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Very stiff opening..help please.
- Thread starter Django606
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Django606
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Interesting.
I received the new washers this afternoon, disassembled, and reassembled with the new ones. It's even worse than it was before. At the same tightness, I can't open the blade at all.
However, I ran the old washers over 1500 grit sandpaper on a flat surface a few times very gently, after hearing from Sean that they sometimes do that at CRK if the washers are a bit off. I polished them a little on a strop with CrO and reinstalled them. The knife opened as smooth as it has ever, with no bladeplay.
-John
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You know, if it comes back from them a little sticky, you might want to replace your lube with some lapping compound and lap the washers in. I use JB Bore cleaning compound as a lapping compound and it works fine. This should give you a smoother action.
Hmmm, this is really interesting. I smoothed out the action on my small Sebbie by rubbing the washers on a cloth laid flat and coated with a tiny bit of brass polish. Before this I thought I could feel a bit of roughness on the surface and edges of the washers, as if punching them out had left a 'burr'.
My new Mnandi was very smooth and opened easily right out of the box.
Greg
My new Mnandi was very smooth and opened easily right out of the box.
Greg
Thanks for the quick reply back...
A light sanding and polishing (with metalglow) of the washers is what I had to do to mine to get it at least working more like it should also.
I can live with mine the way it is and will probably never send it in now that I have it working, maybe if I have it refurbished someday, then maybe CRK can repair it properly.
A Sebenza is the ONLY knife I never thought twice about ordering/receiving by mail and just knowing that it would be perfect upon receiving, I now will only buy if I can inspect the knife personally before buying.
Keith
A light sanding and polishing (with metalglow) of the washers is what I had to do to mine to get it at least working more like it should also.
I can live with mine the way it is and will probably never send it in now that I have it working, maybe if I have it refurbished someday, then maybe CRK can repair it properly.
A Sebenza is the ONLY knife I never thought twice about ordering/receiving by mail and just knowing that it would be perfect upon receiving, I now will only buy if I can inspect the knife personally before buying.
Keith
Django606
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I'm pretty sure what happened in my case is that when I went to reassemble it way back when, the washer got pinched on the bushing. Without thinking, I tightened it down, probably past the spec tightness, and bent the washer on a microscopic scale.
Normally to fix a pinched washer you just need to take the knife apart again and take the washers off and put them back on. However, since I tightened it down so hard, I made it "permanently pinched," and even after ~20 times trying to reassemble the knife, it was always the same. So by sanding a very small amount I was able to remove the kink and stop the pivot from binding.
I'm not trying to speak down of CRK, their customer service is incredible: fast, smooth, and with great communication. It was just a small thing they overlooked. I will not hesitate to purchase another CR knife - in fact, I'm looking for a Mnandi right now.
-John
Normally to fix a pinched washer you just need to take the knife apart again and take the washers off and put them back on. However, since I tightened it down so hard, I made it "permanently pinched," and even after ~20 times trying to reassemble the knife, it was always the same. So by sanding a very small amount I was able to remove the kink and stop the pivot from binding.
I'm not trying to speak down of CRK, their customer service is incredible: fast, smooth, and with great communication. It was just a small thing they overlooked. I will not hesitate to purchase another CR knife - in fact, I'm looking for a Mnandi right now.
-John
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2006
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- 627
The Mnandi was my first CRK too. Now I have two Sebbies as well and just ordered a damascus Mnandi.
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OK, I tried polishing up the washers on my Micarta Sebs. Not just a light rubbing but I took the washers on my ultra fine stone that came with my Apex Edge Pro and polished them on a flat surface till they sparkled. I've hestitated to do this as per CRK, polishing the washers can throw the tolerances out and is not recommended. But since I wouldn't use the knife if it wasn't up to the quality I have come to expect from CRK, I threw all caution to the wind and polished those babies clean. I lubed them lightly and re-assembled carefully, tightened everything properly and viola! Smooth action and my Micarta Inlays seem to working to the high standards that I expect from CRK. Maybe the washers weren't flat but now I can EDC my large Micarta with serrations and I'm a happy camper! Thanks for all the sugestions!
