Taking a part knives?

G

Gideons

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Dec 9, 2015
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Hey BF,

I am wondering, how many of you guys take a part your knives for maintenance etc. ? I have a few times which has always ended badly. The centering seems to always not be perfect after maintenance, and always seems to have problems (in general) when taking a part knives. If you guys don't take a part your knives, how to do you provide them maintenance?

- Gideons
 
I used to take them all apart.
Now I don't.
I take them apart if I see a need; the Spyderco Szabo I got brand new was having an annoyingly gritty action, despite flushing it with so much Tuf-Glide that I had to buy more.

So, I took it apart, cleaned everything, and sanded a few parts where the edges were too sharp for my liking.
Now it works great. :)

I haven't had any issues getting them centered afterward, but I have been at this for a while now.

If you don't want to take them apart, you can always clean them in really hot soapy water, rinse with hot water, then blow out all water residue with compressed air. A hair dryer can help out as well.
Then add plenty of your favourite rust preventative; I like Tuf-Glide...it dries completely after a while.

Strider Knives recommended cleaning the knife with WD-40...they don't like disassembly.
 
I've got an air compressor out back that I use to blow out any debris when they get dirty.

Certain knives like the Manix 2 XL which utilize a spring are a real pain when they get dirty as it greatly affects the function of the knife.

I've gotten to the point where I can take them apart and put them back together right but it took a lot of practice. Watch some Youtube videos on how to fix the centering issues.

Try leaving the pivot untightened and tighten the handle screws one by one while holding the knife blade against the opposite scale than the one it favors. Once all of the handle screws are tightened then move on to the pivot.

That usually works for me.
 
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I know an air compressor may seem pricey, but you can get a decent one on Amazon for around $100.

Small price to pay when you're carrying knives worth $200 + and it sure does beat sending them off to the manufacturer
 
If they need to be cleaned, why not? I've taken apart my ZT, CKF Sablya, few of my Spydercos, and a lot of other knives. Haven't had any issues with centering the blade either, if it was centered before then it can be centered again. As ChrisKnife said, start with the handle screws first.
 
I take apart most of my knives on occasion.

I prefer not to take apart IKBS pivots unless necessary, so I typically just give the pivot a hefty shot of WD-40 or flush them out with Tuff-Glide:thumbup:
 
Blues Bender said:
I take apart most of my knives on occasion.

I prefer not to take apart IKBS pivots unless necessary, so I typically just give the pivot a hefty shot of WD-40 or flush them out with Tuff-Glide:thumbup:
Click to expand...

What does that exactly mean? And my most troubling experience was with a benchmade XD Just was difficult, was all. I was able to get it work in the end though.
 
IKBS is a ball bearing pivot, that uses no bearing cage, so the tiny balls tend to fall out, get lost, etc.
 
OP you have posted a few questions about Benchmade knives recently. So I will direct my answer to regarding BM folders.
I am many BM owners take their knives apart now and then. At very least to swap out factory handles for customs. The Axis lock is tricky but once you get the hang it is easier.
The biggest worry is to use a good proper sized Torx driver/bits and not strip the screws.
 
I take apart all my knives. That's just me. After taking apart a lot of knives and seeing which ones go back together easily and perfectly every time, I've really narrowed down what blades/brands I like.
 
Yep - all the time. I think I've taken apart every kind of lock available. And I have frequently said to new Sebenza owners, you won't really appreciate your Sebbie until you take it apart, lube it, and reassemble it. It's only then that you can really appreciate the tolerances to which that knife is built.

My knives in regular EDC rotation get disassembled and lubed as necessary (typically once every 6-12 months). The safe queens don't need that kind of maintenance, though, just the users.
 
I take mine apart for a good clean-up and re-lube.

I've been doing it forever, all kinds of knives and never really had an issue.

Just make sure you use good quality tools, and a little bit of experience messing around with simple mechanical things doesn't hurt either. I actually enjoy taking things apart and a new knife doesn't last too long before I want to see every part of it!

I think if you approach it with fear or reservations it becomes much more difficult then it really is...
 
I disassemble occasionally, but usually as a last resort. First is to hit with compressor. If it needs more, I'll flush with wd40 (sometimes multiples), then use compressor until dry. If that does not do it, or still feels gritty, then it's coming apart.
 
I take apart most of my knives except Cold Steel and Manix 2 (I am not confident with my ability of taking them apart and putting everything back without messing up). All ZTs and Benchmades are easy to dissemble and put back - centering can be fairly easily adjusted. For PM2 and Military, I just leave the lanyard tube attached to the scales by twisting the scales away from each other. However, over time I have learned not to take apart knives unless necessary.
 
I've taken mine down (ZT, BM grips, CRK and many Spydies) for cleaning. I enjoy working on them.
 
I have but found it unnecessary unless extremely filthy.

A good blasting with hot water, dry, lube, done.
 
stabman said:
I used to take them all apart.
Now I don't.
I take them apart if I see a need; the Spyderco Szabo I got brand new was having an annoyingly gritty action, despite flushing it with so much Tuf-Glide that I had to buy more.

So, I took it apart, cleaned everything, and sanded a few parts where the edges were too sharp for my liking.
Now it works great. :)

I haven't had any issues getting them centered afterward, but I have been at this for a while now.

If you don't want to take them apart, you can always clean them in really hot soapy water, rinse with hot water, then blow out all water residue with compressed air. A hair dryer can help out as well.
Then add plenty of your favourite rust preventative; I like Tuf-Glide...it dries completely after a while.

Strider Knives recommended cleaning the knife with WD-40...they don't like disassembly.
Click to expand...

Yup. This pretty much my evolution exactly. I started out nervous to disassemble, got confident to the point where disassembled everything I got, started to question the practicality of doing so, stopped doing it.

I also got a bit pickier, so anything I would feel the need to disassemble is gonna get returned.

I've also entirely stopped lubing my knives and have noticed no discernible difference.
 
I take apart some, ultrasonic clean and WD40 others.
Harbor Freight has 3 gallon pancake compressors on
sale sometimes for $60.
Look on YouTube for disassembly vids. My daughter's
knife would never have been reassembled if not for a video.
 
I've found cold steels to be idiot proof as they center themselves upon reassembly.
 
Use to take apart knives as well. Started carrying slipjoints again and realized its not needed.

You can clean any knife with some soap, warm water, air and good oil.

[video=youtube;c_ha2jwSfQE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_ha2jwSfQE[/video]
 
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