sebenza's are suppose to be very well made knives, and what you describe doesn't sound right.
 
The Sebenza is much more difficult to open compared to most modern folders. That is normal. What ever you do, don't use loctite! The sebenza is meant to have all the screws as tight as possible.
 
Looking at the assembly, it's obvious that in this knive loosening the pivot screw will do nothing. There does nto seem to be any pressure on the blade from the scales at all.
The tough part seems to get the blade moving at all - the first 1/4" or so of movement - and that sounds like what Medic said - the detant has to wear in a bit for it to work smoothly.
Closing is a whole lot easier now, though still kind of stiff.
Though I think I might be severely spoiled by the aaron frederick I bought ffrom armsraised, the lightfoot lcc I bought from nosamk, the elishewitz I bought from davidr, and the mt-lcc/ma I bought locally. Those glide open with no effort at all.
I'll spend a week opening and closing it a lot and if it still feels real stiff I'll contact CRK I guess, and inquire about getting the innards polished or something.
Thanks all for the feedback! VERY much appreciated!
 
I see loctite went over like a lead balloon! :eek: Anyway i see it wouldn't have helped one bit this time, yes indeed i would sent it back to Chris for some much needed help.

"One good thing about a tight sebenza, it won't open in your pocket like it does for some others"

Good point brownshoe, mine has never opened in my pocket, but still that's a very good point for not having a loose pivot pin.

James
 
Mine was tough when I first got it. Tried Militech and CRK grease (had to disassemble). White Lightening made the biggest difference, though.
 
I will also pile on with the pivot screw should be tight and the knife should open normally. There could be something wrong with the knife and Chris Reeve will fix you up. But if this is a factory new knife that was never disassembled, it could be opening technique. Seriously. I too had "rough action" opening my Sebenza and after a trip back to the factory and a phone call from Chris Reeve himself, all was well as he explained how to properly open the knife. Let me give you the benefit of my experience by explaining how I learned to open my Sebenza.

The Sebenza is not like other knives. The pivot has very tight tolerances. As a result, if you push down on the thumbstud (into the blade) as you are opening it, it will be very, very difficult to open (you can get away with this on almost every other knife). The idea is to push on the side of the thumbstud so that the force you apply is all parallel to the blade. When you first open the knife, put the tip of your thumb under the thumbstud then push directly away from the scale, toward the back of the blade. As the knife opens, move your thumb in an arc to follow the stud. There should be no pressure into the blade. I found it helpful to learn by holding the knife in my off hand and practicing pushing the blade out with my thumb alongside the thumbstud.

Good luck, the Sebenza is well worth any initial problems you may encounter.
 
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