By Request: Sebenza Smoothness Mod ******Attempt at Your Own Risk******

[@dougal445]

Presumably the excess width of the washers is to allow for wear over time. So basically you're prematurely wearing your washers to the point of "worn out". Well done

[@MyGplay]

dougal445 worn in*

[@ghidfg]

I doubt it can get too worn out. The most it can wear is to the point of being flush with the pivot bushing, which would be just fine. anything more would introduce blade play. But I don't think it can wear past the pivot bushing because at that point the liners wouldn't be putting any pressure on the washers, so there wouldn't be any friction to cause further wear. In the video he recommends thinning the washers just short of becoming flush with the pivot bushing, so I don't see a problem.

[@Robs_Nerdy_Knives]

This was amazing and really helped me out. Taking your time and being patient is the key. My Umnumzaan is smooth and easy to flick open and almost drop shut close.

[@oXObsidianXo]

At over $400 you would think that they would make sure that this "feature" is already smooth as can be.

[@karlizen4990]

ikr? how much extra work would the factory workers have to do to just lightly strop each washer before assembly? took this guy 30 seconds.

[@AkihaMotors]

I think they won't do that for washer wear down by using is naturally?

[@roningraves6563]

They actually do do this already at Reeve. They just don’t do it as much, so that the remaining wear on the washers is done by the customer, usually during the first couple weeks. That way they don’t overdo it and negativity affect the knife’s tolerances. What your seeing here in this video is just a way to accelerate the natural breaking in period. It doesn’t mean the knife isn’t properly setup from the factory.

[@roningraves6563]

Raj Patel ???

[@nikolaospavlou]

@@roningraves6563 give the man his refund

[@jdavis882]

That is by design. Instead of needing locktite to keep the screws tight, CRK designed the screws to gall (stick) against the Ti when tightened to prevent them from loosening. Ingenious feature.

[@jdavis882]

If you can't crank it down all the way then your washers are either still a TAD too thick, or one of them is pinched. Make sure you assembled correctly, and if so take just a TINY bit more off of the washers. Remember, you can always take more off, but you can't add back on. If you do screw up, you can sand down the bushing ever so slightly to even things back up. :)

[@aljr357]

So opening and closing the knife multiple times would get the same affect without possibility of screwing up your knife

[@judegrant4769]

Exactly

[@robertfarris4969]

I would wait for the knife to break in , but this is a good tutorial for those who want smoothness rite away

[@jojojaykay]

Isn't part of the draw to CRK the fact that the tolerances are so tight that it's supposed to be extremely smooth? At such a price for a production blade you still have to tinker with, what are you paying for?

[@karlizen4990]

ikr? it's so funny crk fans come up with double standards w/ these knives vs other production knives, "Chris Reeves keeps their S30v intentionally soft so you can sharpen in the field easily!"

[@LowenKM]

@@karlizen4990 Aka, "It's not a _flaw..._ it's a _'Feature'."_ ;-p

[@BobDyl]

9 years later... thank you for this, it worked perfectly.

[@jdavis882]

Awesome, glad to hear it!

[@DarthVirtus]

"It's not hard at all, but it leaves you with a result that's pretty amazing." That's not what she said.

[@quim1970]

A huge thanks for this video man, my small sebenza was pretty much unusable from the factory and had been relegated to life in drawer. It really chewed thumbs before this mod, I didn't take it quite as far as yours but it is now piston smooth.

[@jdavis882]

Yep polishing the washers alone will definitely make it smoother! It won't do much to the force it takes to open it, but smoother it will be for sure. Awesome!

[@davematic1]

maybe its just me but, i can hear the difference when the lock bar engages. don't own a Sebenza but i can see this technique being helpfull with other knives. thanks for sharing

[@Iives.eIon-tesIa.24]

I took mine apart and it did make it substantially smoother, I probably could have taken the washers down a little farther but I knew I was treading on thin ice so I stopped where I did. It worked out good and thanks for the info.

[@quikblack350]

If you're into precision you can (using your micrometer) measure the tang thickness and pivot bushing length. Then you can subtract the tang thickness from the pivot bushing length then divide that result by 2. That will give you just how much you need take off of each the bronze washers.

