zt 0551 lock sticking

Bwolcott

Bwolcott

Joined
Jul 18, 2011
Messages
791
OK well I got a zt 0551 and it was great smooth nice stonewash finish but it had a deep scratch on the blade so I sent it back the Zt and they replaced it with another that came really stiff no matter how the pivot is adjusted also the stonewashed blade is dull compared to my last one being shiny, but my real problem is the framelock locks incredibly hard to where I need to hands to unlock it, does anyone else have this problem or know of any fixes for this? please!!! I almost would have preferred my scratched one because it was smooth and the blade finished looked way better.
 
try putting pencil lead or a sharpie marker on the locking face. that usually helps. then, if that does not help, open it a couple hundred times. if it still does not work, then i have no idea what to do, and you should head on over to the geniuses in maintenance, tinkering and embellishment.
 
+1 on Sharpie on the blade tang -- I've never had a titanium framelock that failed to work on.
 
really? hmmm I loved the other knife then I get this one and its no where near what my one I sent back was lol it makes me almost not like the knife
 
Bwolcott said:
really? hmmm I loved the other knife then I get this one and its no where near what my one I sent back was lol it makes me almost not like the knife
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With all due respect, that is a pretty whiny statement. Grab a clean, soft, dry rag and clean the blade as you would a pair of glasses, problem solved. The blade is stonewashed, not satin finish after all.
 
definitely won't solve the problem its almost a completely different color my new one is about the same color as the 0700 my other one was like the kershaw tremor finish 2 different stonewashed looks this one has a 700 and something serial number my other had a 1500 and something so I believe they changed the finish, either way my main problem is with the lockup not the finish
 
Pencil lead or sharpie on the blade tang. If that doesn't work you'd have to send it back in with a note describing the problem. I'm not particularly eager about attempting any other home brewed solution like sanding the lock itself. At least if the warranty department can't fix it they'll replace it.

Speaking of which, I really should be sending mine in as well:D.
 
One of my 551s stuck pretty badly, to the point that it took two hands to open. I kept applying sharpie and graphite (yes both) and it eventually smoothed up. It took probably 3 or 4 thousand cycles (literally) before it became smooth, but still it did become smooth. Now it's one of the smoothest opening/closing folders I have.
 
CrimsonTideShooter said:
One of my 551s stuck pretty badly, to the point that it took two hands to open. I kept applying sharpie and graphite (yes both) and it eventually smoothed up. It took probably 3 or 4 thousand cycles (literally) before it became smooth, but still it did become smooth. Now it's one of the smoothest opening/closing folders I have.
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Hmm, both eh? Sounds like something to try.
 
My brother's Alias 1 and my para 2 were also very sticky. marker and pencil helped very well. Most important is to break it in. again and again. :)

weedpeet
 
When I bought my first 0551, I picked over five of the examples my local 'enabler' had in stock. One had a slight amount of blade play and the blade was off-centered towards the G10 scale side. They all required equivalent open/close efforts. As Murphy's Law predicts, I grabbed the off centered example - centered the blade and erased what little play it had when I got home by tightening the pivot screw slightly - and oiled it, too (RemOil). A few cycles later - it became my 'new favorite'. As the quintessential example of a 'knife slut', that isn't usually a long lasting monicker - but my 0551 earned it. I asked him to hold another one for me - and picked it up a month ago. I left it clipped - it really is a 'spare' - and it is shocking to me how similar it is to the earlier version (Both s/n's in the 800's.). Even new, it is almost as slick and as sharp as the much used older one (Which has been resharpened - with my Sharpmaker.) - both can be opened and closed with one hand. They have made some good ones... maybe a trip back to ZT will get the OP a better example. Good luck!

Stainz
 
I've made some progress by polishing the tang with Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish. I also attempted to polish the titanium lockbar face, but it was kind of hard to reach without bending the lock some more(a really bad idea if you don't know what you're doing). A little sticky after reassembling, but after applying the Sharpie again, I can now disengage the lock with one hand even if I slam the blade open hard with two hands.

I can say that, because of the thickness, this is the slowest lock to break in among all knives. The lock will likely outlive me before it ever completely touches the right side.
 
To update, my lock is slowly breaking in more now. I find one issue with sticking is the presence of liquid on the tang or lockbar face, typically lube from the pivot. I also found it to be smoother if I wipe off the Sharpie from the tang and mark it with a pencil. Seems a dry contact area is better for a lock that thick. I'm hoping to break it in more throughout the week.
 
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