Routine care without disassembly

Most of what keeps a Shirogorov running well happens with the screws in place. A wipe after use, a weekly look at a carried knife and a monthly flush of the pivot cover most of what the action and the lock need. This page covers that routine, how it changes with use and environment, and the signs that mean it’s time to stop and look more closely.

After each use

Wipe the blade with a clean microfiber cloth, straight away if you have cut anything acidic or wet, and dry the blade and handle before the knife goes back in a pocket. After salt water, rinse the knife in fresh water, blow the pivot dry with compressed air, dry the rest, and work a drop of thin oil into the pivot.

Weekly, for a carried knife

Open and close the knife a few times. The action should feel the way it did last week, the blade should sit where it sat, and the lock should engage and release the same way. Blow pocket lint out of the pivot and the lock face with compressed air, then wipe the handle. If the action has gone dry, put a small amount of oil on the detent path, cycle the blade and wipe the excess.

Monthly

1. Flush the pivot with thin oil. Put a drop or two of a light knife-pivot oil (KPL or Nano-Oil 10wt) into the pivot on each side, cycle the blade until the oil has carried old residue out, and wipe away what comes with it. Roller systems take less: on a Custom Division or Sprint Run knife with SRRBS, use a single small drop of a lighter Nano-Oil (5wt). Keep WD-40, grease, 3-in-1, silicone spray, food oils and graphite out of the pivot.
2. Blow out the pivot, the lock bar relief and the detent area with compressed air.
3. Wipe the lock face on the tang and the lock bar with a cotton swab dampened in 91–99% isopropyl, and leave the face dry. If the lock still sticks, a trace of graphite or a little Gunny Glide on the contact area is the next step.
4. Check the screws with the right bit. The hardware is proprietary slotted, so use the factory bits in a driver that takes them; snug each screw, don’t crank it, and stop if a screw won’t take the bit cleanly. Tools, supplies and preparation covers the driver.
5. Check the edge and touch it up at the factory angle of 41 to 42 degrees before it needs a regrind. The one exception is the Kami Flipper, which the factory grinds as a chisel edge at about 30 degrees.

How use and environment change the cadence

For a knife that lives in a collection or comes out occasionally, a monthly check of the action and exterior and a lubricant refresh a few times a year are enough. For daily carry, keep the weekly check and the monthly flush as written. For hard use, check the knife after each day out, flush the pivot every couple of weeks and wipe the lock face more often.

Humidity moves everything up a step: oil the blade more often and check the pivot for dryness sooner. Dust calls for more frequent blowing out. Salt water calls for a rinse and oil that day and a full service soon after. Between uses, keep the knife closed in a warm, dry place away from prolonged humidity and aggressive environments.

A new knife, or one you have just tuned, settles over the first few hundred cycles. Leave it alone during that period unless a sign below appears.

Signs that mean stop and look

Four changes tell you the routine is no longer enough: the blade has moved off center when closed and stays there; there is new play, side to side or at the tip; the lock bar sits somewhere different on the tang, sticks, or releases with a different feel; or the action has gone gritty and a flush doesn’t clear it.

When you see one, check the pivot and body screws with the factory bit first, since a screw that has backed off explains most centering and play. Note where the lock bar sits on the tang so you can compare later. If the screws are snug and the sign persists, the knife needs to come apart.

When a full teardown is due

Take the knife down for a full clean and relubrication when a flush stops restoring the action, when grit has reached the bearings, after salt water, or on a schedule that fits the use: yearly for a lightly used knife, every few months for daily carry, sooner under hard conditions. Owner disassembly doesn’t void the warranty, though damage done in the process is excluded; the warranty page has the policy. The procedure, from the first screw to pivot tuning, is on Disassembly, reassembly and pivot tuning.

Questions answered: Service and care FAQ.