Who takes their knives apart? And who leaves them alone and assembled???

I thought about taking apart my Boker kwaiken once till I watched a few videos. All those tiny bearings would surely not make it back in lol
 
I dont disassemble them just for fun, but i build and repair pc's for a living, so im not scared to take one appart if i need to. I replaced the pivot assembly on my kershaw blur as it came with the blade rubbing on the handle. I gotta say those blur are a really smart design. Other than that ill take them appart to modify them. Like the sanrenmu 7010 i removed the engraving part on thr handle and stone washed it.
 
I don't normally take anything apart, unless there's a reason... But once there is a reason it gets torn down fully :) same with electronics, vehicles, or anything really. I've always been a tinkerer ;)
 
esurm said:
If they can be taken apart I usually do to polish washers if needed then clean and re oil after break in.
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What do you use to polish the washers like a fine grit sandpaper, do you ever replace them with better ones?
 
I'm a tinker, I take everything apart. Usually I will not disassemble a knife unless there is a reason to though.
 
I use 2k 4k 8k stones and then DMT diamond pastes to polish washers. work like a charm. The key is not to remove too much.
 
sharp_edge said:
I use 2k 4k 8k stones and then DMT diamond pastes to polish washers. work like a charm. The key is not to remove too much.
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i use 1micron to .05 micron to lap the PB washers. i concur about not removing too much.

i would like to replace any Nylon/Teflon washers with Phosphorus bronze washers if i could find the right washers.
 
GotSteel said:
What do you use to polish the washers like a fine grit sandpaper, do you ever replace them with better ones?
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I'm no expert by any means, but I use a leather strop and some honing compound and that seems to work very well for me.
 
GotSteel said:
What do you use to polish the washers like a fine grit sandpaper, do you ever replace them with better ones?
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Since having my knife (9 days) I have taken it apart several times. Once was to apply fresh lube onto the bushings and washers and general cleaning, and the other times I was trying different lubes. Eventually I went back to Fluorinated Grease. Regarding polishing the washers, in which I did, one must be careful especially with high tolerance knives to NOT take too much material off.

My knife is so easy to disassemble that I will do it often, like once a week. Maybe overkill but I like to tinker.
 
Just took apart a PM2 with DLC coated blade, polished the washer, and lubed the parts with tuf-glide. Now the blade free drops when the lack is disengaged (it was not so smooth before) yet with zero blade play. :p
 
going to pick up some Torx tools & lube later, was gonna order some of the Wiha's but hate shipping.
 
GotSteel said:
going to pick up some Torx tools & lube later, was gonna order some of the Wiha's but hate shipping.
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Carefull with what you buy, i had bought a small kit and the bits were so soft the entire head of the bit twisted one or two degrees clockwise when i tried unscrewing the snapped pocket clip of one of my knives :S
 
GotSteel said:
going to pick up some Torx tools & lube later, was gonna order some of the Wiha's but hate shipping.
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wiha will last and won't warp/break as easily as off brands. eg less likely to strip screws.
here's a decent one for cheap
http://www.bladehq.com/item--Boker-Knives-Toolkit-Torx--8073

make sure it has the bits you need tho.

some pivots require two of the same bit on each side. keep that in mind. I got 2 sets of torx.

also a good tip is to get a hair dryer or heat gun if the knife has any locktite. the heat will loosen the locktite and allow you to remove the screw's without stripping them. tho don't use too much heat or you'll melt something.

some knives require a little extra help to not unscrew on its own, use blue or purple locktite (much weaker than red locktite thebblue/purple can break free easier) or Teflon tape.
 
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Oh yeah I was looking at Bondhus don't know if they're any good.. they have at my local Fastenal, I also saw a trick on diassembly videos on youtube where people were heating the knives up with a hair dryer for a couple minutes to soften up the threadlockers, so hopefully if I do wind up getting crap tools that with focused steady pressure will be enough to keep the heads from being stripped out.
 
Mo2 said:
wiha will last and won't warp/break as easily as off brands. eg less likely to strip screws.

also a good tip is to get a hair dryer or heat gun if the knife has any locktite. the heat will loosen the locktite and allow you to remove the screw's without stripping them. tho don't use too much heat or you'll melt something.

some knives require a little extra help to not unscrew on its own, use blue or purple locktite (much weaker than red locktite thebblue/purple can break free easier) or Teflon tape.
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yep on all of this^......

not sure why teflon tape works but it does. besides knife pivots i use it on my gun belt chicago screws. stopped having to re-tighten them all the time and still and easier to take apart than blue locktite when needed.
 
I personally use the ifixit 64bit kit. Its not quite as good as wiha's screwdrivers. But it is quite close and the cover transforms into a part tray while you work on stuff. I think its good enough but your milage may vary

Edit: anyone else using that kit?
 
I always take my knives apart when it's time to clean and lube them. The reason why my Emerson Horseman is my work knife,landscaping, is the fact that it can be taken down and put back together frequently. Solid hardware makes a difference. I do have some knives though that I've never taken apart just because they never see use in dirty conditions.
 
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