Upgrade Teflon to PB?

Li Cai

Li Cai

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2018
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445
Hi folks,

Have a technical question for your input here. I got a custom laconico jasmine (made in April 2020) but yesterday I found it was on Teflon washers. The reason I used “but” was I am not fan of Teflon although the action on this knife is very smooth!

I love PB washers over bearings and when researched this knife Ray listed it was on washers so I assumed PB washers lol.

Do you guys know where to buy some good quality PB washers so I can try to replace the Teflon with PB ones?

TIA
 

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unwisefool said:
Did you ask him why he choose Teflon over PB?
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Good question :) I was trying to discuss here before bothering the maker. The knife pivot has no groove inside so the washers are in direct contact with the titanium and CF.
 
Do you know what size the washers are? How big is the pivot? How thick are the current washers?

I use only PB washers and the places mentioned are good but don't carry every size and thickness, hence my questions.
 
Your first step should probably be to talk to the maker. There may be a reason for Ray's choice of materials.

I replaced some teflon caged bearings in an AD20.5 with some PB caged bearing washers from Skiff Made Blades. If you have some calipers you could make some very precise measurements and see if they have a direct replacement. As a heads-up, I didn't really notice much change in the action with the PB caged bearings.

Also, without a bearing race milled into the titanium with a SS insert, PB may wear more severely on the Titanium than teflon will.

Good luck!
 
J. Doyle said:
Do you know what size the washers are? How big is the pivot? How thick are the current washers?

I use only PB washers and the places mentioned are good but don't carry every size and thickness, hence my questions.
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Thank you! I was dumb not measuring the whole thing when I was cleaning the knife then the thoughts came to my mind of upgrading to PB. I had it tuned well so probably wait for some discussions before taking it part again and measure.

But as the other member said, probably the best is to consult Ray.
 
Hackenslash said:
Your first step should probably be to talk to the maker. There may be a reason for Ray's choice of materials.

I replaced some teflon caged bearings in an AD20.5 with some PB caged bearing washers from Skiff Made Blades. If you have some calipers you could make some very precise measurements and see if they have a direct replacement. As a heads-up, I didn't really notice much change in the action with the PB caged bearings.

Also, without a bearing race milled into the titanium with a SS insert, PB may wear more severely on the Titanium than teflon will.

Good luck!
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I was more worried about the strength of the Teflon for long term use the action of it is actually quite good! Yeah you are right the wear may be severe on Ti and carbon fiber if switched
 
For what it's worth, I just had one of my folders in the shop for some clean up and sharpening. It's about 3 years old.

I always inspect and check the parts. The PB washers (running against Ti and blade steel) were in great shape no signs of uneven wear and still mic'd out at .010, which was the original thickness.
 
J. Doyle said:
For what it's worth, I just had one of my folders in the shop for some clean up and sharpening. It's about 3 years old.

I always inspect and check the parts. The PB washers (running against Ti and blade steel) were in great shape no signs of uneven wear and still mic'd out at .010, which was the original thickness.
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Maybe a dumb question, lol, to measure the ID of the current washer, should I just measure the pivot?
 
Li Cai said:
Maybe a dumb question, lol, to measure the ID of the current washer, should I just measure the pivot?
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Typically yes. Most PB washers are sized for pivot size then a few thousandths are automatically added for I.D.

But you'll also need to know exact thickness of original washers and match it exactly.
 
Alternatively, if you don't have calipers, just measure with a ruler to ballpark it and buy a few sets in range (particularly thickness since that's harder to get an accurate measurement of without calipers). There aren't a lot of sizes, and even pb washers are cheap. The overall cost will be less, and you'll have spares to maybe use in other knives later.

It's also easy to increase ID/decrease OD or thickness later with a file, sandpaper, sharpener, etc.
 
J. Doyle J. Doyle whoops didn't mean to step on your toes. I only skimmed the thread. My offer stands if you don't have anything that will fit though.
 
David Mary said:
J. Doyle J. Doyle whoops didn't mean to step on your toes. I only skimmed the thread. My offer stand if you don't have anything that will fit though.
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No worries man. You didn't step on my toes at all. Very generous offer you made. Your input is as valuable as mine.
 
I'm not sure I could tell the difference between Teflon, PB or no washers. My sole Emerson has Teflon washers, I believe. Just about all of my folders with steel inserts or titanium grips have PB washers. Several with G-10 or FRN grips have no washers, those materials have a natural lubricity. None of my traditional lockbacks (Buck) have washers. They all seem to benefit from a dab of BreakFree CLP, though.
 
I had a Cold Steel Voyager XL which had PB and teflon. I got it used, and noticed after owning if for a bit that the teflon washers had literally shredded inside. I had to make up the extra thickness with PB that I bought from a third party on the electronicBay. I had to grind them down a bit on the diamond plates first to get the thickness right.
 
The builder had a couple of good reasons to use teflon:
Cost
initial smoothness of the action
Phosphor Bronze bushings will last a whole lot longer: perhaps even a lifetime.
If nobody has a set of them: ask the builder. You know that he knows the exact size you need...
Good luck!
 
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