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washers
- Thread starter pvicenzi
- Start date
pvicenzi
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Wait for The duke of Emerson>Haze.
That is exactly my plan.
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- Aug 2, 2004
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- 18,850
I have changed the washers on a few EKIs, I have only ever changed them out to the Pb washers though. (I have gone back to the standard washers on all but 2 of the knives I own).
I have never found Pb washers that were an exact fit and had to doctor them by drilling the pivot hole or just double stacking them because they were too thin. You could make a thinner back spacer but that can cause other stuff to go out of spec if it's taken down too far and is probably more trouble than it's worth any way.
I have always wanted to just get a sheet of Pb and make my own washers but have never got round to doing it. You can get washers from places like knifekits.com and other knife related supply shops.
:thumbup:
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- Nov 18, 2005
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I think that's probably right but if you want to experiment, a couple of places like KnifeKits.com have reasonable selections of PB washers.
pvicenzi
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Kind of thought lead sounded strange."Pb" is lazy ba... for "Phosporus bronze" and just happens to be the chemical symbol for good old plumbum, lead washers are probably also best avoided.:thumbup:
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- Feb 27, 2010
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I've been considering ways to make my QCQ-8 smoother too. Washers don't seem to be the answer but I just had an idea.
What if I ground a deeper slot into the area where the bal bearings press against the blade on both sides? Around here:
I would just follow the paths that the balls have made, but make them deeper and slightly wider most of the way so they barely touch the blade, if at all.
I would leave the blade untouched in the areas where the indents are so the action is unaffected around full open and full closed.
I think doing this would remove most of the friction when opening and closing the blade.
Thoughts?
What if I ground a deeper slot into the area where the bal bearings press against the blade on both sides? Around here:
I would just follow the paths that the balls have made, but make them deeper and slightly wider most of the way so they barely touch the blade, if at all.
I would leave the blade untouched in the areas where the indents are so the action is unaffected around full open and full closed.
I think doing this would remove most of the friction when opening and closing the blade.
Thoughts?
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2004
- Messages
- 18,850
Don't do it man.
That is just looking for a disaster. Playing with the detent will probably just put your blade off center, it could have the blade start hitting the liners or start making a noise when you open and close the knife and it will defo. kick your warrenty in the nuts and set it on fire.......to mention a few.
That blade looks barely broken in any way, give it a good few more cycles and let it do its own thing.
:thumbup:
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- Feb 27, 2010
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- 622
Good point, was just a thought, and not a very god one!
I didn't consider how the detents keep the blade centered when open and closing which is pretty important!
That pic was back when it was nearly new, it's had a lot of use since then ad is much smoother now, I love it. :thumbup:
I didn't consider how the detents keep the blade centered when open and closing which is pretty important!
That pic was back when it was nearly new, it's had a lot of use since then ad is much smoother now, I love it. :thumbup:
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2010
- Messages
- 622
Haha! I would have needed lot of encouragement to actually go through with it 
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2010
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- 43
One fast and easy way to smooth out the action on an Emerson is to use Moly Paste. I use it to lube bullets and the barrel of my rifles. It is available online or at most Hunting/Sporting Goods stores and is not very expensive. The best thing is that "a little dab will do ya" so a small tube of Moly goes a long way.
Disassemble the knife and apply a SMALL amount of Moly to all the contact surfaces around the blade. I put it on the inside of the liners and on both sides of the washers and blade as well as the bushing that the blade rides on. It is very messy so use it sparingly and have plenty of paper towels around. I use an ice cream stick, tongue depressor or even my finger if I can't fine anything else to burnish it into the metal. The Moly will seat into the pores of the metal parts and stay there.
I then re-assemble the knife and tighten it up a little more than you would for normal use. Open and close it a few dozen times or use it normally for a couple of days or both to further burnish the Moly into the metal. I then disassemble the knife again and apply a VERY light coat of Moly to all the contact surfaces. Reassemble the knife and adjust the tension to your personal preference. Make sure the threads of the blade retention screw are not covered in Moly, in fact a drop of Loc-Tite is not a bad idea at this point. I have never had to repeat this process as the Moly seems to last forever.
This makes a huge difference in the feel and performance of the knife and also reduces wear.
YMMV but this has always worked great for me.
Chris
Disassemble the knife and apply a SMALL amount of Moly to all the contact surfaces around the blade. I put it on the inside of the liners and on both sides of the washers and blade as well as the bushing that the blade rides on. It is very messy so use it sparingly and have plenty of paper towels around. I use an ice cream stick, tongue depressor or even my finger if I can't fine anything else to burnish it into the metal. The Moly will seat into the pores of the metal parts and stay there.
I then re-assemble the knife and tighten it up a little more than you would for normal use. Open and close it a few dozen times or use it normally for a couple of days or both to further burnish the Moly into the metal. I then disassemble the knife again and apply a VERY light coat of Moly to all the contact surfaces. Reassemble the knife and adjust the tension to your personal preference. Make sure the threads of the blade retention screw are not covered in Moly, in fact a drop of Loc-Tite is not a bad idea at this point. I have never had to repeat this process as the Moly seems to last forever.
This makes a huge difference in the feel and performance of the knife and also reduces wear.
YMMV but this has always worked great for me.
Chris
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