Any solutions for lock rock on a liner lock?

[SwissHeritageCo]

I have an MBK liner lock that has developed lock rock. Knife is still perfectly good but it does niggle at me. It's got a lock bar but I believe the problem is coming from the fit of the liner lock on the tang... I'm wondering if I took it apart and bent the liner to try and seat it deeper on the tang, if that would help?

Really not keen on making a fuss and sending it back, figured you wizards might have a solution. Much obliged!

 

[Danke42]

Monterey Bay Knives?

New? Old? Sentimental?

 

[Peter Hartwig]

I would start with cleaning the lock surfaces and making sure all screws are tight

 

[LarryG]

First, try pushing the lockbar over with your finger and see if the lockbar can move over more; if so, determine whether that removes the lock rock. If it does, then the knife is a good candidate for disassembly and increasing lock bar pressure.

 

[J. Doyle]

I would start with cleaning the lock surfaces and making sure all screws are tight

This is step one.

After that, you can try bending the lock bar in a little. *SOMETIMES* that works if it's minor. But beware, it can possibly cause other issues.

After that, the fixes get more complicated and can include peening the lock bar at the contact point and/or installing a larger stop pin. These more complicated fixes will almost certainly require some knowledge and expertise to re-fit and tune the lock and detent. Not advised for the average hobbyist.

 

[bladegrinder]

You might be able to use a small flat punch and peen the end of the lock bar for better lock up, but a word of caution, trying to adjust the lockup on a liner lock using any method is not for the faint of heart, and any work done will be noticed by whoever made it, voiding any warranty it might have it.

 

[bladegrinder]

If you decide to go the peening method, only peen the lower part of the lock bar that contacts the blade, if the upper part of the lock bar…above the detent ball…is making contact more then the lower end you can get lock rock.

 

[SwissHeritageCo]

First, try pushing the lockbar over with your finger and see if the lockbar can move over more; if so, determine whether that removes the lock rock. If it does, then the knife is a good candidate for disassembly and increasing lock bar pressure.

It can indeed move over some, and when it stays over and doesn't snap back to it's original position, the lock rock stops. Cleaning the lock face did help some but it still rocks.

This is a budget version of the MBK old guard so I'm not overly concerned about damaging it, but now I'm having issues with the pivot... in fact tightening the pivot might do it but just stripped my torx trying to open it up so I'm going to have to order a new one Maybe too much loc-tite. I'll update with some photos but the pivot on the other side wants to turn when I try and unscrew the pivot.

In any case, I do appreciate the valuable feedback gentlemen! I won't be peening it, I'll just wait until my new torx arrive and if the simple fixes don't cut it I'll probably just live with it. It's a unique little knife because of the high hardness they ran on this 14c28n, much akin to Larrin's protocol.