Zt562 blade tension.

U

UpstateRuger

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Jan 11, 2017
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This may be a stupid question but here it goes. I just bought a zt562 and it is the only knofe I own with a ball bearing pivot system. The only thing I am gonna knit pick on it is how fast the blade comes down when closing it. If I tighten the pivot a little will it make the blade come down slower? I want it at the sweet point where it will stay where you leave it while closing but you can shake it down. Mine sort of drops right down if you arent careful. I already cut my thumb because I was too slow to get it out of the way.
 
Yeah man, give the pivot a tighten. It will effect your deployment speed as well, but I am anticipating such a minor tightening that your blade will still fly out no problem


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Keep your digits out of the way when closing it. Common sense. After you release the lockbar, and push the blade up before it even gets to where it's starting downward, shift your grip thumb out of the way and use your index finger to shut the blade.
 
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You don't need to mess with the pivot unless you want to. You could hold the knife and blade horiz with the ground while you unlock it...and move the blade a little with your other hand to start to close it. Then tilt the knife down, and the blade will fall toward the ground.
Remove fingers in this system sometime, and close your blade.
However, MUCH easier to tighten the pivot a very TINY bit at a time, perhaps 1/16th of one full turn for a starter.
 
Like Don says......a TINY adjustment!! You'll be amazed how much a small turn will effect the action!
Joe
 
Hah, I know you have to move your fingers out of the way. The problem is the blade is so touchy that it basically flies shut. If you aren't paying close attention it gets you. I just want to make it a tiny bit tighter so I dont have to think about it when I shut it. Just a teeny bit more tension on the pivot will hopefully fix this issue. Like I said, I just want the blade to drop a little slower to match the timing of me moving my thumb out of the way. My unassisted zt566 has never bit me before and that flies out pretty good too.
 
Do NOT mess with the pivot unless there is a side-to-side blade play when the lock is fully engaged. If there is no forced blade play yet the blade drops freely when the lock is disengaged, that is a good thing - that says your 0562 is super smooth (as it should be). You just need to learn and practice the correct/safe way of closing the knife, as Jill suggested above. When I got my 0801, I was bit in the first few minutes because I had never had such a smooth knife - it was like a tiny tap on the spine the blade would shut. From then on I learned to move any digits away from possibly being cut when the blade is being closed.
 
Have your thumb higher up on the lock bar and the flipper should hit your thumb and stop the blade from swinging all the way down. Once it stops on your thumb move it out of the way then continue the close.

Heavy blades + bearings = falling closed like that. Not much you can do to change it. Even with the pivot cranked down the bearings will still allow the blade to rotate pretty freely. You could add lock bar tension to "brake" the blade with the detent.
 
The folks that are saying you have to move your thumb out of the way are often also giving other advice.

How are you holding the knife?
Blade tip pointed upright so it cleaves down with speed or horizontal so the blade isn't effected by gravity thus keeping your thumb safe?

How about you hold the knife at a bit lower of an angle, or hold it so the edge is facing up or sideways so when yu unlock it, you have to use your pointer to initiate the close and them turn it over or use your thumb to seat the blade?
 
Be careful not to overtighten... you can dent the ti or blade if you do w/ the ball bearings. Try removing any oil from the detent track...
 
I cut myself with a ZT0562 when I first got it, too.
The trick that worked for me was to be aware of the detent ball.
If you disengage the lockbar and just barely start to push the blade down you can feel when the detent ball hits the edge of the blade.
If you do it quickly it flips the blade closed pretty quickly.
If you do it slower it gives you that split second to get your thumb out of the way, then you can flip it closed.

That may not have been the best explanation, but it made sense to me :D
 
sharp_edge said:
here is a quick vid showing how to close ZT0562cf.
Click to expand...

I never realized that I was doing that until I looked at that video, then checked how I close the knife in my pocket, lol.
I generally hold knives either sideways or edge up when releasing the lock; so I don't have to worry about free fallers. The wisdom that comes with age :thumbup:
 
The detent shouldnhold the blade open long enogh before it starts freefalling anyway. When unlocking the blade the edge of the knife should be facing upwards tonthe sky anyway.
 
How have the thumbs been?
Have you been able to get it to close safely without bothering with the pivot?
 
Yeah... All about how you close the knife. I've had multiple ZT knives that fall closed liked that, never gotten cut or ever got close to being cut with the knife closing.
 
Both my 0452 and 0652CF DO fall fast but that's why I use the flipper tab as a stop on my thumb. Then I get my thumb out and whip it down.
 
I can't understand why you should need to close it so fast, your thumb would be in the way, in the first place. I've just never had a problem with cutting myself closing framelocks. Of course I always hold the knife edge upwards and move my thumb way before the blade starts down. In fact just unlock it with your thumb then push the blade up, and move your thumb, continue with your index finger. I never considered doing it so the blade would fall straight down.
 
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