A basic owners guide for Emerson Knives

Silvanus

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We get a lot of questions in the from new owners of Emerson knives on break in, adjustment, maintenance and more. I thought I'd compile a small owners guide for first time Emerson Knife owners.

Please be aware this is an abridged version. All the verbatim information can be found on the Emerson website, emersonknives.com

EmersonREP, maybe we can make this a sticky


No Torx screws?
Ernest Emerson designed his knives to be easily serviceable in the field with no special tools. The knives were made to be easily disassembled even though it isn't necessary.

There's black stuff with metal flakes in the pivot!
That's Emerson's copper impregnated grease. These knives were designed to be very low maintenance. The grease is meant to work in tandem with the nylatron washers to keep the knife reasonably smooth and minimize corrosion from battlefield conditions.

My new Emerson is stiff to open, how do I fix it?
There are many ways to do this, but honestly the easiest way is to use it!
Emerson's were designed as tools and benefit from it. The more you open and close the knife the smoother it will become. If you need to have it smoother in a hurry, you can do this: completely disassemble the knife and wipe down all the components. Place some of your lube of choice on the blade where the washers will contact it. Reassemble the knife. Adjust the pivot to remove side to side blade play. Open and close it and it will be smoother. Trust me, over time it will smooth out. Understand also that most Emersons have two detents where as most other knives have one. This will inherently make the knife a little stiffer to open.

How do I sharpen my Emerson?
Most Emerson's are v-ground with a chisel edge, some are full chisel edge. Either way, the method is the same. Take your sharpening media and sharpen the beveled side(non-lock side) as you would any conventional knife edge. Once you form a burr all that needs to be done is buff it off the other side by holding the sharpening media nearly flat on the non beveled side(lock side) you can finish by stropping both sides. Emerson knives may have an unconventional edge but they can get SCARY sharp once you get a little experience with them. Left-handed Emerson Owners Use the exact same method, just acknowledge that your left handed blade is oriented differently than the right handed models.

My lockup is late, what do I do?
Whether your lockup is late or early the knife is secure. Over time and use the lock bar will settle, sometimes around 50-60%. This is ok. If your knife develops lock rock or the lock bar travels over and touches the liner on the non-locking side, contact Emerson Knives and they will help you out. It has been OK'd by EKI to use BLUE Loctite in your pivot screw if you want to set your pivot to your preferred tightness.

How do I center the blade on my Emerson?
From Rachael Emerson:
1) Loosen the handle screws until they are very loose but not falling out. If you have a backspacer model, you will need to loosen the handle screws from both sides of the knife.
2) Loosen the pivot 1 1/2 times from where you prefer it tightened to.
3) Open the knife.
4) Tighten the handle screws from bottom up, then tighten the pivot.
5) Close the blade, your knife should be centered

My knife has RUST on it!
Understand that any steel, and I mean ANY steel will rust eventually. If your knife has rust on it there is not a warranty issue with your knife and you don't need to send it in for warranty work. All that needs to be done is a little maintenance and preventative care on your part. To remove surface rust you can use a pencil eraser or toothpaste and a nylon brush on the spots and they should go away. Knives can rust in your pocket even if you don't use them, especially if you have "toxic sweat". As far as preventative maintenance, some like to use Renaissance Wax on their non-coated Emersons to protect them. Personally I use a LIGHT coat of weapons grade CLP on the blade if I know it will see a corrosive environment.

I have a warranty issue, what do I do?
If your Emerson knife has a warranty related problem, do not try to fix the knife yourself. The best course of action is to print a service form, found HERE , fill it out, and send it with your knife to Emerson Knives. Here is the Emerson knives guarantee from the Emerson website.

Guarantee
Your Emerson knife is guaranteed against defects in material and workmanship and has a limited lifetime warranty, to the original owner. This guarantee is void if the knife has been abused beyond normal wear and tear or used beyond what are considered the normal parameters for a folding knife. It is up to the discretion of Emerson Knives whether to repair or replace damaged or defective items, and we reserve the right to replace old or out of date parts with new parts as necessary. For warranty service ship the knife postage paid and insured with $14.00 (Contact us for the shipping price if outside Cont. U.S.) for return shipping directly to Emerson Knives.

Shipping Address:

Emerson, Inc.
1234 254th St.
Harbor City, CA 90710

*WE DO NOT DO SERVICE, WARRANTY WORK OR SHARPEN ANY KNIVES THAT HAVE BEEN CUSTOMIZED OR ALTERED OUTSIDE OF OUR FACTORY AND OR WERE NOT MANUFACTURED BY EMERSON KNIVES, INC.

Helpful Links
Emerson Knives FAQ
Get To Know Your Knife
Contact Emerson Knives
 
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Silvanus, great post! I'm not sure but I thought I saw a take apart guide here in one of the old threads. If not maybe someone can make a new one.
+1 for a Sticky
 
Great post Silvanus, I wish I would have had this guide when I got into Emersons. Thanks for taking the time to post this!
 
How do I sharpen my Emerson?
Most Emerson's are v-ground with a chisel edge, some are full chisel edge. Either way, the method is the same. Take your sharpening media and sharpen the beveled side(non-lock side) as you would any conventional knife edge. Once you form a burr all that needs to be done is buff it off the other side by holding the sharpening media nearly flat on the non beveled side(lock side) you can finish by stropping both sides. Emerson knives may have an unconventional edge but they can get SCARY sharp once you get a little experience with them.



Unless it is a LEFT HANDED MODEL.
 
Seems simple enough to sharpen a left handed model. It doesn't say anywhere that the sharpening method is for right handed models only!
This should be a STICKY!!!
 
Seems simple enough to sharpen a left handed model. It doesn't say anywhere that the sharpening method is for right handed models only!
This should be a STICKY!!!

It says " non lock side" A lefty would be the lock side.
 
Seems simple enough to sharpen a left handed model. It doesn't say anywhere that the sharpening method is for right handed models only!
This should be a STICKY!!!

The confusion was in the instructions, in the Lefty, it is the CLIP SIDE YOU SHARPEN THE CLIP SIDE. if you re read the part I posted, it said sharpen the side opposite the clip, and that is correct for most Emerson's with the exception of the Southpaw Commanders, and CQC-7s.
 
One thing you might want to include, unless things have significantly changed I HIGHLY recommend loctite on the pivot screw. I've had them back completely out on me with frequent use over the course of only a few days.
 
I'll add in the part for the Loctite on the pivot. I just want to make sure that's something EKI is ok with before I do. I honestly have no experience with their policy on Loctite or if they even have one
 
I will say. I have been in some nasty places in the world and I've seen more Emerson's carried by US,British,Ect soldiers and contractors than any other folder! It's not a coincidence.
 
Blue Loctite is not a problem since you can break the bolt loose if need be. As for sharpening, I would hope it would be common sense that you sharpen the edge that was already sharpened from the factory. Right handed or left handed. There shouldn't even be a question.
 
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