Cleaned my Sebenza,ruined it.

Prince of Peace

Prince of Peace

Joined
May 6, 2006
Messages
338
Brand new! I have had it for two weeks. Saw a You Tube video about break down and cleaning your Sebenza,figured I could do it too.
I really should have left well enough alone.

Now it has up/down blade play. Takes a team of Bison to open it. Cripes I haven't cut a thing yet, and I ruined my beautiful knife.:mad:

Rather sad right now. I guess I will have to send it back to Chris Reeve and explain what I have done. I feel like such an Ass!

Sorry had to vent,
Peace.


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My bet is you pinched one of the washers when re-assembling it. Try re-assembling it again carefully, or search "pinched washer" in the Chris Reeve forum on instructions.
 
Happens sometimes. When you reassemble the knife make sure the pivot bearing is centered and the washers are seated properly. When the knife is properly assembled there should be no space between the scales and the washers and the blade should be perfectly centered. Hope this helps.
 
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Also check to see if you bent one of the washers. The pivot bearing and washers have to be seated exactly in the right position otherwise it will throw the whole knife off
balance. The blade centering, the lockup, the blade movement. Just keep practicing re assembling it and Im sure you will get it right.
 
Yes it is a bit of a sweat when you strip it down for the first time and it doesn't go back together right , been there - done that !
As already mentioned , relax and strip it down again, you will get there , just takes a bit of patience to ensure all is in the right place
on reassembly. Too much grease can also cause a problem, the tolerances are that fine .
 
I would agree with what everyone else has posted so far. Don't worry, the knife is not ruined.

Try building it up with the non lock side and all the female parts of the screws down first. Then put the stop pin sleeve and the spacer on. Then stack the bushing/washer/blade/washer on the pivot pin (the bushing should sit inside the washers). Place the lock side scale on and tighten the screws down, open and close the knife a couple of times just make sure it's all good and check the screws once more. :):thumbup:

(It will be worth having a look at the washers just incase you have pinched one and caused a wee lip or dent in one of them).
 
Take a deep breathe, I'm sure you didn't ruin it, just relax and go slow, I think a lot of us have been there.

I'd do just like the Esav's link says:

I would tear it down, and put the handles back together first, without the blade-bushing-washers, and then slide the blade-bushing-washers into the handles and then insert the pivot screw and tighten.

If you do it that way, it's almost impossible to pinch a washer.
 
I'll just join the group therapy session already in progress and say that even if by some small chance you did "ruin" the knife, CRK's going to fix it - probably at no charge. They're that good. I've heard some stories of them fixing problems MUCH worse that simple blade play, so just relax and try it yourself again. Give the shop a call if you still have a problem after a couple more attempts. Don't start thinking that you paid a bunch of money for a second rate tool or service. You'll be fine.
 
My first CRK arrived this weekend (two days earlier than expected, woo hoo!!), a small Sebenza 21, and I took it apart to remove the lanyard and I had the exact same trouble. I took the knife apart and tried again, works perfectly. I'm not a handy kinda guy, so I was a little worried, but was very happy it all worked out in the end. Good luck!
 
Hah you didn't ruin it. The tolerances are too tight, and unless you are stronger than just about anyone I know, you didn't damage anything.

Just follow the above ^


-Freq
 
Holy smokes!
I just wrote that post to vent. I didn't expect such a outpouring of compassion and understanding!
I have read and watched all the advice given. I am going to try again using the female male assembly method. Checking my washers for integrity as well.
Thank you all so much for not heaping on my misery. I really feel foolish for doing what I did. There was NO reason to open it.
If I do repair what I've done it will be attributed to all who responded to my post.
I'll let you all know I'mn i'm done.
Thanks from my heart all.
Peace.
 
No worries, CRK's were made with dis-assembly in mind. You should feel encouraged to take apart and clean your knife whenever you feel it's necessary.

Besides, it's only when you take apart and put back together the knife that you can palpably notice the "tight tolerances" that CRK is known for.

Best of luck with your knife.
 
OK, they say "Everything is clearer in the light of day", they are right!

After 5 assemblies that left me with a horrible up and down wobble and scraping sounds I did it!!!

What I did wrong was I used the wrong bushing in the pivot. I ass u me ed that it was the smallest one. NOT!!

It is the MEDIUM spacer/bushing that is used! Once I realized after watching intently on You Tube I caught the mistake. Now all is right in the world again!
And I assure you a lesson learned is a lesson earned. I failed miserably in 5 attempts, now..knowing the secret of the spacers I may just post a You Tube video of my own stressing the need for
attention of the spacer issue!
Again, thank you all so very much for your time and genuine concern in fixing what I broke.
You all ROCK!!

Peace.
 
Excellent news! Glad that worked out for you.

Now it's your turn to "pay it forward" and use your well-earned experience to support the next excited new CRK user who ruins his knife. It's part of the price of admission .:)
 
awesome!

funny story, i have a friend with a sebenza who experienced exactly what you did. i knew what he did wrong and could see the problem just looking at it. he refused to let me fix it and sent it in to crk.

i could have saved him $10 in shipping and 3 weeks without his knife.
 
Dont be hesitant to take it apart in the future. I pinched the washers in mine once and only once. Take that thing apart whenever you want. I take mine apart once every month or two. Part of the splendor of it's design is that it's so easy to take apart and clean. When I reassemble mine I put the scales together with out the blades. Tighten up both screws and back both off just very slightly. It'll let the blade and washers slide in easily, but doesn't offer enough clearance for one of the washers to slide off the bushing.
 
kaosu04 said:
Dont be hesitant to take it apart in the future. I pinched the washers in mine once and only once. Take that thing apart whenever you want. I take mine apart once every month or two. Part of the splendor of it's design is that it's so easy to take apart and clean. When I reassemble mine I put the scales together with out the blades. Tighten up both screws and back both off just very slightly. It'll let the blade and washers slide in easily, but doesn't offer enough clearance for one of the washers to slide off the bushing.
Click to expand...

Yep, that's the ticket for perfect assembly without the chance for a pinched washer.
 
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