[@borthewolf3376]

Nice Video and a good tip, thanks. But... I fully agree with your remark that "A little bit goes along way" but that is not a little bit of grease you are applying. And if you want a real smooth knife use a single drop of a light machine oil instead. Grease on the washers will make it less smooth, it dampens the movement of the blade. Phosphorus Bronze is self lubing and does not need any grease at all. The only reason why I use some light oil on the washers is to keep dirt out. The oil is supposed to fills small voids if any. Please do not use paper for a final clean up. Paper is abrasive and much rougher than your polishing compound. Ask anyone with glasses. After cleaning your glasses a few times with paper towels you have to buy new lenses because they have gone opaque. Use a none abrasive, clean cotton cloth instead. A light solvent like rubbing alcohol may help the process.

[@jamesstephenson2346]

Ya... real neat fucking story goofball. Crk sends grease and recommends you use that, not your beloved machine oil. I, and most users, will trust Chris reeve knives over some geek on youtube whining about glasses, who doesnt even understand that oil holds dirt, not repels it.

[@jdavis882]

Swinging freely isn't the goal, the added smoothness is. The knife I did in the video doesn't swing freely, yet it's MUCH smoother than any sebenza I've ever handled, and I've handled hundreds.

[@ranger5281]

Excellent! Super idea. Clearly communicated. Thanks for posting this.

[@joker42179]

Thank you for this video. Just got a Sebenza and wasnt quite impressed with how smooth it was. After doing this mod I cant seem to put the knife down. It now feels every bit of a $400 knife now. My top washer was 0.042 and the lockside was 0.041. Before if I cranked the pivot down it was just stupid hard to open, now after taking them both down to 0.040 like you advised I can crank down on the pivot and the action is silky smooth and the blade falls free just like yours when unlocked.

[@torreyintahoe]

0.40 mm

[@glytch5]

Definitely should have cleaned off those washes, he has contaminated his strop with 2000 grit aluminum oxide. The edgepro glass will go out of flat if its been used alot to flatten stones.... if I were him I would have been sure to use the side I haven't done any lapping on yet!

[@jdavis882]

Yep just a few extra minutes of work can make a world of difference in these knives. Wish more companies did this extra step before sending the knives out. Then again if they did that I wouldn't get to do it. :D

[@jamesstephenson2346]

You want to pay 50 bucks more per knife? They charge for everything they do. SHOULD it be done at the sebenzas cost? Yup. But its not and they still sell a million of em

[@jdavis882]

It would be SUPER fun to try of telfon washer in a sebenza. I can only imagine how smooth it could be. I think the pivot bushing would accept the compression force before you could squish the washers too badly, given that they are fit correctly of course. It would be fun to try for sure.

[@PlankGFX]

I wish someone made Teflon washers for the sebenza

[@jamesstephenson2346]

​@PlankGFX you realize they arent a special size, roght? Theres several sites that sell them.

[@xxICAxx1]

Basically did this to my para 2 by shaving down the bushing to get rid of play then polished my washers, blade, and liners around the pivot area. its muuuuuuuch smoother and rock solid now!

[@christapherdane]

hmmm.... I can see how making the bushing and the washer the same thickness will make the knife more smooth.... That being said, using 2000 grit sandpaper esentially gives the washer a mirror flatness / smoothness especially adding the stropping. The friction loss of the polishing I would say does most of the work.

[@jdavis882]

Video of?

[@jdavis882]

Forgot to say, looseness doesn't really equal smooth. I've handled sebenzas that were really loose, like floppy if you took the pressure off the lock bar. Those floppy knives weren't even close to being as smooth as these are after the treatment. :)

[@jdavis882]

I've actually done this to a few PM2's and it worked well. But, in my experience (probably 3/4 of all PM2's I've owned, which is 15+ now) the washers on that PM2 come under sized, which requires the reverse of this. I sand down the bushing instead of the washers to make them fit. But yea, like you said it will work on any of those knives. With this trick I can make ANY PM2 swing freely without having any blade play. :)

[@drumrboy80]

I don't have a seb, but instead I mirror polished the blade side of the washer and the part of the blade that contacts the washer, on my startac umnum..made a huge difference. Feels like its gliding on glass rather than the hydraulic feel it had before

[@ccooper8040]

JD Would just stropping (and not sanding) the the bearings to a mirror finish make the action smoother? I'm afraid of taking too much off when sanding.

[@NeilTheKnifeGuy]

Just thought I'd chime in and say I tend to polish all my washers on a strop and it does help but that's on knives like Benchmade and Spyderco.

[@mikedifeo8344]

That is exactly what caused the car industry to self destroy. They were arrogant. They knew everything and every body else didn't know shit. They didn't listen, even to their own workers. The Sebenza boys should be thanking you for working out this mod. It makes their knife that much better. I just can't support maufacturers like that. So if they give you a hard time, they can get the good old finger from me.

