A little disappointed in my Case 32087

D

dogstar

Joined
Jan 23, 2011
Messages
4,399
I've been carrying my Case pen knife, splitting time with my Buck 309. The Case is a very handsome knife, probably the best looking knife I own. I love Case's CV steel, which takes a great edge.

When this knife was brand new, the blades had no play in them. Now, I would say they have a significant amount of play, not horrendous, but not minor either. The thing is, I can't remember ever using this knife hard. I've cut a little cardboard, cut some fruit, and some soft foam at work. The most strain the joint underwent was from my smoothing out the toothy factory edge.

I know a little blade play never hurt anything, but I am slightly disappointed.

EDIT: if I squeeze it in a vise, I do so between two pieces of wood?
 
Last edited:
That sounds odd. But, I'd hesitate to put it in a vice, this being only a single spring knife it could all go badly wrong... How was the W&T snap on the knife in the first place?
 
willgoy said:
That sounds odd. But, I'd hesitate to put it in a vice, this being only a single spring knife it could all go badly wrong... How was the W&T snap on the knife in the first place?
Click to expand...

W&T was weak out of the box. I had to lube and break it in. It is average now. Thanks willgoy.
 
In that case, the blade wiggle may have come about when whatever crud was in the joints finally worked itself out.
I'd tighten it up a little, if it really bothers you, but of course it won't hurt anything.
If it keeps getting worse & worse, then it could be a sign of an improperly assembled joint; if the hole in the bolster isn't tapered, then there's nowhere for the pin to expand into when it's peened, allowing the joint to come loose again every time it's tightened. If that's the case, then Case will fix it for you.

Hope this helps......
 
puukkoman is correct, and im leaning towards his first statement. These factories are sometimes in a hurry to push out knives, so they dont take the time to remove the black buffing compounds and other grit from the sanding process, which doesnt seem like a big deal, until you put the knife together with an extra .001 inch of crud. Then when the crud is removed through cutting something like fruit or washing it, youre left with .001 inches of space which leads to blade play.

The vice sounds like a good idea, but do you have a ball and peen hammer by any chance? results could be much smoother
 
I have noticed some weak springs on new Case knives I have looked at lately. I really dont understand how those get by
 
The spring on both of my CASE Penknives (cv & stainless) give excellent snap. This is why I asked Dogstar about the W&T. Weak springs or poor snap often go hand in hand with irritating blade play. My CASE Pens are recent models and I like them a lot.
 
akadave2 said:
I have noticed some weak springs on new Case knives I have looked at lately. I really dont understand how those get by
Click to expand...

Be specific. Which patterns? How many knives have you held and looked at lately?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top