A very stiff Case xx Sodbuster

MTHall720

MTHall720

Joined
Sep 21, 2010
Messages
2,957
I have already tried my usual assortments of lubes, plus opening it a number of times, but it takes an amazing amount of force to open it. Almost feels like some King Kong strength spring. I know that with traditionals having good "snap" is supposed to be good but this is crazy.
The only other thing I can think of is what I have done with some strong Cold Steel knives which is to leave the knife open with the blade at about a 45 degree angle for several days.

Any ideas
 
Does the pivot feel rough or gritty at all? I'd seen one sod buster knife that had small bits of brass bound up in the pivot, which made it very stiff and gritty-feeling. Similar issues could be caused by abrasive grit from the factory sharpening/polishing process getting bound up in the pivot.

On that note, is this a new knife? If so, it may be worth returning it for a warranty fix/replacement.

Another thought: I have an Eye Brand sodbuster (large one) with the synthetic yellow/brown handles. I noticed early on, it has alignment problems that really seem to make the pivot bind up when opening/closing the blade. In fact, the liners on either side of the blade actually warp a bit when exercising the pivot, which seems to indicate the pivot isn't truly perpendicular to the long axis of the handle. I've sometimes suspected issues like this causing blade centering issues on this simply-designed and constructed pattern. No shortage here on the forum, of similar complaints about modern liner/frame lock knives that've been disassembled and re-assembled, only to have the handle skew create off-centering issues with the blade or mis-alignment of the locking mechanism.


David
 
Thanks much for your thoughts David. Doesn't seem to be gritty to me. I put in some BM Blue lube and WD40 followed by Nano Oil a few days later. This is a Case made maybe in the 90's. a thick, stout, full length blade. I think centering not too bad.
 
If it is just an uber-strong spring, don't know if there's much that can be done. I think if it were mine, I'd at least make sure the pivot is as clean as can be. If you haven't already done so, a bath in hot water and dish detergent, while exercising the pivot multiple cycles, might flush out any residual gunk/grit that may be adding friction. Over time, the pivot may loosen up anyway, and that may help in the long run. It's not uncommon for the pivots on soddies to loosen up over time anyway.


David
 
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