Why did the pivot stiffen up on my Paramilitary 2 after cleaning and lubing?

N

NCBirdHunter

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Mar 10, 2011
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Hello all. I am a long time lurker -- and have learned so much from this forum -- but this is my first post. I am hoping to tap into the collective wisdom of this community and to obtain the benefit of your knowledge regarding an issue that has recently occurred with my Paramilitary 2.

I have owned my PM2 for approximately six months (FWIW, I purchased it new from the Cutlery Shoppe). It has been silky smooth and very easy to open and close since the day I bought it. That is, until this past weekend when I cleaned and lubricated it for the first time. I washed it using dish-washing detergent, rinsed it very well under warm running water, then dried it well and blew out all the nooks and crannies with compressed air. I then lubricated the pivot area with 4-5 drops of Breakfree CLP. Unfortunately, it has been very stiff to open and close ever since. It still seems smooth (i.e., I don't feel any grinding and I don't sense there is anything stuck in the pivot), but it just requires much more force to open and close it now. For example, prior to cleaning and lubing it, I could hold the knife horizontally and press the lock release and the blade would fall 30-45 degrees just by gravity. Now, when I hold the knife horizontally and press the lock release, the blade doesn't move at all. I have been opening and closing the blade quite a bit since this weekend, but it doesn't seem to be loosening up any.

Has anyone experienced a similar phenomenon after cleaning and lubing their PM2 (or any other knife) for the first time? Any idea what might cause this?

I am planning to clean it again tonight and see what it is like prior to adding any lube (just out of curiosity).

I would be grateful for any thoughts you all might have.
 
jacktrades is correct. Breakfree, wd40, bpblaster, and others like this are not really long term lubricants. These products dry quickly. You need some sort of oil or grease as a lube.
 
Interesting. I just assumed since CLP works well on guns that it would work well on knives also (plus others on the forum recommended it based on "best lube" threads that I read). Perhaps I should just stick with mineral oil.
 
isnt CLP the sort of lube that dries to a hard and sleek protective layer ? if so blowing the excess before it dries should help.
 
The lube and the pivot screw. Breakfree and wd40 are not that good as lubricant. They are too "thin" for long-term use. Even gun lubes are better.
Secondly, after that kind of operation you have to find the sween spot for the pivot screw and also make sure that the screw does not move about - which is very often a problem.
 
Poez said:
[A]fter that kind of operation you have to find the sweet spot for the pivot screw and also make sure that the screw does not move about - which is very often a problem.
Click to expand...

So it is necessary to adjust the pivot screw after each cleaning and lubing?
 
You sure you didn't pinch a washer? PM-2's have pivot bushings, easy to pinch a washer between the bushings and scale.
 
JScottB said:
You sure you didn't pinch a washer? PM-2's have pivot bushings, easy to pinch a washer between the bushings and scale.
Click to expand...

I don't know. I did not disassemble the knife. All I did was wash, rinse, dry, and lube it, so I'm not sure how I could have pinched a washer. Besides, I thought the bushing was the only thing between the blade tang and the liner. It's not clear to me what you mean by the "washer between the bushings and scale". Can you elaborately that?
 
My PM2 would free fall when the lock was released when I first got it. 3 days later it would not free fall. It is still easy to open and a little wrist flick when the lock is released and it closes right up. At first I was upset it was not as smooth as when it first arrived. I like it a better with a little resistance now that Im use to it.
 
Mine got gummed up pretty bad last week. I took it apart and cleaned it, then relubed with CRK grease. It's like brand new now. Falls open and closed. I wouldn't suggest doing that unless you can put it back together. It probably would have worked as well to blow out the pivot with Rem oil. Then use compressed air to get rid of the excess.
 
NCBirdHunter said:
So it is necessary to adjust the pivot screw after each cleaning and lubing?
Click to expand...


No. And, honestly, some people run these knives dry and have no problems. These are not high-rev, high-temp, high-perf IC engines that need exotic lubes. Just about anything ought to work OK, including bicycle and gun "CLP"-type products. (WD-40, however, is not a lubricant.) Did you tighten or adjust any of the screws in the knife when you were cleaning/lubricating it?
 
NCBirdHunter said:
So it is necessary to adjust the pivot screw after each cleaning and lubing?
Click to expand...

Just how often are you cleaning and lubing your knife? Some people completely overdue the whole " I'm going to clean and lube my knifew, every day" thing. Uless you are cutting stuff that is extremely sticky or running, and have pockets full of lint and dirt, a once a month cleaning is plenty.

I suspect that you over did the lube as well. I run all of my knives dry. The only thing I've noticed that lube does is act as a magnet for dirt, lint, and any other junk floating around your pockets. Even with the magic flourinated grease, it does the same thing. Don't believe the hype, try your own methods before you go emulating what some people recommend.
 
RevDevil said:
Just how often are you cleaning and lubing your knife?
Click to expand...

This was actually the first time I cleaned it (I've owned it approx. six months). I typically clean my knives every month or two, but the PM2 has received only light use, so it wasn't dirty to begin with (I was just in a cleaning mood).

JNewell said:
Did you tighten or adjust any of the screws in the knife when you were cleaning/lubricating it?
Click to expand...

Nope. I haven't touched any of the screws at all.

I went ahead and washed it up again last night in order to remove all of the CLP (in case that was the culprit) and I did not re-lube it with anything. Unfortunately, leaving it dry did not seem to loosen it up any... it is still quite stiff. There is no "free" movement in the blade at all -- it will only move if force is applied. I guess I will just keep working it and hope it loosens back up eventually. I may try some Ballistol.

It's a bit of a bummer. This was my absolute favorite knife. The knife obviously still functions fine, but now it has lost a bit of it's luster (or "instrinsic enjoyment" as Nutnfancy calls it ;)).
 
Thanks to all of you for the responses. Here's a follow-up question for you...

If I want to try to loosen the blade up a bit myself, should I adjust the pivot screw or the blade stop screw? I know that seems like an odd question because the obvious answer would seem to be to adjust the pivot screw (like one would on a liner lock). However, if I understand the Bushing Pivot System correctly (and I admit I may not), the pivot screw is supposed to be tightened down all the way and it is not designed to allow for minor adjustments to the blade tension (this would seem to be reinforced by the fact that tightening the pivot screw on a PM2 will not eliminate blade play, even if the pivot screw is tightened as much as possible). Also, I have read posts that indicate loosening the blade stop screw will aid in fixing a sticky compression lock and that a byproduct of that adjustment may be freer blade movement.

Has anyone adjusted the blade tension on their PM2 and, if so, which screw did you adjust?
 
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