Vertical blade play on my sebbie

T

TKD

Joined
Dec 18, 2002
Messages
115
I noticed that when I open my sebbie halfway and wiggle the blade rapidly back and forth vertically, there is a tiny bit of blade play. I'm not sure if its even blade play, the blade feels like it's loose or something. If I do this slowly, there is no blade play. Is this phenomenon only found on sebenzas? All of my sebbies do this.
I get the same results if I lift the locking bar. If you do this, you'll know what I mean.
 
I have the same very tiny tiny amount of 'play' as you call it, but I can only feel it, not see it. I guess it needs to be there to have a smooth pivot action. I guess the blade can't be 100% tight on the pivot/bushing, because then there would be no space for the grease/lube.
I wouldn't call it blade-play however, because that term is mostly used on a blade in the locked position.

Ted
 
Yeah, I noticed this too. As Ted said, I could barely feel it but could not see it. OH well, it still locks up rock solid.
 
The tolerances on the sebbie are so tight that this is the only thing I can find that is "loose" You can feel the wiggle but you can't see it. Is it because of the bushing? Funny thing happened, I just took apart and sebenza and reassembled it, now the "play" is gone!?!
Oh well.
 
Mine doesn't have any "play" but it could because I recently took it apart and cleaned it. I'm curious to see if blade play develops before the next cleaning.
 
I also noticed before that the 'play' is gone after cleaning & lubing. Then after a week or so, or after rinsing with hot water, ( I guess when the grease gets thinner) it's back.
Not that it bothers me at all. When locked, it's so incredibly rock solid.
 
lube, especially heavier, Teflon-based lubes, "fill the voids" when applied, and of course wear thin between applications. When the Seb is open and locked, the locking bar is jamming the blade against both the pivot pin and stop pin with enough force to eliminate vertical or otherwise blade play. The tolerances are such that, when not locked, there will be slight play in the blade that comes from freedom of movement.

I can feel mine actually rock back and forth against the pivot when unlocked. The genius of this design is that all "slop" as it were is absorbed when locked open.

Professor.
 
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