:thumbup:
:thumbup:
Django606
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OK, I tried polishing up the washers on my Micarta Sebs. Not just a light rubbing but I took the washers on my ultra fine stone that came with my Apex Edge Pro and polished them on a flat surface till they sparkled. I've hestitated to do this as per CRK, polishing the washers can throw the tolerances out and is not recommended. But since I wouldn't use the knife if it wasn't up to the quality I have come to expect from CRK, I threw all caution to the wind and polished those babies clean. I lubed them lightly and re-assembled carefully, tightened everything properly and viola! Smooth action and my Micarta Inlays seem to working to the high standards that I expect from CRK. Maybe the washers weren't flat but now I can EDC my large Micarta with serrations and I'm a happy camper! Thanks for all the sugestions!
Glad to hear it Scott. Hopefully Dave or someone from CRK will read this, and maybe others can solve the problem this way as well. So far so good on mine too. :thumbup:
Django606
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A good idea, but remember - the bushing was replaced, and I still had the problem.
I think perhaps the reason the new washers didn't fit either is because maybe those are fitted at the factory, just like the bushing and the lockbar.
Here's a question: are the insides of the handles of polished wood inlays beadblasted, or polished? I don't know why this problem seems to be specific to micarta inlays, maybe us owners just like to tighten down on the screw more than everyone else?
I think perhaps the reason the new washers didn't fit either is because maybe those are fitted at the factory, just like the bushing and the lockbar.
Here's a question: are the insides of the handles of polished wood inlays beadblasted, or polished? I don't know why this problem seems to be specific to micarta inlays, maybe us owners just like to tighten down on the screw more than everyone else?
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Dave:
As much I hate to admit it, I think you have a point. To me the Micarta Seb has to be the ultimate EDC. I have two large and both have given more grief than any other Seb I've bought. One I sent in three times and every time it came back not right. I also love CRK products but it's a shame I had to fix them myself. I'm no stranger to taking apart my Sebs for cleaning and such. With Dave at CRK coming in only once per week and having another full time job, I don't see how he can keep up with the issues. I think Chris is not as involved in day to day stuff as much as he used to be. I used to see him at a knife show and show him my perfectly working current Seb and he would look it over, get out his tool kit and proceed to tweak it and adjust it perfectly. I think Dave may have the skill to do this but at one day a week, it's probably overwhelming for him. And here we face the problem of a production company, no one will do as good a job as the person whose name is on the knife. But any way thanks to the info on the thread I was able to fix my Sebbies, I was about ready to send them back and ask for a refund or a replacement. At $500 per, I expect a darn good knife that needs no fixing up on my part. I still love CRK products but I think they need a wake up call.
As much I hate to admit it, I think you have a point. To me the Micarta Seb has to be the ultimate EDC. I have two large and both have given more grief than any other Seb I've bought. One I sent in three times and every time it came back not right. I also love CRK products but it's a shame I had to fix them myself. I'm no stranger to taking apart my Sebs for cleaning and such. With Dave at CRK coming in only once per week and having another full time job, I don't see how he can keep up with the issues. I think Chris is not as involved in day to day stuff as much as he used to be. I used to see him at a knife show and show him my perfectly working current Seb and he would look it over, get out his tool kit and proceed to tweak it and adjust it perfectly. I think Dave may have the skill to do this but at one day a week, it's probably overwhelming for him. And here we face the problem of a production company, no one will do as good a job as the person whose name is on the knife. But any way thanks to the info on the thread I was able to fix my Sebbies, I was about ready to send them back and ask for a refund or a replacement. At $500 per, I expect a darn good knife that needs no fixing up on my part. I still love CRK products but I think they need a wake up call.
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I have two sebenzas myself and they are both fine. I am a bit surprised there is very little response fron CRK on this thread!!
I don't know why this problem seems to be specific to micarta inlays, maybe us owners just like to tighten down on the screw more than everyone else?
The problem is not just in the micarta inlays, mine is a Native American model, one of the last made before it was dropped from the CCG designs.
Keith
Django606
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If it is really to the point where you care about nothing but fixing it, I would suggest doing what Scott and I have done. If you don't have some very fine (1500-2000) sandpaper, you could probably pick some up at a hardware or auto parts store.
-John
-John
Django606
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I had tried a strop a while ago, apparentally the pinched part of the washers needed something more abrasive to flatten them out. Sean at CRK told me over the phone that when the pivot actions are a bit too tight at the factory, they just take the washers and run them over 1500 grit sandpaper a few times.
