#77 Barlow stuck closed - why?

Ted01

Ted01

Joined
Jul 23, 2011
Messages
114
I just got a GEC #772115 Barlow today, and it was in perfect condition. I oiled the joints with camellia oil and worked it open and closed some, with very little grit coming out. Then suddenly it got very resistant to opening or closing. I felt like I had to push the blade through some heavy resistance to get it closed, instead of the blade snapping shut normally. Now I can barely get the blade open without breaking my fingernail, and it resists the whole way. Any idea what is going on? It just happened suddenly while I was opening and closing the blade a few times.

GEC 772115.jpg
 
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I've heard it can become sticky/rigid. Doubt it could become so in such a short amount of time though..
 
A major burr in the spring or blade where the joint is perhaps? Metal shaving wedged between spring and blade?

Let us know what happens.
 
I had very thin and visible burrs on my micarta 77, from either the springs or liners, when it first arrived. Yours probably had the same thing.

My guess is that plenty of oil, and plenty of opening and closing of the blade, will eventually float out the burr. Or just send it in to GEC.
 
If you send it to GEC, they will take care of it. It sounds like there's something in the joint. Speculation on my part, but GEC will fix it for you.
 
Thanks all. I figured something must be going on inside the joint and I didn't want to cause any damage by opening and closing the knife more, so I stopped. I'll talk to GEC and get it sorted.
 
Ted01 said:
Thanks all. I figured something must be going on inside the joint and I didn't want to cause any damage by opening and closing the knife more, so I stopped. I'll talk to GEC and get it sorted.
Click to expand...

They'll take care of it, have no fear.
 
GEC is on top of it. The knife is in the mail. Such great knives, and great customer service.
 
I just got a stag #77 that had some buffing compound on the springs. Flushed it with some Hoppes and its silky now!
GEC will sort everything out for you no problems!
 
I've had a CSC Boy's Knife and a Northwoods Everyday Barlow that both had some serious metal shavings in the pivot/back spring area. Cleaning them required WD-40, oil, soapy water, even freezing for a little while to get everything on the CSC to shrink. It'll come out eventually, though. At one point, I had to wrap the tips of needle nose pliers and use them to pull the blade out. But, that stuff works its way out eventually.
 
GEC fixed the knife, free of charge. But the knife that came back to me had some flaws that weren't there when I sent them the knife. There was a dent on the African blackwood cover; there were two shallow half-moon shaped dents on the liner edge near the butt of the knife (it looked like those dents must have been made before the covers were attached, because the dents did not carry over to the immediately adjacent wood on the covers); there was a scuff mark on the blade; and too much of one of the wood covers was sanded away so the edge of the wood was no longer even all along both sides of the knife. GEC offered to fix it again, but I just fixed 3 of these flaws myself. I steamed out the dent on the cover; I sanded out the two dents on the liner; and I buffed out the scuff mark on the blade. Nothing I can do to put back the excess wood that was sanded away from the edge of the cover, but no biggie. Now it's actually one of my favorite knives.
 
I had a knife from another maker seize up like that. It turned out that the knife was put together without being lubed. The maker took it apart and lubed the pivot and etc. and it worked fine after that.
 
Glad it worked out so that you're pleased with your knife. Always nice to hear a success story, and yet another instance of the folks at GEC standing behind their products. :thumbup:
 
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