[@1snowreaper]

I think CRK trys to error on the side of having washers a tad over sized than having them undersized. If Sebenzas were leaving the shop with noticeable blade play that couldn't be fixed than people would probably freak. I like the action on my sebbie to have a little resistance to give it that hydraulic feel. If I can flick it open with just a really light thumb flick then its probably to loose for me.

[@sturner8210]

I did the mod, only I just polished the washers with three diffrent strops coarse, fine, and ultra fine.Put the knife back togehter and WOW huge diffrence. Thanks a bunch keep up the good work. I do have a request I saw in one of your previous vid's that you were digging the insingo. I too dig the insingo I have a large and small both s35vn would love to see the rope test to see if they differ from the regular sebenza. thanks again great video.

[@willd6515]

don't use a circular motion on the washers when sanding , do it like you write the number 8. ( see the CRK visit from blade hq) You will foul up your washers this way.

[@jdavis882]

Yep, figure 8 works better.

[@Hind135]

Just did this following your video. Big difference. Thanks!

[@jdavis882]

I've tried it, and it didn't make any appreciable difference. CRK uses ceramic for their detent, so the lubricity is fairly high in the first place. Once the detent wears a smooth track into the blade (maybe 100 openings) it doesn't get much better, no matter what you do.

[@jdavis882]

Do you have anything other than opinion to support that teflon isn't as durable as phosphor bronze? In a lot of "hard use" knives, teflon is used *because* it is so durable and resilient. It also can't be bent rendering it useless, like PB washers can.

[@khyoon14]

Way too much grease.. you only need a micro layer. Even less grease/lube is required for certain parts of firearms(example: barrel bushing to barrel fit on a 1911), why would anyone think they need that much grease on a knife pivot.

[@Biblicalgiants]

Hey buddy, I just destroyed my Sebenza 21. Now what?

[@jdavis882]

I've done something similar with other knives. A pivot bushing isn't needed to make it smoother. It's just a little different process.

[@jdavis882]

Yeah the caliper isn't needed, it's just a precaution I used for demonstration purposes. :)

[@jdavis882]

They fit each knife like this, but sometimes they don't get fit perfectly. My guess would be that they are just rushing through it.

[@asilaydying1984]

its not something that should necessarily be done by the factory some people do not want the blade to swing freely as its much easier to close it on your finger, its a matter of preference

[@36trooper]

Any lack of "smoothness" comes from the detent ball sliding on the blade. Not the washers. As you close the knife, lift up the lockbar so the detent ball doesn't touch the blade and feel the smoothness. If it is perfectly smooth, this mod won't help. Just use it and it'll smooth out on it's own.

[@wolfganghaeussler]

Excellent video John, thank you for sharing your knowledge. I want to buy a Sebenza, but I'm not sure which one to go for the 21 or 25. Will the tips and tricks you show in this video also apply to the 25?

[@jamesstephenson2346]

Yes

[@bower230]

I polish all my washers as some come with burrs on them. Great video.

[@jdavis882]

Don't you love it? SO fun to change your stuff to make it suit you better.

[@jdavis882]

@nemesisazn I have, didn't seem to do much on the sebenza. There isn't much pinch pressure exerted by the washers, it's mostly all absorbed by the bushing. :)

[@jdavis882]

Yeah it's pretty well fit for a production knife. It's not on par with CRK, but close for production. :)

[@SharpStuff112]

I have alot more respect for the price of these knives after watching how complicated the pivot point is.

[@SouthCarolinaMike]

I love the Manix2 MoonGlow edition sitting in the corner of this video, I just got one of the first editions EDC Forums, it's a sweet blade. I had to go get mine to play with it while watching this.

[@SNAFU111999]

I did the mod, mirror polished both sides of the washers, VERY smooth now but I still can't crank down the pivot all the way. Great tutorial because I got a stiff and off-center sebenza.

[@jdavis882]

@joker42179 Thanks for the comment. Love hearing when this works for someone. Makes the sebenza a whole new knife! :)

[@jdavis882]

Well, to be fair you actually can request things such as this, although you have to wait for them to make the knife, which can take 6 months or more. Most prefer to buy the ready made knives that they pump out though.

[@WeaversofEternity]

Hey man, I plan on doing this mod to my Sebenza as soon as my ordered micrometer comes in. So, I'm sure that the thickness of the washers differs slightly on most 21's. So, am I correct to assume that the washer+blade+washer thickness needs to be equal to that of the bushing? Or should I do the same as you did and just remove .01 mm from my washers?

[@illsnipeya]

Not to be "that guy", but how do you know the additional smoothness wasn't dude to the amount of grease you applied during the process?

