Bad Commander Lock-Again

[Medic1210]

Here is a pic from another angle. You can clearly see where the edge of the liner has actually been rounded off. I believe this is why the lock wasn't secure, and would disengage with minimal pressure.

Mike

 

[biogon]

Originally posted by baraqyal
I have a CQC7b-wave that has a slipping liner.

I have a light grey material that seems to build up on the ramp (part of the blade that touches the locking liner). I have the feeling that it is Titanium from the liner which is slowly being worn away.

The liner has slowly moved its way across the ramp. When I first got the knife, it locked up at around 15%. Now it's at 85-90% of the way across.
-- Rob

I have this problem with every titanium liner knife I've had, including a Buck/Strider mini with very thick liners. Weird... after a few days, it moved from 1/2 way across the tang to almost 5/6. I had them modify and replace the liner to fix this issue, and it held ever since. Joe @ Buck is great.

I didn't like that whole thing, which is why I'm staying away from 0.050" class titanium linerlocks now. They frighten me. (Framelocks, AXIS locks, even steel liner locks seem more reliable. The AR/GB doesn't count, as its "liner" is equivalent to a regular framelock )

Also, it has come up a few times that the AR/GB's lockbar mating area has actually been hardened somehow, which is why it has the mottled color. Not sure how they do this with titanium.

The weird thing is that steel liner knives like the MT LCC also leave the grey dust, but it doesn't seem to eat away at the lockbar mating area.

FWIW.

-j

 

[baraqyal]

Holy crap, medic, that is exactly what my CQC7's liner looks like.

I wish I knew more about liner locks. I don't understand what would cause this.

My mini-commander is still perfect with probably 5 times as much use. So strange.

As for using a larger stop pin: I don't think it is a fix - it would only work for a while, until the liner was worn down again. A larger stop pin would just force the knife further forward.

Let me know how it turns out, Medic. I'd like to send mine in.

Thanks,

-- Rob

 

[Medic1210]

Unfortunately, I believe the titanium liner is softer than the hardened steel of the blade tang, and given the "rough" finish of the tang, the liner is just destined to wear out. I believe Chris Reeve had this problem with their locking bar. Their fix was to heat treat, and possibly coat with Titanium Oxide, the tip of the locking bar to a Rc greater than the blade tang. I think the uneven wear on my liner is from it making contact at an angle, and not perfectly square. This will eventually wear down the softer metal (liner), thus making a sloppy lock contact. Given the way the liner is worn more at the bottom suggests that the liner is only making contact with the blade tang at the bottom in full lock position. I believe this is just a manufacturing flaw, and hopefully EKI has resolved the problem. I will see on Friday 13th. Will keep you posted.

Mike

 

[ErikD]

I just took mine apart, cleaned it up, and lubed it. I then reassembled, and the play was still there. I then decided to wave it open as hard as I could, and guess what?? The play is gone. I then tried to open it slowly, and still no more play. WTF, I tried this before I broke down the knife, and no dice. Whats up??

 

[Medic1210]

Originally posted by ErikD
I just took mine apart, cleaned it up, and lubed it. I then reassembled, and the play was still there. I then decided to wave it open as hard as I could, and guess what?? The play is gone. I then tried to open it slowly, and still no more play. WTF, I tried this before I broke down the knife, and no dice. Whats up??

Give it time, it'll return. I experienced about the same thing as you, and it came back. Three times later, and my knife was at EKI for repair. Save yourself the trouble, and just send the knife to them.

Mike

 

[Medic1210]

Just an update. I received my Mini Commander back from EKI today, and they replaced the liner. I just hope it doesn't develop the same problem as the first, but only time will tell. Also, as an "atta boy" to EKI warranty dept, I have to give them props for the job well done. I received my knife back, and if it weren't for the slight wear on the BT2 on my original blade, I would swear they gave me a new knife. They used new screws, pivot screw, and even a new clip. In fact I'm not even sure if the whole knife isn't new except for the blade. This is what I call going above and beyond. Keep up the good work EKI.

Mike