John
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All,
Still trying to emerge from the pile that had built up for me while I was out of town. Some points that Id like to make as I read this thread:
You may rest assured; we are wide awake and paying attention! Just because we choose not to respond to every post does not mean we are not watching, nor does it mean we are allowing our quality to slide. If you require an answer to a question, you are likely to get one more rapidly if you contact CRK directly. We receive customer feedback (including comments from BladeForums) with great interest, spend hours discussing the information, consider improvements to the production process, and implement the ones that make sense.
We enjoy providing the Sebenza tight tolerance design to our customers we believe producing it in the volumes that we do is an unparalleled feat in the industry. In doing so, we acknowledge that perfect knives 100% of the time is unrealistic. We have the opportunity to actually examine but a small percentage of the issues that customers raise; customers often choose not to send their knives back to us, but look to the forums for the solution. If they choose to make adjustments, it is very difficult to discern if the problem was caused by us or by the customer. In every case, we note the issue, and endeavor to improve. The bottom line is if the knife is not working for you; please send it to us so we can remedy the situation.
As a rule, we do not send out to customers components that are high tolerance parts (pivot components, blade, back section of the handle). The reason being is that these components are part of a tight tolerance loop, and need to be tuned at the factory to operate correctly. In the case of washers specifically, they are not manufactured to the tolerances required by the Sebenza design, so we place them in a given knife and adjust them as they need to be. On an exception basis, we have sent out washers to customers, with the caveat that they may not fit, and may need adjustments. In doing so we risk getting a black eye from a customer that misunderstands the caveat. We will likely now include washers to the list of parts we will not send out. We encourage customers to disassemble their knives to allow for cleaning, but when customers have difficulty in reassembling the knife to original functionality, it causes us to re-consider supporting this activity. This is an ongoing discussion for us, since we believe the value to the customer of being able to self-service is a strong one.
As for my involvement in the company and how it affects CRK quality indeed, I am the designated BF moderator for the CRK forum, and I summarize the BF feedback and supply it to the CRK organization. Apart from me, there is full time staffing at CRK that deals with CRK quality, and they do a great job of it.
Dave
Still trying to emerge from the pile that had built up for me while I was out of town. Some points that Id like to make as I read this thread:
You may rest assured; we are wide awake and paying attention! Just because we choose not to respond to every post does not mean we are not watching, nor does it mean we are allowing our quality to slide. If you require an answer to a question, you are likely to get one more rapidly if you contact CRK directly. We receive customer feedback (including comments from BladeForums) with great interest, spend hours discussing the information, consider improvements to the production process, and implement the ones that make sense.
We enjoy providing the Sebenza tight tolerance design to our customers we believe producing it in the volumes that we do is an unparalleled feat in the industry. In doing so, we acknowledge that perfect knives 100% of the time is unrealistic. We have the opportunity to actually examine but a small percentage of the issues that customers raise; customers often choose not to send their knives back to us, but look to the forums for the solution. If they choose to make adjustments, it is very difficult to discern if the problem was caused by us or by the customer. In every case, we note the issue, and endeavor to improve. The bottom line is if the knife is not working for you; please send it to us so we can remedy the situation.
As a rule, we do not send out to customers components that are high tolerance parts (pivot components, blade, back section of the handle). The reason being is that these components are part of a tight tolerance loop, and need to be tuned at the factory to operate correctly. In the case of washers specifically, they are not manufactured to the tolerances required by the Sebenza design, so we place them in a given knife and adjust them as they need to be. On an exception basis, we have sent out washers to customers, with the caveat that they may not fit, and may need adjustments. In doing so we risk getting a black eye from a customer that misunderstands the caveat. We will likely now include washers to the list of parts we will not send out. We encourage customers to disassemble their knives to allow for cleaning, but when customers have difficulty in reassembling the knife to original functionality, it causes us to re-consider supporting this activity. This is an ongoing discussion for us, since we believe the value to the customer of being able to self-service is a strong one.
As for my involvement in the company and how it affects CRK quality indeed, I am the designated BF moderator for the CRK forum, and I summarize the BF feedback and supply it to the CRK organization. Apart from me, there is full time staffing at CRK that deals with CRK quality, and they do a great job of it.
Dave
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This is a very good point. If you have a perfectly functioning knife and malfunctions after disassembly by yourself, it must be the owners fault. Problem has to be reassembly and I have done this alot myself. Washers have to be perfectly aligned with the pivot cylinder or it will not function smoothly. Disassemble and reassembky had to be done more than once to get it right. I guess tight tolerances make this inevitable plus CRK has a different pivot system than most, if not all. I am just sorry that they have to limit the parts they can send out.