zt 0566/0770cf on bearings?

R

RissyQuicks

Joined
Jul 29, 2013
Messages
177
Hey guys,

anyone know if it's possible to swap out the washers on either of my zt knives and replace them with bearings. My 0566 is pimped out to exactly how I want it and it would be the absolute perfect edc if I could get it running on bearings. Thanks :D
 
Highly doubtful without precision machining of the scales internally to make more room. Bearings, and I assume you mean the caged kind like KVT, are significantly thicker in most cases than typical bronze or Teflon washers, so having them just drop in and work (given the tight tolerances of folders) would be impossible by my estimation.
 
Its possible but as mentioned your talking serious work and it would be insanely complicated. It would require not only machining in the handle but also the blade. The liner on the 0566 isnt thick enough to route for bearings unless very very small loose bearings to make it IKBS. To make it a KVT knife you would need to the newer small brass captive bearings and a pocket would need to be milled into the frame as well as the blade. I have entertained retrofitting a bearing system in knives in the past and its always been more effort than it is worth. Not only that but if smoothness is your desired effect its not going to make a dramatic difference as the majority of perceived smoothness is in the detent setup as what you are feeling when a knife opens is the detent ball dragging across the blade as it opens.
 
PURPLEDC said:
Its possible but as mentioned your talking serious work and it would be insanely complicated. It would require not only machining in the handle but also the blade. The liner on the 0566 isnt thick enough to route for bearings unless very very small loose bearings to make it IKBS. To make it a KVT knife you would need to the newer small brass captive bearings and a pocket would need to be milled into the frame as well as the blade. I have entertained retrofitting a bearing system in knives in the past and its always been more effort than it is worth. Not only that but if smoothness is your desired effect its not going to make a dramatic difference as the majority of perceived smoothness is in the detent setup as what you are feeling when a knife opens is the detent ball dragging across the blade as it opens.
Click to expand...

so is there any way to smooth out the detent set up to a noticeable difference?
 
You could file the detent ball down, but that isn't a project to be taken lightly...a hundredth of a millimeter too much and your knife has just become a zero-effort flipper. Since it's a liner lock, you could remove the scales and bend back the lock bar a tad to release some of the pressure, though with scales right next to it that wouldn't produce too much difference. More experienced guys here may know of other tactics but I think detent is one of those things that, in a liner lock, is sort of preprogrammed and you either like it or you don't.
 
RissyQuicks said:
so is there any way to smooth out the detent set up to a noticeable difference?
Click to expand...

Well if I remember that knife is going to have a steel ball. As such the face could be polished and then the track the ball is making in the stonewash finish of the blade could likewise be polished. The only issue is I am not sure how the detents on those were set up. Sometimes makers will leave the ball intact and fully round so it will glide a bit better but make the hole in the blade have a sharp shoulder for good pop and then there are makers who make a chamfered hole in the blade and flatten the bottom of the detent ball to get the same effect. If you have a detent ball that is intentionally flat by sanding it smooth you may improve glide but negatively effect the detent strength. Of course the detent may be a non issue if leaving it assisted. But since you are mentioning bearings I am assuming you deassisted it.
 
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