First mod, pivot issue
Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2020 8:06 pm
I’ve done some minor work on knives over the years. However, I decided to finally try properly “modding” a knife. I found a D2 CRKT Pilar with carbon fiber scale in great shape and for cheap.
The metal scale with lock was cleaned up with some sanding to fix rough spots and scratches. I gave the metal scale an acid bath to darken it up a bit and hide the sanding/filing. I also polished the blade and metal scale at the pivot and replaced the Teflon washers with phosphor bronze. I also replaced the backspacer with a custom made red notched one.
The blade is centered and I oiled the area for the washers during assembly. It moves smoothly without issue but no matter what I do I can’t seem to correct a slight wiggle issue unless the pivot is tighter than I want. There is no horizontal blade play and the lock engages but the blade sometimes wiggles a little forward and back unless the pivot is tightened to the point where it’s uncomfortable to open with my thumb. The knife functions well and is safe, however as a perfectionist the wiggle irks me. I expect my blades to lock up like a rock with no movement whatsoever unless the lock is disengaged. Any ideas how to correct this issue or have I taken this cheap knife as far as I can?
The metal scale with lock was cleaned up with some sanding to fix rough spots and scratches. I gave the metal scale an acid bath to darken it up a bit and hide the sanding/filing. I also polished the blade and metal scale at the pivot and replaced the Teflon washers with phosphor bronze. I also replaced the backspacer with a custom made red notched one.
The blade is centered and I oiled the area for the washers during assembly. It moves smoothly without issue but no matter what I do I can’t seem to correct a slight wiggle issue unless the pivot is tighter than I want. There is no horizontal blade play and the lock engages but the blade sometimes wiggles a little forward and back unless the pivot is tightened to the point where it’s uncomfortable to open with my thumb. The knife functions well and is safe, however as a perfectionist the wiggle irks me. I expect my blades to lock up like a rock with no movement whatsoever unless the lock is disengaged. Any ideas how to correct this issue or have I taken this cheap knife as far as I can?