The opening assist (don't call it a switchblade) on my beloved Kershaw Cyclone decided to stop working last night.
The mode of failure was the same as when Marvyn's decided to die, so I was worried.
Today I took it apart and gave it a thorough cleaning.
Had two frustrations putting it back together.
First, I couldn't remember how the assist spring went into the knife because it fell out while separating the halves and I didn't see where it'd come from.
Someone on YouTube had a video that solved that one.
Second, I dropped the smaller blade bushing into the field of debris at the foot of my work bench. UGH! I should really sweep up more than once a year.
So I vacuumed up the debris and took it out to the sawhorses and spread it out to find the little thing. Huzzah!
Once reassembled, the opening assist appears to be functioning correctly again.
Dunno for how long, but it's working for now.
I dread the day it quits for good, but it will still be a fine knife; it will just open conventionally.
I have a Benchmade Auto that was a military only issue knife that I got in 03 in Kuwait during the build up for the Iraq war. It needs a little oil to stay in good working condition about twice a year but about every 3 or 4 years it will crud up where it no longer works. I had it apart the first time that happened and it took hours to get it back together correctly. I have found saturating it in Starting Fluid will clean it out just as well as taking it apart.
ReplyDeleteSame happened to my Leek.
ReplyDeleteI sent it back to Kershaw, and not only did they replace the spring but also replaced the blade off which I had broken the tip! No charge. Excellent customer service!
Click the link about Marv's experience with their "excellent" customer service.
DeleteThey decided they didn't want to warranty his Cyclone, citing that they didn't make parts for it any more. Then offered a voucher, only usable at their site, for the Wal Mart price of the Cyclone. That voucher meant he had to take a significant downgrade in knife from them to replace the one that was supposed to have a lifetime warranty.