Buck Tempest Assisted Open

V

vsanks

Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
37
STR,
I need a little advice, please. I've got a brand new Buck Tempest that's assisted opening with a liner lock. The knife opens like a shot and will almost jump out of your hand...and maybe that's a good thing. However, when the knife opens, the liner lock shoots all the way across the back of the blade. If that liner were to travel another 1/16 of an inch, it would contact the liner on the opposite side of the knife. Is the liner traveling too far across the blade? I'm not sure that the lock could ever fail in this position, but I'm no expert.

What say you?

Thanks,

Van
 
It sounds like a well used liner lock from your description. It may be fine right now. The problem with some can be the lock wedging itself into the space that the washer fills if it leaves the blade which can be problematic needless to say if the washer is not oversized like on some models where the washer prevents the lock from actually ever leaving the contact. I've seen and repaired knives from the lock entering into this space. The Dozier Thorn by Kabar is famous for this and has been repaired for this I don't know how many times by me since it came out. What happens is the lock is so thin that its actually not much thicker than the washer on some models. On those where the lock is too thick to actually fit in that space occupied by the washer all it takes is for the pivot barrel to loosen up so the blade has lateral movement and the next thing you know during use because the lock is not there to support it, the blade spins all the way around on you and you have the spine of the blade pinching the sensitive meaty area on your hand between the index and thumb. This is the case with the Thorn folder sporting Bob's 'tab lock' that does not have a conventional stop pin like yours. On ones like yours what happens is the blade wedges the lock in there and usually bends it deforming it permanently on steel ones and sometimes shearing metal on others. In any case where this happens its not good.

If its new I'd say a warranty call for lock over travel is in order.

However, without seeing it its hard to determine factors that may have led to it traveling so far. Many folders by design are more sensitive to end line users taking them apart for whatever reason. Sometimes spinning the stop pin so the blade hits a new freash spot if one has worn down flat from hitting it repeatedly can refresh the lock. Also, on some models like the mini Buck Strider 881 and 880 folders for example, the tension of the stop pin screws can affect the lock and how far it travels on the blade about as much as anything and this is possible by how much it squeezes inward to sandwidth the scales. The stop screws can also affect pivot tension which translates to a hard to open blade as much as the pivot screws can on some models.

STR
 
Thanks, STR. This thing is brand new in the box. Opened less than 50 times. And yes, the liner is thin enough to slip into the space occupied by the washer. Right now it lacks about 1/32 of sliding off the blade and into that space. I think it may be prudent to send this back to Buck and ask for repair/replacement.
Thanks for your time and advice.

Van
 
No problem. Thanks for stopping by my forum.

STR
 
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