Stripped pocket clip screw

S

SuzukiGS750EZ

Joined
Dec 30, 2008
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So I decided I wanted to see how the web by would look without a pocket clip. Well. When I pulled out the screw it was so stripped and mangled it was not able to go back in. Rather than push my luck an try and put it back in I called the company and they're sending out another in the mail. Should I be concerned with the threads in the titanium slab? They look fine but I don't know much about the steel of the screw or the hardness of titanium.
 
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Steel is harder than titanium, if it doesn't go in easily you should chase it with a tap or better yet send it in and have CRK do it. Do you mean the threads were mangled? I wonder how that happened, did you buy this knife new?
 
Yeah. It's a carbon fiber large from knife art. The threads on the screw are totally flat. The threads in the knife look fine to the eye. I'll see how the new screw goes in. I'm hoping everything is fine.
 
franzdom said:
Steel is harder than titanium
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Actually, I believe the opposite is true; whereby titanium is considerably stronger than steel. If the threads on the frame are ok as GS750ES advises, then a new fastener should glide right in.
 
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Annealed 6AL4V Titanium (what the scales are made from) has a Rockwell Hardness of about 36C. I'm guessing the screws are 316 stainless, which should have a Rockwell Hardness of around 85B (about 4 on the Rockwell C scale). Even if they're 410/416 stainless (unlikely), the titanium is still harder.

So, it stands to reason the screw threads would deform well before the threads on the scale.

The threads on the scale look fine; just replace the screw and call it good.You probably had a bad one to begin with - or possibly the hole in the clip was not aligned properly.
 
I had this happen before its the clip the strips the threads when you remove it. DO NOT REUSE THE SCREW. The threads in the frame are fine. The clip fits so tight that when you remove the screw on some CRK's the screw will strip out. Wait for the new screw and you'll be good to go.
 
Yeah. I know from working on vehicles that if the threads don't look good, don't push your luck. The lady on the phone said it should be here within a few days. I'm still trying to figure out how it happened at the factor other than the clip theory.
 
The threads in the slab are in too good of a condition. I have trouble believing the pocket clip could destroy the fairly high quality screws crk use. But your pictures absolutely show that the screw was not stripped out while it was installed. It happened as you removed it. And the damage to the screw certainly looks like something thin like the pocket clip caused that damage.
 
When I got my new small sebenza from knifeart I tried to remove the pocket clip and it was extemely tight. The screw came out with little trouble, but I had to pull on the clip with enough force I thought I might break it to take it off. Installation went fine. It makes it easier if you start threading the screw in before you push the clip down flush. Then force it down into place while tightening the screw. The clips loosen up some after time and come off easily.
 
Assembling and disassembling CRK clips is an art unto itself. It is a tight press-fit. And rightfully so, as it prevents loosening of the clip and loss of the knife.

Your concerns regarding the threadings are unsubstantiated. I have no idea why CRK threads clip screw and clip in this funny-looking way (well, I suspect they want the screw to stick/encourage galling in order to prevent loosening) but it is perfectly normal.

So your issues with reinstalling must come from the very tight press-fit and not lining clip and screw up properly. Give it some time, skillfully applied force and due diligence. Best of luck.
 
I have had issues like this with a few recent production CRK's. The clip hole doesn't align perfectly with the threaded hole in the knife and puts a lot of lateral tension on the screw as it goes in. The best remedy I have found is to slightly open the hole in the clip with a dremel and then reinstall the clip with a brand new screw. This has worked every time for me!
 
This how it is supposed to be set up, it stops the screw from backing out. You know we would have a swathe of threads with people moaning about the screws backing out and the clips getting loose if they didn't. The OPs pics do show a rather mashed looking screw though.

Biginboca said:
I have had issues like this with a few recent production CRK's. The clip hole doesn't align perfectly with the threaded hole in the knife and puts a lot of lateral tension on the screw as it goes in. The best remedy I have found is to slightly open the hole in the clip with a dremel and then reinstall the clip with a brand new screw. This has worked every time for me!
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Seems strange because if that was the case the whole knife would unscrew itself regularly which it doesn't.
 
The male/female screws used on the rest of the knife snap into each other as they are supposed to. They behave differently to the clip screw that is tapped into the Ti scale.

franzdom said:
Seems strange because if that was the case the whole knife would unscrew itself regularly which it doesn't.
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I didn't even get to reinstall. I was taking the screw out and it felt like there was loctite on it so I just continued to back it out, rather roughly. When it came out I was astonished to see it was mangled. Hopefully instillation goes easier that the removal. I eventually got the clip off the knife though. Just had to wiggle up and down.
 
Looks like whoever assembled it at CRK misaligned the threads & screwed it in anyway. The 303 screws are pretty soft. IMO the softer screws CRK makes/uses are one of the great aspects of the Sebenza! They mate very well & offer a minute but important amount of flex in an otherwise very rigid handle. Looks like the woes are isolated in that single screw. It's a bummer, but a small issue. Hopefully CRK gets you goin soon!
 
I have a large carbon fiber sebenza and I just took the clip off to check it out and my screw was trash, totally stripped. The threads in the handle are fine, and the hole in the clip does not exactly line up with the hole in the handle which is why it stripped when unscrewing.

I sent Crk an email and have no doubt they will take care of me.... But I find it odd that the same problem is occurring. I should be able to unscrew the clip without destroying the screw

I love my seb , just an odd problem
 
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