Buck 110LT sold at Walmart - any known issues with weak closing pull?

[Bastler]

Agreed. I was thinking in terms of accessing the pivot end to check for something messing up the works there, as I tend to believe the fit is just a hair too snug there, for the relatively weak pull otherwise. There may or may not be an issue at the spring end as well, but I had pretty well written off trying to fix that for the reason you mention.

My knife seemed like the handle was a touch narrower just past the pivot, like it was pinched. I think the plastic handles were slightly deformed.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

My knife seemed like the handle was a touch narrower just past the pivot, like it was pinched. I think the plastic handles were slightly deformed.

I've been testing the closing by lifting the blade tip about 1/2" - 3/4" from closed position and letting it drop, to see if it closes fully or bounces & holds as I described earlier. I'm noticing what seems like just a hair's worth of narrowing of the handle gap in the same place - maybe some inward handle warp. And interestingly, if I pinch-hold the handle just aft of the pivot, when letting the blade drop, it seems to be more of an issue with the blade not fully closing. If I hold the handle further back at the butt end, the blade seems to close fully more frequently, although still not fully reliably. It's just that hair's worth of 'pinch' in the bladewell, aft of the pivot, that seems to be creating or at least exacerbating the trouble. I still think a more robust closing pull, afforded by a slightly stronger spring under the lock bar, would likely render most of this moot.

 

[Lesknife]

I assume the premise here, in tapping the pin end from each side, is to lightly compress the handle material underneath it and create some miniscule gap that way? I could theoretically see that working, if the FRN/glass-filled handle material allows for a little compression and holds it. Might experiment with that as well, Thanks.

I should have been more descriptive. I put the off side of the pin over a nut or washer while tapping the top side of the pin to allow more space between the handles leaving a minuscule gap at the blade pivot. On my 110 LT the pin has washers on the outside so it probably bends the washer relieving th pressure.

 

[jbmonkey]

want to make sure I'm understanding this.....

if you push it closed, so its closed......does it stay closed or does it pop back up? thanks.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

want to make sure I'm understanding this.....

if you push it closed, so its closed......does it stay closed or does it pop back up? thanks.

It's a bit loose when fully closed, with little or no spring tension holding it closed - meaning sometimes it stays closed and sometimes the tip tends to drift out a bit from the handle. And if the blade is more forcefully snapped shut, it bounces a bit, leaving the tip exposed. There's a transition just past the first few degrees of opening where the handle tends to pinch the tang (ricasso) of the blade a bit. So the looseness allows the tip of the blade to drift out of the handle, after which that pinching effect tends to hold it there unless or until I press it closed again.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I should have been more descriptive. I put the off side of the pin over a nut or washer while tapping the top side of the pin to allow more space between the handles leaving a minuscule gap at the blade pivot. On my 110 LT the pin has washers on the outside so it probably bends the washer relieving th pressure.

I did notice what looked like washers under the heads of the pins and wondered if they might bend or flex a bit to allow a little more wiggle room, as you describe. I'm thinking I'll experiment with your technique a bit, in trying to fix this. Thanks for your explanation.

 

[jstrange]

The one I had did not do this. It did have pretty bad blade wobble, which I tried to correct, with moderate success. I gave it away so I cant say if it would have developed any other issues.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Thought some more about the pinching effect of the 110LT's handle on the blade's ricasso as the blade swings closed.

I used a dial caliper to measure the thickness of the blade's ricasso in the area of the 'kick', where it seems to tighten up as the kick & ricasso enter into the handle's bladewell upon closing. Also used the dial caliper to measure the entry width of the bladewell in the handle, in the same area where the ricasso slides between the handle slabs.

The width of the bladewell near the pivot end is about 0.116" with the blade fully OPEN and locked, and is actually NARROWER than the thickness of the blade's ricasso itself (0.118"). This would account for the obvious friction felt against the closing of the blade, with the ricasso's thickness actually forcing the bladewell opening a bit wider as the blade folds into the handle. I also measured the bladewell opening near the butt end of the handle near the integral backspacer - the opening is wider there, at around 0.125" - 0.127" - than at the pivot end.

I compared these measurements against the same parameters in my Buck 111 (pictured earlier). The blade's ricasso thickness is the same on both, at about 0.118" as measured near the kick. But the bladewell opening on the 111's handle is uniformly at around 0.122" - 0.123" from the pivot end to the butt end. So there's extra space there to minimize closing friction against the ricasso, in the 111's handle.

At the very least, it's becoming easier to understand why my 110LT's blade-closing issues are happening. I still think a slightly stronger spring for the lockbar would or could solve most of the closing-resistance issues. Seems like it just needs a hair more 'pull' in the last degree or two of closing rotation, to render most of this moot.

 

[plb]

I have an older 442 with the black plastic handle with the same problem as your 110LT. I drove a cold chisel down into the blade well to spread apart the handle. It offered immediate relief and the blade began closing completely and easily. A tapered wood shim would also work.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I have an older 442 with the black plastic handle with the same problem as your 110LT. I drove a cold chisel down into the blade well to spread apart the handle. It offered immediate relief and the blade began closing completely and easily. A tapered wood shim would also work.

I was considering some sort of permanent shim idea for this, inside the handle, if it still allowed some clearance underneath the blade's edge when closed. Don't know if that'll work. But it's food for thought. Also considering taking a little steel off the thickness of the ricasso itself, with some sanding/grinding on the back side opposite the side with the Buck stamp - I'd rather not alter that side, if possible. I get the sense that just a little bit of steel taken off would likely make all the difference. Might do that in very small increments to see how it works.

At this point, I don't think sending it back to Buck is likely worthwhile. In order to really fix it cleanly and get it 'as new' again, it'd likely need disassembly & reassembly, which doesn't seem practical here.

