"Gritty" Squeak

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spydutch
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"Gritty" Squeak

#1

Post by spydutch »

Hi you all,
I really love my Squeak as edc however when I open it slowly it feels like there is some very shallow jimping on the tang the first 2 mm or so resulting in a somewhat gritty action. I cleaned the knife and even tried to polish the tang but without succes. The action remains even when squeaking :D clean and oiled. Furthermore the action in general is rather stiff which I actually like. When you look close to the tang you can see some cross lines. I hope this makes sense. Somethings are a bit hard to explain when English is not you native language :o
Hope you can help me out on this :)
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ChrisinHove
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Re: "Gritty" Squeak

#2

Post by ChrisinHove »

If the tang is actually scratched or scored, and I couldn't return the knife under warranty, then I would try a dab of grinding paste and/or polishing compound, work the mechanism it till it smoothed out, then thoroughly clean it.
TomAiello
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Re: "Gritty" Squeak

#3

Post by TomAiello »

Is it the Elmax squeak? I've heard people complain about some kind of polishing compound left in the action of those that made them gritty, although mine was smooth straight from the box.
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Jazz
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Re: "Gritty" Squeak

#4

Post by Jazz »

Nothing to do with your post, Spydutch, but whilst testing the edge of my freshly sharpened Salt 1 SE, I thought of you. ;)
- best wishes, Jazz.
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Doc Dan
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Re: "Gritty" Squeak

#5

Post by Doc Dan »

It may not be the tang of the knife. It might be in the pivot or between the scales and the tang. If you have a jeweler close by who has a sonic jewelry cleaner, see if you can put your knife into it for a bit. Once it comes out all the grime will be gone and you will need to immediately re-lubricate your knife. It should be smooth, then.
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spydutch
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Re: "Gritty" Squeak

#6

Post by spydutch »

Thanks for the comments so far ;)
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awa54
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Re: "Gritty" Squeak

#7

Post by awa54 »

Doc Dan wrote:It may not be the tang of the knife. It might be in the pivot or between the scales and the tang. If you have a jeweler close by who has a sonic jewelry cleaner, see if you can put your knife into it for a bit. Once it comes out all the grime will be gone and you will need to immediately re-lubricate your knife. It should be smooth, then.
+1 on this suggestion, I'd add that if it's the Ti/Elmax version, have them blow it out with the gem steamer, until the whole knife is hot, that will not only blast out any remaining grit, but speed evaporation of residual cleaning solution. If it's an FRN model, light steaming is still fine, but I'd use only moderate heat on the plastic scales.

Another thing to remember about slipits is that the backspring has a notched depression that can hold grit in a spot that isn't easily seen or cleaned, at least not without disassembly. Working the blade through its range of motion while using external cleaning measures can often help clear that area.
-David

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Re: "Gritty" Squeak

#8

Post by StuntZombie »

I had the same issue with mine, and I just disassembled it, cleaned it out, and put it back together. It's one of the easiest knives I've worked on.
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Re: "Gritty" Squeak

#9

Post by Squawk »

All my Ti Spydies from Maniago came somewhat gritty. Just give it a good cleaning, drying and lube the pivot nicely. Should be good to go then.
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