Tghtening Opinel blade?

[RedLynx]

Hi guys,

I did a search but the most I came up with was a loose Opinel locking ring. The blade on my #10 is loose though, falling out of the handle easily with friction/gravity (originally designed as a friction folder, I know) and I wanted to see about somehow tightening it up. It's likely the weather or something, but I am not sure. I've had small changes in tightness of the blade due to expansion/contraction of the handles but not like this.

I read somewhere years ago about putting an Opinel in the oven?? But I didn't want to try anything like that without checking.

Thanks guys.

 

[jackknife]

Hi guys,

I did a search but the most I came up with was a loose Opinel locking ring. The blade on my #10 is loose though, falling out of the handle easily with friction/gravity (originally designed as a friction folder, I know) and I wanted to see about somehow tightening it up. It's likely the weather or something, but I am not sure. I've had small changes in tightness of the blade due to expansion/contraction of the handles but not like this.

I read somewhere years ago about putting an Opinel in the oven?? But I didn't want to try anything like that without checking.

Thanks guys.

No, don't put the thing in an oven.

Just take off the locking ring first. This can be due with any needle nose pliers and use the tips of the jaws to act like a spreader. All you need to do is spread the ring apart a bit and ease it off the knife. Or use a long thing screw driver and pop it off.

Once the lock ring is off. take two hammers, and lay one on a work table or other steady flat surface. You will be using that hammer as an anvil. Place the knife with one side of the pivot pin resting on the hammer. The end of the pin must be resting on the hammer. Then take the other hammer, and peen the top of the pin. Do this with a steady tap, and then try the action. If the knife is still too loose, try a bit stronger tap. Go slow and try the knife after every tap. When it gets snug enough for your taste, push the locking ring back down onto the knife and you're done. ONly takes a fe minutes.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

To greatly ease the removal and replacement of the locking ring, a pair of snap-ring pliers is very handy. The jaws are configurable to open (or close) when squeezing the handles together like regular pliers, and the angled tips (also switchable with straight tips) are perfect for the gap in the ring. Locking ring can be removed & replaced in a matter of seconds:

(As mentioned, don't put the knife in the oven for a loose-fitting pivot; the oven will dry the wood, shrinking it and making it looser. A warm oven can be used if the handle gets wet, in which case it swells and becomes too tight. But, that's a different problem than applies in this thread...)


David

 

[RedLynx]

To greatly ease the removal and replacement of the locking ring, a pair of snap-ring pliers is very handy. The jaws are configurable to open (or close) when squeezing the handles together like regular pliers, and the angled tips (also switchable with straight tips) are perfect for the gap in the ring. Locking ring can be removed & replaced in a matter of seconds:

(As mentioned, don't put the knife in the oven for a loose-fitting pivot; the oven will dry the wood, shrinking it and making it looser. A warm oven can be used if the handle gets wet, in which case it swells and becomes too tight. But, that's a different problem than applies in this thread...)


David

Thanks jack and David, I've never performed Opinel maintenance but it's a good knife to maintain, if a mistake is made. I'll need to get some equipment.

 

[alrob]

Close the blade, turn the ring to lock position and then force blade open , the ring will pop off