Pivot question

Oze

Oze

Well-Known Member
When using a pivot head set for a foldiner, is it usual to glue the screws to prevent potential loosening?
Do most people use washers at the blade?
When peening pins in 416 ss, is there an advantage in using nickel silver pins or should the pin be the same material as the plate?
 
Most will use loc-tite on the pivot threads, or rubber O-rings (this is what I use).

The question about washers ..... slip joint folders are most often made with washers..... .010 bronze is my personal choice. If it's liner/lockback/framelock then I use bearings at the pivots.

It's a "give-n-take" with 416 and Nickel Silver pins, particularly when building slip joint folders..... NS is softer, easier to cleanly peen, but wears dramatically faster then 416. On the other side, 416 is more durable, but is more difficult to cleanly peen, and you often contend with splits when peening.
 
With slipjoints I like the pin to be the same material as the bolster. I've not had good luck with getting nickel silver to disappear in 416 bolster when peened and ground. 416 pins do a MUCH better job of disappearing. If using a 3/16" bronze bearing with the pins wear isn't much of an issue since the turning is on the outside of the bearing with the bearing locked to the pin. I've used washers, but most of my slipjoints use a milled relief. This allows me to surface grind backspring and blade to same thickness. With washers you've got to make the backspring thicker than blade to allow for washers. Either way works just fine.
 
Just to expand on Ed's comments, when using loctite make sure you don't use the red stuff. You'll never be able to adjust or disassemble the knife because that's meant for permanently locking the threads.

You'll probably end up stripping the head or breaking it off before you ever get it unscrewed.

I dip a toothpick into some blue loctite and add just a dot to the threads of my pivots. This keeps it from backing out and still allows disassembly.

Although now I'm intrigued with the rubber O-rings Ed mentioned. Looks like I'll be doing some research.
 
Most will use Blue or sometimes Red loctite to hold the pivot together. Often, you don't even need that. I've never used an O ring like Ed says but I bet that would work also.

There is almost always a set of washers used between the blade and the liners. Some use loose or caged bearings that run in a pocket.

If you are peening a pivot, you want to match the metal of the bolsters to the pin or it will show.


Oze said:
When using a pivot head set for a foldiner, is it usual to glue the screws to prevent potential loosening?
Do most people use washers at the blade?
When peening pins in 416 ss, is there an advantage in using nickel silver pins or should the pin be the same material as the plate?
Click to expand...
 
Thankyou very much. Very helpful. A couple more items for my shopping list. Who would have though you 'needed' so many things just to make a knife! Better do some work that I actually get paid for now. Cheers.
 
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