Loosening up P3LW swing?

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ovgcguy
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Loosening up P3LW swing?

#1

Post by ovgcguy »

I got a Para3 LW about 3 months ago and really like it. One minor annoyance is the blade still swings with a little stick. Opening with a good thumb flick is no problem but I am unable to flick it closed with any technique of finger and/or wrist flick and/or depressing the locking bar. And I'm a strong, coordinated guy. Believe me, I've tried.
I work in a shop so keep the pivot clean with compressed air and lube with a 'dry silicone' lube/cleaner I use on my guns on a fairly regular basis.
Im a fidgeter so have cycled it open and closed probably a couple thousand times, so I would think it would have worn in if it was going to. Now that I think of it, the action hasnt really changed since new regardless of cleaning, dirt, or lube status, a testament to a well built knife.
I have not taken it apart since receiving it new.

Is there anything I can do to loosen up the swing just a tad? I can consistently get the blade 75% closed but it refuses to fully close, which would take my enjoyment of knife fidgeting to the next level. (It seems like the P3 (non-lw) swings this way in most videos I see)

Thanks in advance
SG89
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Re: Loosening up P3LW swing?

#2

Post by SG89 »

Have you tried rotating the stop pin?
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Sharp Guy
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Re: Loosening up P3LW swing?

#3

Post by Sharp Guy »

Have you tried loosening the pivot screw a tiny bit?
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ovgcguy
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Re: Loosening up P3LW swing?

#4

Post by ovgcguy »

No, I'll try both those at work tomorrow. As of now I have not changed anything from the factory.
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nerdlock
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Re: Loosening up P3LW swing?

#5

Post by nerdlock »

I've got 5 of these. Unfortunately because of the nature of the design where there is only one PB washer and the other is molded FRN you can't reliably get this to drop close like the G10 ones. The only way you can at least try to make it drop shut is to tinker with the pivot screw and the stop bar screw. This method is also unreliable as it introduces blade play.

What I do when I have finished tinkering with the screws to get that action, is to close it with a slight downward wrist flick. This is the only method I have seen that consistently makes the action as drop-shutty as it can be.
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aaronkb
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Re: Loosening up P3LW swing?

#6

Post by aaronkb »

When I got my first p3lw I took it apart, cleaned it, lubed it, put it back together. Took a while and was a bit of a pain to get the action I wanted without the centering being so far off the blade hit the handle, but now it’s completely free swinging, about as off-center as you’d expect a p3lw to be, and has no blade play whatsoever.

That being said, it was enough of a pain that I haven’t done it with my newer one. I’ve just been fidgeting with it nonstop trying to break it in, but it sounds like I might be fighting a losing battle.

Anyway, good luck!
AFG08
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Re: Loosening up P3LW swing?

#7

Post by AFG08 »

It’s hard to figure these things. I recently bought a Para 3 ltwt and was amazed how smooth it was from day one. The blade drops shut every time. I had one G10 Para 3 that the blade would not reliably drop. Two other G10 models drop as reliably as the ltwt one.
metaphoricalsimile
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Re: Loosening up P3LW swing?

#8

Post by metaphoricalsimile »

The trick to getting these to run smooth with zero blade play is you tighten down the pivot screw on the side with the liner and washer significantly more than the side where the blade is running against bare FRN.
ovgcguy
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Re: Loosening up P3LW swing?

#9

Post by ovgcguy »

Well I've tried loosening the pivot screw and stop screw a tad (Doesnt take much adjustment, ±15° between locked up and completely loose).

I thought there was no difference but now I see its not actually the pivot binding up - the liner is flexing and creates friction which binds up the swing. Normally I flick it closed with my pinky and ring finger up against the clip, the butt is pushed into the meat of my palm, my middle finger released the lock bar, and thumb on the pivot screw. This creates enough bending in the scale that some off-axis friction is created and the blade wont swing smoothly.

It will drop with gravity alone only when the only pressure on the knife is created by my thumb and pointer finger, with my pointer depressing the lock bar and my thumb behind it.

The 2 finger pinch method is not very secure in my hand, particular if its wet or any non-ideal condition, so I dont feel confident using that regularly. After this investigation I think I would like the non-lightweight more as I would think the liners would stiffen it up sufficiently to use my 3 point finger close without bending the scales.

But I bought this knife for backpacking (and EDC), so I couldnt justify the 1oz penalty for a rarely used but important to have piece of gear. Maybe I'll pick up a P3 in the future for dedicated EDC, but that screws my whole plan. If I do that I'll dump the P3LW and replace it with a Pacific salt LC200N Sheepsfoot Serrated for backpacking and kayaking and a P3 for EDC. I guess that's what I should have done initially, but this was my first foray into nice knives so I didnt know what I didnt know.

Ohh well. First world problems...
metaphoricalsimile
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Re: Loosening up P3LW swing?

#10

Post by metaphoricalsimile »

ovgcguy wrote:
Tue Jun 22, 2021 2:56 pm
Well I've tried loosening the pivot screw and stop screw a tad (Doesnt take much adjustment, ±15° between locked up and completely loose).

I thought there was no difference but now I see its not actually the pivot binding up - the liner is flexing and creates friction which binds up the swing. Normally I flick it closed with my pinky and ring finger up against the clip, the butt is pushed into the meat of my palm, my middle finger released the lock bar, and thumb on the pivot screw. This creates enough bending in the scale that some off-axis friction is created and the blade wont swing smoothly.

It will drop with gravity alone only when the only pressure on the knife is created by my thumb and pointer finger, with my pointer depressing the lock bar and my thumb behind it.

The 2 finger pinch method is not very secure in my hand, particular if its wet or any non-ideal condition, so I dont feel confident using that regularly. After this investigation I think I would like the non-lightweight more as I would think the liners would stiffen it up sufficiently to use my 3 point finger close without bending the scales.

But I bought this knife for backpacking (and EDC), so I couldnt justify the 1oz penalty for a rarely used but important to have piece of gear. Maybe I'll pick up a P3 in the future for dedicated EDC, but that screws my whole plan. If I do that I'll dump the P3LW and replace it with a Pacific salt LC200N Sheepsfoot Serrated for backpacking and kayaking and a P3 for EDC. I guess that's what I should have done initially, but this was my first foray into nice knives so I didnt know what I didnt know.

Ohh well. First world problems...
A more secure way to close this is similar to backlocks: hold your forefinger around the handle to stop the blade against the finger choil, and disengage the lock with your thumb, and let the blade fall shut until the choil hits your forefinger. It's slower than the pinch method but more secure, and I think the compression lock still offers the benefit of a faster, more reliable one-hand deploy than backlocks.
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