How to Fix Tactical Knives

Stripping and Cleaning

• 1

  Determine the kind of screws or bolts that are holding your tactical folding knife together and select a corresponding driver bit in the correct size -- many tactical knives use torx or hex bolts for ease of stripping.

• 2

  Strip your knife by carefully unscrewing all fasteners holding the knife together. Place them on a sheet of paper towel so that you can easily identify and retrieve them later. Remove the blade, washers and retaining bolt from the center of the knife and carefully set them on the paper towel.

• 3

  Use your cloth rags or paper towels to remove any dirt, grit or rust that has built up inside the handle and locking mechanism. Apply a drop of machine oil to a clean paper towel and lightly coat any moving parts or exposed metal -- including the locking mechanism and interior liners.

• 4

  Using a piece of steel wool, lightly brush the stripped fasteners, washers and hardware to remove any dirt or corrosion. For extreme corrosion use a piece of 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper to clean the part. Wipe down with a light coating of machine oil.

• 5

  Clean the blade carefully with a rag, paying special attention to the part of the blade that is usually obscured by the handle. Ensure that all surfaces are free of debris and corrosion.

• 6

  Re-assemble your knife in the opposite order that you dissembled it, being sure not to damage or upset the locking mechanism. Tighten all fasteners, except for the bolt upon which the blade pivots. Leave this loose enough that the blade opens easily, but not so loose that the blade moves under pressure in the locked position.

Fixing a Loose Liner Lock

• 7

  Make sure your locking mechanism is clean and well lubricated by stripping and cleaning your knife as discussed in the previous section. For assisted opening or automatic tactical knives, consult the manufacturer before attempting to dismantle or repair your knife.

• 8

  Re-assemble your knife and then fold it into the open position. Observe the way your knife locks into place and pay close attention to how the springing section of the liner engages with the base of the blade. If your blade locks but is still loose, use your screwdriver set to adjust the tightness on the blade pivot bolt. Alternately tighten and loosen until you find a place where the knife deploys quickly and easily, but does not move or wobble when fully locked in position.

• 9

  If your lock is still loose, the lock may not be extending far enough out to hold the blade in place. Insert the end of a flat screwdriver in between the springing part of the liner lock and the handle and use it as a lever to bend the spring out slightly. Be careful not to over bend or break the spring. Open and close the lock and observe the results.

• 10

  If your lock is still not engaging, the top of the locking spring or the bottom of the blade may have worn down over time and will need to be replaced entirely. Contact the manufacturer about replacing the liner or blade.

Sharpening and Dressing the Bevel

• 11

  Examine the blade of your knife for dents and nicks along the cutting edge. Places where the thin material has rolled over, creating a dull spot, will be clearly visible in a bright light when looking directly down the center of the blade. If you knife is simply dull, it will need only a light sharpening, but if it has been dented or chipped it will need to be dressed aggressively to restore the cutting edge.

• 12

  Splash enough water on the coarse side of your wet stone to cover the surface.

• 13

  With the handle of your knife in your right hand, lay the flat of the blade down on the face of the stone with the cutting edge facing away from you. If your knife is significantly longer than the width of your stone, hold the knife at a slight angle so that more of the blade is laying on the surface.

• 14

  Slowly angle the blade by rolling your right wrist forward, raising the spine of the blade off the stone and bringing the cutting edge into contact with the stone. The more acute your angle is, the finer the edge of the blade will be, but the less it will hold up to abuse. For most tactical knives a 15-20 degree angle will work well.

• 15

  Place the fingers of your left hand on the flat of the blade to steady the knife and slowly begin sharpening by sliding the cutting edge of the blade along the coarse side of the stone. Keep the angle of your wrist consistent for the length of the stroke and then return the blade to the starting point, maintaining the same angle. Do not change your angle at any point -- this is one of the most difficult and crucial parts of hand sharpening. Wet the stone frequently.

• 16

  After twenty strokes, examine the underside of your knife blade. You should see consistent abrasion marks from the stone along the entire cutting edge. Scrape a fingernail from the spine of the blade out to the cutting edge of the knife along the flat of the blade. When you reach the cutting edge, you may feel the metal catching on your fingernail -- this is called the bur, the ragged edge of metal that has folded over the blade from sharpening. If you do not feel a bur along the entire length of the blade, continue sharpening until you do, keeping track of how many strokes you have made.

• 17

  Flip the blade over the repeat the sharpening process on the other side of the cutting edge, starting with twenty strokes. Examine the edge of your blade for any sign of the bur on either side. Continue sharpening on the same side until the bur has either folded over to the other side or disappeared all together

• 18

  Turn your stone over to the fine side and wet it down. Using light strokes, repeat the same sharpening procedure one both sides until the bur is completely gone and the bevels on both side are even. Test the blade's edge by cutting a piece of thick rope or rolled paper and compare against a blade of known sharpness. Repeat until desired sharpness has been reached.

• 19

  If your blade is badly chipped or dented, use the same procedure described above, but spend considerably more time working on the coarse stone -- sharpen with the same angle until the dent or chip has been entirely ground away. Continue sharpening on the fine stone until the bur has been removed and the desired sharpness reached.