Teach me about pivot pins!

Patrice Lemée

Patrice Lemée

Joined
Aug 13, 2002
Messages
5,703
Since the ones I ordered were obviously not suited to my application, as maybe some of you remember from my first foray into folders, I figured I need to order some proper ones. (The ones I have come with screws heads the same size as the pivot itself so I needed to add a larger washer to be able to have them underneath the bolsters. Not even sure how you are suppose to adjust blade tension with screws outside the bolsters and more importantly how to keep te screws from loosening with time. Pretty sure loctite doesn't go in there???, Anyway...)

The thing is, there are about a million different kinds and sizes out there. Barrel pivots, press pivots, step pivots, pivot sexbolt (whatever that means :o), with or without bearings, with or without bushings, with small or large screws... And all that from many different suppliers too.

I am completely lost. :o

Any tips you could provide or pointing me in the direction of some online resources would be more than appreciated, thanks.
 
Hi Pat. I buy pivot barrels that have a screw on each end larger than the diameter of the barrel. I like the ones at USA Knifemaker Supply. They are made to fit reamed holes. They are not over or under size - all of them fit correctly and the price is reasonable as well.
Frank
 
Thanks Frank, I'll make sure to order some of those. :thumbup:
I'd love to get more info on all other types for when I have other design ideas where they might work better or as far as performance too.
 
Sounds like you are getting to do more. You do good work and it is always styling interesting with the Lemee touch of course ! Frank
 
Check out the pivots from AKS, they are really nice. They are easy to customize and have a high thread count which is excellent when it comes to adjusting the pivot.

Blue loctite works well on pivots, II like the kind that comes like a tube of chapstick. Not so messy... I'm gong to try some Vibra-tite soon. Teflon tape works pretty well too.

I also like the sexbolt style of pivots, they have a smooth dome on one end instead of a screw. I think they are a crossover from skateboarding... smooth tops on the hardware so they don't tear up shoes. Chainring pivots are pretty much the same thing with a different look...

Pivot size and counterbore size are critical, there are a few ways they are set up so tooling can vary.
 
Thanks Frank, that's very nice of you to say. :o

Thanks to your advice, I try as much as possible to keep the “Lemee touches” a bit more subdued, always keeping an eye on functionality. I now use the WWFS rule. (What Would Frank Say?) ;)

Of course sometimes the answer is still “Frank would say you are nuts!”. ;)

Daniel, that's great info, thanks. My buying list keeps growing. :thumbup:
 
Thanks Patrice!

Bill - you use nails, that takes some skills!

Don't forget to customize the pivot if you like. :D Here's a customized sexbolt pivot, they are normally a grey color. I did some minor shaping and lots of polishing.

 
Skill? Nah- I just whack 'em with a hammer on either end. It's the way knives were put together for 100 years or so.
 
Hey, Pat. After I stopped laughing, Frank was thinking if you do them your way and you will never disappoint yourself !!!
Frank
 
Daniel, Bill sure got skillzzzz! “Skill Bill”, that sounds about right. ;)

Thanks for the tip about customizing the pivot, great idea.

Frank, glad I made you laugh. :D And I also would not want to disappoint you. :o

Thanks again for your help guys. :thumbup:
 
Sorry Patrice- I just love to get under your skin! All in fun, though. I DO use nails for pivots frequently.
 
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