About the kick on my GEC #57...

[Omega Leather Works]

On my Halfwhitt, anyone know how far I can grind it down to lower the main wharncliffe into the frame?

I use the pen blade mostly, and the main sticks waaaay up.

I can take pics if that would help. Is there a good method to measure the clearance for a closed blade?

This will be my first attempt, and I really don't want to screw up my $80 knife.

Thanks guys!

 

[Planterz]

When it comes to filing down a kick, a little goes a long way. Don't use a grinder or Dremel or anything like that. Use a diamond or coarse stone, and check how the blade sits closed frequently.

There are a couple things to understand about such a procedure:

One is that upon snapping closed, the blade can hit the backspring, either at the tip, or where the spring pin goes through the spring and causes a hump inside the knife. That's why you want to go slowly and keep checking. If you go too far, it's not the end of the world. Reprofile the edge, or just keep using it and sharpening it and eventually you'll wear enough of the blade away that it no longer hits. In the meantime, ease the blade closed rather than letting it snap.

Second, filing down the kick will likely make it so the backspring is no longer flush with the liners/handles when the knife is closed. This doesn't affect the function of the knife, but it affects the aesthetics. If this is a concern for you, just leave the kick alone.

 

[Jack Black]

^ Good advice :thumbup:

 

[Omega Leather Works]

Thanks Aaron, that's some great info. :thumbup:

I'd didn't consider that the spring wouldn't be flush any longer. That would probably bother me...

But! If I do decide to go for it, do you have any idea on how much of a lowering I might expect? I know that it depends on the knife, but since I've never done this in have no idea what to expect. When you file the kick, what do you typically see in terms of how low you've seen a blade go? If it's going to be something like 1/16" I'm not interested at all. If you've seen 1/4" that might be worth investigating.

Lastly, does anyone have a known way to measure the gap while the blade is closed? I don't really want to try and err.

 

[Will Power]

Not really sure why you need to do this...Wharncliffe blades with their 'arched back' will always stick up a lot more than other types. As Aaron pointed out, the tip of the blade could very well end up banging on the spring. (particularly as it's serpentine) There's not a lot of room inside the HW frame, it being single-spring, so 'changes' could wreak havoc...The joints are near sunk and the spring satisfyingly flush in open&closed on mine. I've lowered Sheepfoot blades on Stockman knives, generally with good results. I say generally, because an early attempt on a CASE Med Stockman with very nice bone resulted in messing up the springs, horrible in the hand even when shut It became the car knife but taught me caution. In this case, I really advise against any filing, once it's gone you can't get it back......

 

[Planterz]

If you squeeze the blade in, you can see how far it'll go, and what it'll look like. Just remember that the snap of the blade closing will still smack the edge or tip against the spring even if you don't file down the kick to that point (it's too quick to see, but the blade snaps beyond its closed resting position).

Also, if you decide to go ahead, tape up the blade. Not just so you won't cut yourself, but also in case you accidentally hit the edge with the stone or file.

 

[r8shell]

The wharncliffe blade on my geppetto whittler sat a tiny bit high- I could catch the tip with my finger, and thought it might tear up my pockets. No kidding about going slow. One light pass with a needle file, check where it's sitting. repeat. Think about the geometry of an arc, a tiny adjustment at the inside is quite a distance to the outside.

But if it's just a matter of comfort with the height of the spine, You might want to carry it and use it for a while. Maybe it's just not a pattern you're used to.