Knife Care & Maintenance, Blade centering

kennethsime · #1

So, it's 3 months later and I'm very happy with my Stretch 2.

It's getting close to sharpening time, and I began thinking about a couple other knife maintenance issues.

For lubrication, I use a few drops of Benchmade's Blue Lube (ok, I usually flood it, work it in, then mop up the excess) about once a month or better because it's what we have around, and it works really well. I've loc-tite'd all my clip screws, and they are super solid. The tension on my pivot screw is maybe a little tight, but I like it that way and keep it lubed so it's not a problem.

Is there any other lube that Spyderco recommends, or that you guys like better? Why? Should I also be oiling the whole blade (zdp having such a high carbon content and all)?

Finally, blade spacing. My one qualm with my stretch is that the blade has never been centered when closed. When resting on a table clip-side up, the tip is clearly in the bottom 1/3 of the cavity, closer to the table-side scale. Try as I might, I could not get this anywhere near center without drastically releasing tension on my pivot screw, which would make the knife unsafe to operate.

If I send the knife in, will Spyderco be able to center it?

BladePlay · #2

[CENTER]Will this help with the centering? :confused:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU797Pkm ... plpp_video[/CENTER]

kennethsime · #3

BladePlay wrote:[CENTER]Will this help with the centering? :confused:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU797Pkm ... plpp_video[/CENTER]

One flex put it back in the middle, dead simple. But if I flick the blade out, then close it, it's back off to the side again. I guess I should just play with the screws along the spine and see what I get.

Blerv · #4

Tuf-Glide, Miltec1, mineral oil and some others are talked about here a bunch. Your BM oil should be great as are others. Some choose nothing and the knives still hold up nicely.

Can't help you with the centering besides what was recommended. Mos mine are centered, others not. For me if it's not rubbing someplace it's just an aesthetic detail to ignore. Others think its the end/savior of the world where the blade lands. To each his/her own :) .

KardinalSyn · #5

I have never had a lock back knife go off center on me. Is there any blade play on your stretch?

kennethsime · #6

KardinalSyn wrote:I have never had a lock back knife go off center on me. Is there any blade play on your stretch?

There is, up and down when I'm not holding the pivot. It's very minor though, unnoticeable unless I'm really looking for it and use a bit of force.

KardinalSyn · #7

The thing is, even the smallest of flaws can start eating away at your mind in the long term. At least, that's how it is for me. Then if you find another fault, it really becomes depressing.

Since if you take it apart, it will void your warranty, try sending it to Spyderco warranty and Repair if you want to.

Spook410 · #8

Given the polished surfaces involved and relatively small number of cycles, lubrication wouldn't really be needed and would instead, be a dust and grime magnet.

edit: should have included a YMMV in there rather than sounding so opinionated. My issue with lubrication comes from environments like the Texas coast where there is a very fine sand that can be captured by lubrication. In those situations, it should be minimized to the extent possible.

araneae · #9

Odds are they will tell you that it is within spec if the blade is not rubbing the liner. It has no effect on the function of the knife and is really not a problem on a production knife.

kennethsime · #10

araneae wrote:Odds are they will tell you that it is within spec if the blade is not rubbing the liner. It has no effect on the function of the knife and is really not a problem on a production knife.

This is where I show my ignorace, the pivot is pretty snug and the knife doesn't snap open quite like some spydies (spyderdrop works, it's comfortable to open with the follow-through, a firm wrist-snap works), and around the pivot the blade does appear quite flush with the liner. There's quite a bit of friction to push through.

This is all very difficult to describe, excuse me if I'm not being clear enough.