Ball Bearings / Pivots ?????

[Three Sisters Forge]

Let's get some heat going with using ball bearings. IKBS, machined races, enclosed, manufactured ?? What floats your boats and pivots ????

 

[Stew]

I had the pleasure of playing with a Les Vorhies flipper with IKBS recently.
I'm sold! That's certainly ultra smooth.

Your version looks like it will work just as well but I presume is exempt from the copyright?

 

[burchtree]

The IKBS simply works well. I had my doubts about the "open" bearings, but after carrying mine for as long as I have with no problems, I am sold. I'm pretty sure the IKBS covers the race cut into the handle or for the blade (as for channel balis).

 

[Three Sisters Forge]

I had the pleasure of playing with a Les Vorhies flipper with IKBS recently.
I'm sold! That's certainly ultra smooth.

Your version looks like it will work just as well but I presume is exempt from the copyright?

If you are going to use the IKBS logo and such, then you need to pay the $50.00 and submit a knife. I have paid the fee, but made the mistake of sending in an unfinished knife. I thought they were going to take it apart. I should have another knife to send in soon.

Les makes a great knife, smooth. I keep trying to improve what is there, maybe lost efforts.

 

[DeanoD]

Have you considered using sealed bearings/pressed into the blade? In the aerospace industry, we mostly use sealed bearing inserts for pivots that carry significant loads. Synthetic grease will pretty much last a lifetime, and if the grease was thin enough, it might be good enough for a flipper, with a little wrist action. The upside is that the pivots are very strong, and resist side loads.

I wasn't sure if that has been tried, but I am curious if its a workable solution.

Is the IKBS really necessary for something as small as your CCT?

 

[Three Sisters Forge]

Have you considered using sealed bearings/pressed into the blade? In the aerospace industry, we mostly use sealed bearing inserts for pivots that carry significant loads. Synthetic grease will pretty much last a lifetime, and if the grease was thin enough, it might be good enough for a flipper, with a little wrist action. The upside is that the pivots are very strong, and resist side loads.

I wasn't sure if that has been tried, but I am curious if its a workable solution.

Is the IKBS really necessary for something as small as your CCT?

Hey Dean,

I have some CCTs that do use small sealed bearings. On a knife this small it did not prove to make a difference and greatly increased the construction time and cost.

The bearings available are either the wrong internal or external dimensions.

Has anyone seen a god source for contained ball bearing sets

Jim?

Jim

 

[Tim Musselman]

You might try these guys I haven't used them but they seem to have a pretty good selection at reasonable prices. Have a look at the yoyo bearings section vxb.com

 

[Ballknives]

I have used sealed bearings in some of my flippers and found they work VERY well. The ones I use have a .156 wide center and work well in that blade thickness but the only source I have found that makes them are very expensive.

 

[Les Voorhies]

I keep trying to improve what is there, maybe lost efforts.

I think Charles Marlow made some pretty cool improvements to the system, I've heard that he uses a hardened, highly polished insert (a cup that acts as the race) and that they are extremely smooth.

Have you considered using sealed bearings/pressed into the blade?

I messed around with sealed bearings before I got licensed to use IKBS and I found several problems with using them. There is not a huge variety of thicknesses to choose from so you have to make your blade thickness to work with the bearing you get, the outer race diameter is so large that it could require your lock face to be moved back and result in a multitude of other annoying problems, but the biggest problem I had with it was side play. IKBS totally eliminates side to side movement of the blade, it's very important in bali's and maybe not quite as important in flippers. The bearings in IKBS can be sealed, I think Flavio and the Korth's make them with seals (or used to) and I'm playing with a very simple way to make these seals out of teflon.

There are of coarse other ways to give your blades a smooth bearing ride but for myself, lacking nice mill's and lathes (and the skill to use them properly), IKBS is the simplest answer.

 

[Frank Niro]

You can get small bearings from Sheffeld Knifemaker Supply BUT they are made for 1/8" pivots with a outside race that sits in a 1/4" hole.They are on the narrow side. They are not sealed but where I have used them I believe they worked well. I think they sell for about $6
I want to give a try to placing the balls in the blade only on some thicker blades. As long as the web between the two cut channels is not distorted I don't believe the thicknness there is critical since the balls themselves are supporting the blade. Like Les I don't have some of the machinery that might make doing it easier, but I do like this very much. Frank

 

[Aikenn]

Hey Dean,

I have some CCTs that do use small sealed bearings. On a knife this small it did not prove to make a difference and greatly increased the construction time and cost.

The bearings available are either the wrong internal or external dimensions.

Has anyone seen a god source for contained ball bearing sets

Jim?

Jim

Funny YEARS ago i acquired a few of these sealed bearings from a QC consultent. Never really used any but may have to look again

 

[EdCaffreyMS]

OLD, OLD thread, but it bears on your previous post/question.........

Personally, caged bearing with ceramic balls is what I use. It's not specifically, or only the bearings, or the type that makes for smooth or rough actions..... it's having precision tolerances throughout the folder... as in your machining/fit/finish, THEN ensuring that the parts you utilize have equal precision.

I think each maker gravitates towards specific bearing types/configurations based on their equipment and skills.... and sometime just their own personal preferences.