 

[Bastler]

Also considering taking a little steel off the thickness of the ricasso itself, with some sanding/grinding on the back side opposite the side with the Buck stamp

I sanded the blade well on mine for a little more clearance after I forced the handles apart. The plastic is easier to sand than the blade.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I sanded the blade well on mine for a little more clearance after I forced the handles apart. The plastic is easier to sand than the blade.

I considered sanding out a portion of the plastic inside the handles, but wasn't optimistic about how the result might look. I'm leaning toward sanding the blade's ricasso because it's more accessible and easier to apply pressure, more evenly. I've used wet/dry sandpaper over hard backing (glass or granite) for stuff like this before on blades and it can come out looking pretty clean when finished. The difference in thickness / space needed is only about 0.002", based on the measurements I took. With an appropriate grit of SiC paper (~320 or lower), 420HC sands at a pretty quick rate of metal removal. And I'll also be able to polish it a bit with a sequence of grits up through 1000-2000. So I don't see it taking a lot of time to remove that little bit of thickness from the ricasso and dress it up a little bit - just enough to reduce the friction between the two surfaces just another hair.

 

[jbmonkey]

I considered sanding out a portion of the plastic inside the handles, but wasn't optimistic about how the result might look. I'm leaning toward sanding the blade's ricasso because it's more accessible and easier to apply pressure, more evenly. I've used wet/dry sandpaper over hard backing (glass or granite) for stuff like this before on blades and it can come out looking pretty clean when finished. The difference in thickness / space needed is only about 0.002", based on the measurements I took. With an appropriate grit of SiC paper (~320 or lower), 420HC sands at a pretty quick rate of metal removal. And I'll also be able to polish it a bit with a sequence of grits up through 1000-2000. So I don't see it taking a lot of time to remove that little bit of thickness from the ricasso and dress it up a little bit - just enough to reduce the friction between the two surfaces just another hair.

if ya like projects......


id just return it to Buck for a replacement.

once ya start workin on it.....its not gonna get replaced under warranty as easily, if at all.
something to keep in mind. if ya dont care I get that too...have at it...update us if ya dont mind on progress...fun project.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

if ya like projects......


id just return it to Buck for a replacement.

once ya start workin on it.....its not gonna get replaced under warranty as easily, if at all.
something to keep in mind. if ya dont care I get that too...have at it...update us if ya dont mind on progress...fun project.

I'm fine with the 'project' aspect - kind of geared that way, in looking for my own ways to fix things if I can. It's part fixing stuff and part educational endeavor to learn something new and improve my own skillsets. For this $20 knife, there's not much risk here in tinkering a bit. I'm fine with that.

 

[Modoc ED]

David Obsessed with Edges - Any update on this?

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

David Obsessed with Edges - Any update on this?

Not yet. Life's been extra busy lately and the free time hasn't availed itself to me. I'll get to it at some point. The discussion here and the clarity it brings to me about the nature of the problem has been helpful.

 

[afishhunter]

Send it in for warranty repair.
FWIW the Buck knives sold at Walmart are exactly the same as those sold at other retailers.

The only exception to this I know of is the white handled 887 Walmart had a few years ago.
The black handled 887 other retailers had, and that Buck sold on their website, were made offshore at that time.
The white handled 887 Walmart had was made in Idaho.
After the Walmart White handle order, the production was moved from China to Idaho, until the 887 was dropped a couple years later.

 

[tommycopper1]

These LT's could be entirely made by a machine they are a cheap Buck. It cannot be easily taken apart. I have loosened blades by washing the knife in warm soapy water. If that does not loosen it up. I put it on a work bench and with a small hammer i hit the bolster and that will definitely loosen it up, don't over do it because the blade will become loose when opened. If that doesn't help then the rod that acts as a spring has bent or was not heat treated correctly. I had replaced the rod with a cut off drill bit that I cut to the same length. The knife works beautiful. This was on a take apart knife.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Bumping this thread, to add an update.

( 08-FEB-2023 - EDITED TO ADD: This knife is still closing consistently, as hoped. Been carrying it in-pocket everyday without issue, since fixing it as described below. )

Was able to get the knife closing more reliably and STAY closed, by doing some sanding to take just a couple thousandths' thickness off the ricasso portion of the blade. I'd commented earlier, the ricasso's thickness was actually 0.002" or so thicker than the accomodating space in the bladewell of the knife. So the ricasso was being pinched by the handle itself upon closing, which added a little too much resistance against the closing pull of the spring. That was leaving the blade tip exposed above the handles on occasion, at one point slicing through the interior fabric of my jeans' right front pocket.

The 'fix':
I had some PSA-backed 180-grit SiC sandpaper on hand at home. I laid a portion of that down at the edge of a granite reference plate and simply laid the blade flat to the sandpaper, sanding in linear passes perpendicular to the spine of the blade. It left sort of an 'as ground' finish on the flats of the blade, which doesn't look too bad. And after taking it down to 0.115-0.116" thickness from previously about 0.118", give or take, it started 'walking & talking' more like I expected, as compared to my other Buck 110/111/112 folders, in terms of the feel, consistency and sound of the closing snap. Brought it back to a condition where I'm comfortable putting it in my pocket again without worrying too much about the blade tip being exposed above the handles. I used a little bit of Simichrome polish by hand to buff up the 180-grit finish on the ricasso for some extra insurance. Pics below show the ricassso portion after sanding and before I lightly polished with the Simichrome - and the 'as ground' look of the 180-grit finish on the blade (3rd pic).

In all, I'm glad I didn't have to fiddle with the pivot itself or the interior of the bladewell to open that up a bit. I can happily live with the result as it is here.