The gaskets are not located in a place where they could block dirt. They are behind the bearing races and may have been placed there as a cushion to prevent Brinelling.
I had a couple Millies picked out for Ti Tuesday and only just realized I'd added pics of both last week in response to another member's text-only post. Quick change on the fly, then to my blue all-Ti F95R for today. @CPP I'd feel very weird without at least a small knife in the bottom of my pocket liked I'd normally carry in an urban environment, but if I'm gonna be scanned like you would be going into a courthouse or other such venue, I'd of course do the same. Fortunately that's something I'm subjected to most infrequently.
I err on the side of caution these days in not carrying a knife into a setting in which it's more likely to get me into trouble than to be needed. Now that I write this it does sound rather paranoid and my Frikky, with an under 2" blade, or an SAK Classic should be in my pocket. I do have a LeatherMan in my glove box. Yes, I am actually defending my right to be on a knife-related forum... In my early twenties I had a novelty butterfly knife that couldn't have been more than 2" long that I would throw into my pocket and forget about. One day I had to go to the federal building by the old Boston Garden to get a passport and I emptied my pockets before I went through the metal detector. I distinctly remember the lady working there holding it up laughing while asking her manager if I could go in with it. I was allowed in with it which should be an encouragement but my takeaway was that women laugh at small knives.
