I figured out why my millie was off center

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hunterseeker5
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I figured out why my millie was off center

#1

Post by hunterseeker5 »

This is actually something which has perplexed me for a long LONG time. The knife itself is a right hand millie from ages ago, well loved, but it was always off center toward the liner-lock side. I could tighten the pivot until it sort of centered itself, but at that point it would require more force to open than I prefer. (I like to be able to flick my knives, and I think Blerv in particular has a hilarious description for my ilk)

I tried all the usual fixes I'd heard floating around the forums, including the often cited loosening/pushing/tightening ritual with the frame screws. No dice. I lived with it though because, at its maximum adjustment and with the pivot slightly tighter than I like it just barely won't scrape the far liner when I go to open it.

My breakthrough came when I caught the clip on a shipping pallet the other day, and bent the clip. Rather than going through the process of ordering another one, I simply took it off and bent it back..... after which point I discovered my blade was almost touching the opposite liner under no force, and always would scrape when I pressed my thumb in the spyder hole and went to open the knife.

Ah ha! The clip somehow, was affecting the centering. I had never thought of that. Why would it after all? After some reflection it occurred to me that, given the clip's unique design and positioning around the pivot, by adjusting it for greater tension, it must have been literally "bending" that side of the knife ever so slightly. The liner, you'll note, is actually quite narrow just below this area as it is cut out to accommodate the liner lock. Reducing the tension of the clip against the liner immediately corrected the issue.

Finally, the last piece of the puzzle: the clip tension on the millie affects its centering. Maybe this was obvious to everyone else, but I couldn't find anyone else suggesting that when an ELU was having centering issues. *shrug* Either way, now my millie is better centered than it came from the factory. :)
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RadioactiveSpyder
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Re: I figured out why my millie was off center

#2

Post by RadioactiveSpyder »

We chatted about this very situation a few months back... My Millie suffered a similar issue, which was righted by adjusting/fixing the clip. Cheers, Radioactive :)

http://www.spyderco.com/forumII/viewtop ... 0&p=959399" target="_blank
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MacLaren
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Re: I figured out why my millie was off center

#3

Post by MacLaren »

Thanx for sharing that. Millie's are very popular.
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hunterseeker5
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Re: I figured out why my millie was off center

#4

Post by hunterseeker5 »

RadioactiveSpyder wrote:We chatted about this very situation a few months back... My Millie suffered a similar issue, which was righted by adjusting/fixing the clip. Cheers, Radioactive :)

http://www.spyderco.com/forumII/viewtop ... 0&p=959399" target="_blank
Ha! Someone else did reach this conclusion first. :P

I should be clear though that, in the thread you linked to, you were correct (as opposed to Deacon's hypothesis) it was liner shift; screw clearance was NOT the issue.

Site note #tipupmasterrace :P While the clip still obviously is applying force, it isn't doing so in the weakest part of the knife: right over where the cutouts for the lock are.
dogrunner
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Re: I figured out why my millie was off center

#5

Post by dogrunner »

Thanks for posting and for the clear explanation. Likely to be very useful, at some point at least!
delphidoc
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Re: I figured out why my millie was off center

#6

Post by delphidoc »

What is an ELU? I googled it but couldn't find anything that related to knife users.
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3rdGenRigger
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Re: I figured out why my millie was off center

#7

Post by 3rdGenRigger »

delphidoc wrote:What is an ELU? I googled it but couldn't find anything that related to knife users.
End Line User if I'm not mistaken...person using the knife.
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hunterseeker5
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Re: I figured out why my millie was off center

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Post by hunterseeker5 »

Yes, End Line User, the person who ultimately purchases the knife for their own use.
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JBE
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Re: I figured out why my millie was off center

#9

Post by JBE »

Mine (an older one) had a similar issue that was causing some rubbing between the liner and blade when opening. Instead of the clip being the cause, I had to slightly back-off on the torx screw on the handle closest to the pivot.
OBJ Viking
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Re: I figured out why my millie was off center

#10

Post by OBJ Viking »

I never would have figured that affecting the knife blade's centering...You learn something new every day. Thanks
enduraguy
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Re: I figured out why my millie was off center

#11

Post by enduraguy »

I find it really hard to believe the pocket clip was somehow putting that much pressure on anything to cause an off centered blade. As rugged as this knife is. Mine is a user and locks up tighter than any other folder I have owned. Are these models lacking a steel liner on the clip side???
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hunterseeker5
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Re: I figured out why my millie was off center

#12

Post by hunterseeker5 »

enduraguy wrote:I find it really hard to believe the pocket clip was somehow putting that much pressure on anything to cause an off centered blade. As rugged as this knife is. Mine is a user and locks up tighter than any other folder I have owned. Are these models lacking a steel liner on the clip side???

You and me both, hence why I NEVER thought to mess with it, and why it took me (literally) years to figure this out. Go figure. But yes, it does. If you look at the steel liner on that side, which yes it does have BTW, it is very narrow around the stop pin/line lock area because so much is cut out. That is one area for potential flexing, at least from eyeballing it.
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