Caly 3 CF stiff lockback

K

kodachi

Joined
Aug 13, 2013
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I recently acquired a carbon fiber Caly 3. I love its look & ergo; however, the knife has by far the most stiff lockback I ever had. My thumbs are sore after just a few openings; it's nearly impossible to unlock with my non-dominant fingers. Unfortunately Caly 3s are riveted; I can't access the internals. I never had a Knife, especially from Spyderco, discourage me to use it.

Anyone else having same problem or have solution?
 
Personally I'd consider that a positive thing. My Caly 3 is also noticeably more difficult to unlock than many other lock back knives - with the exception of the Nishijin R - and I think that it is an indication that it is locking up well.
 
My CF Caly 3 was very smooth out of the box but within a day it became so stiff that I could hardly open it with one hand. I tried to clean and lube it but that only marginally helped. What ultimately did the trick was to remove the pivot and blade and thoroughly clean the pivot area. I also took some very fine sand paper and softened the edges of the flat spot found on the pivot pin. After doing all of this it was much better but not great. I tried several different lubes that I had on hand and found that Gun Butter made a huge difference. It is glassy smooth and I can even flick it open if I choose. My CF Caly is now my favorite EDC and has been for quite some time.

This problem has been discussed here several times. I am guessing that since these knives are pinned that the final finish is put on them after the pinning process. This would cause all kinds of steel and carbon fiber dust to get into the handle of the knife. It eventually works its way into areas that effect the function of opening and closing. This is only a guess but it makes sense to me.

Don't give up on your Caly, they are awesome knives.
 
i noticed my new native 5 was a little sticky from the start,and because its a lockback its not like the rest of my spyderco's that are easy to one hand flick open !it can be done but takes a little more mussel,remember these are lockbacks.maybe your clay is the same way as my native 5 !
 
Thanks guys. Just to clarify, opening is smooth, it's the closing part, hence "un-locking" part I have problem with.

@Cynic, thought it is interesting how positives your view is! considering your id begins with cynic...;)
 
My Caly3 CF initially had a little stickiness you could feel when disengaging the back lock. It was only scarcely noticeable and went away on its own after the knife wore in a bit.
 
I have the same problem. Give the knife a nice hot soapy bath. You can take off the blade, just use the correct size allen wrench. Let it dry and oil it. After some time (month or two) it will wear in and soften up.
 
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