[@jdavis882]

Because once the knife is lubricated, simply adding more grease doesn’t make it smoother. You could add so much grease that it was spilling out of the sides, and it wouldn’t get any smoother.

[@sotto2382]

Excellent vid and info. Just what I needed for my brand new Inkosi.

[@jdavis882]

Be careful, go slow, check often. It’ll work great!

[@huejanus5505]

You can polish the washers and contact points on the blades of any knife for smoother performace. I wrongly assumed it would be already be done on my hand finished sebenza.

[@mikedifeo8344]

Well then for the price they sell that knife, the consumer should have the option of which one he/she prefers. You see when you buy these knives, you are buying the cream of the crop, almost at custom level, so the service should reflect it. As far as I am concerned it does not.

[@EquestriaDJ]

I thought the thumbnail was the person making a pop filter for recording.

[@jdavis882]

@christapherdane It's actually the other way around with the sebenza. Fitting the washers to the bushing is probably 80% of the battle, the polishing is the other 20. I tried just polishing, and it doesn't give nearly the same results as the fitting alone.

[@jdavis882]

@PersonalDefense Haha thanks for stopping by brother!

[@edged_mindset]

Ah, I was close!....kind of...not really. Great vid, I am always doing this kind of stuff to my knives.

[@jdavis882]

Well of course you don't want them to have blade play, but why couldn't they do this without blade play? I sure can, so definitely they can. This trick doesn't really make them "loose," as in easier to flick. That knife was easy to flick from the get go because of the strong detent.

[@jdavis882]

Just a cheapo pair from Woodcraft. They wok great for 30 dollars, but I do plan to get a Mitutoyo in the near future.

[@m1ghtysauc3]

I'm thinking I lucked up. My large Insingo passes the rope test and blade fall test, and all I'm using for lube is mineral oil.

[@fulie1]

Very very cool. Common sense after you brought it to light but great job thinking of it.

[@Menovade]

awesome vid, thanks for taking the time to make it!

[@36trooper]

You can certainly avoid the break in process with this mod. I use my Seb daily and without the lockback contact the blade will "fall" open. In that case there already is zero resistance. If the knife came extra stiff from the factory, as some do, you can afford to remove material from the washers. But, as in my case, if the pivot is already "butter", removing material won't make it any smoother and could introduce unwanted play. It's great tutorial, but that stipulation should be made clear.

[@jdavis882]

It's a myth, flicking doesn't hurt the knife at all. Chris Reeve himself recently flicked the shit out of a sebenza more than 8,000 times with no damage at all. He posted the pics on the forums. Flicking does nothing to the knife.

[@jdavis882]

I think the opposite will happen. I whole heartedly anticipate this video being posted on the forums, and subsequently I will be ripped apart by the fan boys. They will say that I am ruining the knife or that I am arrogant because I think I know better than CRK. That's why I was hesitant to post this video in the first place, but then I figured to hell with being censored.

[@drumrboy80]

Exactly! ..another cool thing about owning high end knives is getting to tinker with them. Did you get my pm btw?

[@TYB439]

What if you just polished (stropped) the washers without sanding? What about just stropping both sides of the washers? What about stropping with .025 diamond? Would that help?

[@asilaydying1984]

I got you, i just dont think its a lack of them skipping steps just maybe not what they are going for, but who knows I am just guessing.

[@asilaydying1984]

I understand my comment was meant toward mikedifeo just to put another perspective on it mine is pretty smooth but not as smooth as the way you made that one

[@jdavis882]

@Daft Slice Perfect. Detent pressure isn't affected. :)

[@1snowreaper]

Wonder if if would be possible to replace the washer with teflon washers. I think Hinderer has some of the smoothest feeling knives out there and it would be interesting to see some teflon washers on a bushing system. Although they might be too soft and squishy to work.

[@jamesstephenson2346]

You could, if you want cheap shitty plastic on your knife.

[@LocoDirewolf]

I definitely want to try this! I own a older Sebenza that has solid washers, but I don't think that would make any difference though.

[@MrTIPPY30]

thank you. a few years into knifes and reaching a point of looking hard at Chris Reeve knives. Think you are a very clever dude.

[@tommy62z]

So, does CR do this if purchased new? Sore thumb, doesn’t open smoothly at all. A lot of money for a knife that should open smoothly

[@jdavis882]

Well, that’s a hard one to answer. Sometimes they’re glass smooth, sometimes they aren’t. Many of the ones that aren’t smooth benefit a lot from being taken apart, cleaned, and relubed with CRK grease. I’d try that first.

