Umnum blade play???

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pinkfloyd101

Joined
Sep 24, 2008
Messages
187
I just took apart and reassembled my umnum to see if that would help the very minor blade play that i have. I followed the instruction of the CRK booklet that came with the tools. I still have minor horizontal blade play and only when the knife is open, i hold it in my right hand, and try to move the blade up and down with my left hand does the blade give a little. I read somewhere that other people have noticed this too with theres. Is this how the knife suppose to be or is my faulty? PLEASE check your umnum for me to see how yours is??? The only thing i can think of is the ball detent is not solid because thats what the blade sits on. Its not bad blade play but annoying to know its there for spending $400 on a knife. Input PLEASE!!!
 
I would send in in to the CRK shop and have them check it. I have had 2 Umnumzaans and 6 Sebenzas. None of them had any blade play in any direction.
 
The sebenzas never do that because of the bearing the blade rides on. Other knives that i own do have that minor play you are talking about because , think about it, if the pin were the exact same size as the hole it would ride tight. So the hole is a hair bigger, thus you may feel that ever so slight play. Now....if you feel play when blade is open and the lock is engagued, thats a different story. Do you feel play when open and locked up???
 
There should be no play...send it back to CRK and they will take care of it.
 
I dont yet have a umnumzaan, but I have had this with a large sebenza. It was because I improperly reassembled it. The bronze bushing was riding on the blade bushing. This was easily fixed by taking it apart and putting it together correctly. I had it on my small vines sebbie as well. I got it pre-owned and the original owner goofed putting back together. I fixed it easily as well. I would imagine this could happen to the umnumzaan as well. If its still an issue, send it back to CRK, they will make it right. They have the best Customer Service in the industry.
 
yeah there is blade play when the kinfe is open and locked from just opening it. BUT, if i push the lock over as far as it will goes after i open it, there is no play. There is only play in the blade when i wiggle the blade up and down with my left hand hard while holding it in my right hand. But if i push the lock over after i open it, it is engauged about 90% at this point and its about 50% engauged from just opening it. I know its not from putting it together wrong, i followed step by step directions from CRK. It was tight with no play at all when i first got it, but i noticed play about 2 months after i had it.
 
I think that the um cna have a bit of play due to the lack of pivot bushing. But if your concerned, send it in or get a sebenza
 
I dont think the blade play has anything to do with the bushing; or else all knives without bushing should have blade play then.

If its not an assembly problem just send it to CRK.
 
try using it for awhile, open and close it watching tv or something for a few days to break it in. The lockbar may need to seat a little bit to get rid of miniscule blade play
 
kirko said:
try using it for awhile, open and close it watching tv or something for a few days to break it in. The lockbar may need to seat a little bit to get rid of miniscule blade play
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I agree. Use it for awhile to see if it gets better. If it doesn't improve, contact CRK.
 
Thalestin said:
I think that the um cna have a bit of play due to the lack of pivot bushing. But if your concerned, send it in or get a sebenza
Click to expand...

This statement is incorrect !!

The bushing that the sebenza is machined to a specific tolerance (clearance) just as the machined hole on the umnum blade is machined to a specific clearance.

Some people say that the Sebenza is better because it has the bushing...think about it !!

If anything...the Sebenza bushing must have clearance between the pivot and the inner diameter of the bushing and also clearance between the outer diameter of the bushing and the hole in the blade...the umnum only has one clearance between the pivot and the blade bore.

Getting back to the thread topic...it sounds to me that the play on this knife is due to lack of tension on the lock bar.

Take the knife apart and and bend the lock bar toward the blade so that when the knife is opened it applies more tension to the lock face on the blade...this should solve your issue. :)
 
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pinkfloyd101 said:
yeah there is blade play when the kinfe is open and locked from just opening it. BUT, if i push the lock over as far as it will goes after i open it, there is no play. There is only play in the blade when i wiggle the blade up and down with my left hand hard while holding it in my right hand. But if i push the lock over after i open it, it is engauged about 90% at this point and its about 50% engauged from just opening it. I know its not from putting it together wrong, i followed step by step directions from CRK. It was tight with no play at all when i first got it, but i noticed play about 2 months after i had it.
Click to expand...

If there was No Play when you first got it, then there became blade play after 2 months, perhaps some of the heat treat chipped off of the lock bar ? That does happen to frame locks. Send it back to CRK, if thats the case, they will re-heat treat the lockbar and it will be as good as new again. Either way, they will make it right.
 
nyefmaker said:
If there was No Play when you first got it, then there became blade play after 2 months, perhaps some of the heat treat chipped off of the lock bar ? That does happen to frame locks. Send it back to CRK, if thats the case, they will re-heat treat the lockbar and it will be as good as new again. Either way, they will make it right.
Click to expand...

The lock bar does not touch the lock face of the blade...the ceramic ball bedded in the lock bar does. :)
 
When i get some time tomorrow after work i'll try bigmark's advice and try to bend the lock bar back a little more. There is a chance this is the problem because i let a buddy of mine see my umnum. When he closed it he probably used a little to much force needed to move the lockbar. Damn people who aren't knife friendly!!!
 
My first impression of my Umnumzaan was "this thing feels like a one piece" She should have zero play of any kind.
 
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