Caly 3 question

J

Jonny D

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Jan 25, 2014
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Hey folks wondering if any can help me out with an issue I have with the caly 3. I have one in zdp189 carbon fiber nib that I bought a couple of months ago. I really love the knife and have had several Moki made knives, but this one has some very noticeable up and down blade play. I sent it in to Spyderco to see what they could do. It came back they sharpened it and that's really it. The blade play is still there. Does anyone know if there is any way to fix blade play on this type of lock back? I dig the knife otherwise but I never use it because of this annoyance. Thanks for any help!
 
Not sure how bad yours is, but I believe a little bit of up and down play is sort of expected on the Caly's from Moki. I have the 3 and 3.5 in super blue. I know the 3.5 has some of that play but I haven't checked my 3 as I've kept it nib.

I don't know if it helps, but it sounds like it was within Spyderco's specs. If you like the blade otherwise I'd say just use it and hopefully it will bother you less over time. It never bothered me a bit on my 3.5, but I may be biased and willing to overlook it since I'm a huge fan of the ergos and blade shape of the Caly/UKPK line.

(It will be interesting to see if this is still an issue or resolved on the upcoming sprint.)
 
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There is a process that I believe they call "coining". Basically the lock bar is pinched in a way that pushes some of the metal into the space where the lock engages to eliminate blade play.

I don't know if it could be done to your knife or who would be capable of doing it, but I do recall that some lock backs have come from the factory with the pinch marks already present.
 
Fwiw, the 3.5 I mentioned is already coined. Hard to explain, the lockup feels solid, but there is some up/down play because the lock bar itself will shift slightly when you press the blade into a cut.

Definitely quirky and not that rock solid feel that you get with something like the "improved" back lock on a Native 5, but I don't think it's a functional or safety issue.
 
Coining is basically a form of peening. You can use it to lengthen the lockbar a little and fill in the lock a little better. My Caly in SB had it from the factory. I watched a video on peening the lockbar on a backlock on YouTube quite a while ago. I have never attempted it myself but it looked like something I would be comfortable trying. The hard part on the Calys is that while you can access the hammer on the lock bar you cannot remove the lock bar. That makes peening it more of a three hand operation. Someday I am gonna try it.
 
Thanks for all the info the only reason I ask is all of my other lock backs have play up and down but not as much as the Caly.
 
I've had quite a few Caly 3's and 3.5's...in VG-10, ZDP and in SB. I don't recall any play in the locks of my knives, but I buy and sell them as new, so I guess I've been lucky with the factory "new" knives. With some use, I believe they will develop some play in the lock...and that would bug me...regardless of whether it's in tolerance or not.
 
Every Caly 3 I've owned (half a dozen or so) has had a bit of up and down play. In fact, pretty much every backlock I've owned from Spyderco (caly/delica/endura) has had at least a little bit of up and down play.
 
Must be the luck of the draw, my calys are perfect. Even all my other back locks are perfect.
 
My Caly3 is perfect. No play at all. I remember Spyderco was having so QC issues with the maker at one time before they were discontinued, if I remember properly. I have zero complaints about mine. It was the knife that brought me back to Spyderco full time.
 
I've felt a lockback Spydie or two have that touch of up and down, just like I've felt some Benchmades and some slipjoints have just a touch of side-to-side. Wouldn't even really call it play... more like 99.2% perfect lock mating vs 100%. If it's to that degree, I call it "okay". A little more and I'm bothered, but even then it still doesn't affect the cutting function of the blade. If it gets to the point where it is rattle-y, then the knife ain't for me. Whether or not it's for the warranty shop or just someone else depends, though.

I'd imagine that, especially since the knife is out of production and because of the construction of a lockback, there's not much Spyderco can do anyway to resolve it beyond this coining that everyone is talking about. Golden probably doesn't stock parts for Seki knives. And there's no way Spyderco is going to ship the knife to Seki to have them swap parts. Sorry for your disappointment. I like my stuff as perfect as it can get, too, because it's a good outlet for that "worship" impulse.
 
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