[@bullseye0169]

It's too bad that this only works with knives that have bushings in the pivot area. I'd love to be able to do this to all my knives but I don't own any Sebenza for 1 and the only knives that do have a pivot bushing in it is my Manix2 that I know of.

[@BennyCFD]

For a $350 dollar knife It should come from the factory damm near perfect.

[@jorgesolana9560]

+BennyCFD nah. These are high end production knives. Chris Reeve won't look at every single knife before it leaves the factory, it's just not possible. Now if this were a handmade custom, then yes... it should be perfect.

[@jerstolp1]

it does

[@jerstolp1]

it does

[@karlizen4990]

it doesn't have to be CR, any of his quality control workers could've looked at each knife before they leave the factory. Shit, factories do that to $30 knives I don't see how a $400 knife should be exempt.

[@TYB439]

Can anything be done to lighten up the lockbar force, to make it easier to disengage lockup?

[@jdavis882]

@Daft Slice Perfect, since this doesnt affect the detent whatsoever.

[@NSW15355]

I found out that the CRK Grease gives it a smooth, but "resistant" feel, by the nature of that grease. Greases like Nano Grease, a lithium grease, make it smooth but give it a slippery feel.

[@jamesstephenson2346]

Why do you think you know better than crk?

[@rkdiddy]

Thank you for posting this. What knife is at the top right of the screen (looks pale green or tan)? Thanks!

[@duvaldrummer]

I wonder if this would work the same for my orange para 2?? I have a plain black g10/satin blade para that I can crank down the pivot and have it swing freely. But if I do the same to the orange one, its like tightening a normal pivot all the way.

[@bigbubba5037]

I did pretty much the same thing with my Large Sebenza. I took about a 4000grit arkansas stone and it took about two minutes. I didn't use a micrometer i just used touch and common sense of when to stop. Amazing results too.

[@TheMachine856]

very interesting i think ill try this thanks for the idea as always keep up the good videos

[@TheStig000]

Do you think they made the washers slightly bigger because they were correcting for wear over time on the washer? Or was it simply seen as a non-issue for them? I'm not even sure if the washers will wear over time, but that's my first thought.

[@edged_mindset]

K, haven't watched the video yet. But my prediction is you relieve some of the lockbar tension. Let's see if I'm right!

[@jdavis882]

The smalls are sweet, love em!

[@edged_mindset]

or wait, maybe you sand the inside/sides of the bushing?!

[@jdavis882]

Well, yes and no. CRK does hand fit each knife, but they probably do too many knives per day to make sure each one is fit *perfectly* like you said. :)

[@socomelite1]

good vid. I actually did this a while ago, but I just used flitz metal polish on the washers. Works like a champ. I'm scared that many will try this and mess their blade up though. Just make sure you don't have any blade play. Most knives have play, but people don't know it because the lock keeps pressure on the blade and hides it. Open the knife and hold the lock off the blade then wiggle the blade. I bet you'll find play in framelocks you didn't know existed. Like he says, go super slow

[@AB-these-handles-are-stupid]

Does help, I dont think that I took enough off of the washers, but I will do it again. I have a non digital kinda crappy caliper so I was super extra cautious, Will leave another comment when I do it again. Thank you!!!

[@jdavis882]

Hope you are happy with the results!

[@jdavis882]

OUCH. What happened?

[@jseden]

All of the resistance on my new 31 comes from the lock bar tension. The blade falls freely if I push it out to the point of breaking contact.

[@jdavis882]

Yep some are like that. The 31 pivot is a bit different. This mod doesn’t really apply to the 31 anyway. Glad yours is smooth! I have done a smoothness mod to the 31, it’s just a different technique.

[@SnwBrdFrvr]

how do you know if the pivot bushing "matters" if it's in backwards? i took mine apart before i watched your vid and seen that it sometimes matters. Also didn't think the screws mattered but i noticed some fit snugger then others. Do you think those matter? if so would you want the tightest or loosest one in the pivot?

[@roy7420]

I do this to all my knives only thing different that I do is I use the 3000 grit sandpaper and after I use my strop I use mothers polish and I get it to a fine mirror polish and it makes it super smooth its awesome...thanks John

[@StagnantMizu]

Can i use cape coth cloth?

[@LowenKM]

Aren't these like $300-500 'Designer' knives... that apparently still require some 'adjusting'?!!

[@jdavis882]

It didn’t need adjusting technically. It was a very smooth, solid knife. This mod just takes it from feeling like a super high end production knife, to feeling like a custom that was hand tuned.