Joed, yes the tang is pretty "wedgy" at the pivot hole which may account for the binding. Being that this problem is as common as you say, how do people get around it? Should I file a slight coke bottle shape into the pin where it passes through the tang to relieve the bind or pass a slightly larger drill bit through the tang to relieve the pressure there? Obviously I'm going to have to repin this thing so maybe tearing it apart and "reading" the scratches will answer some questions. Any help from the board is always appreciated. Thanks