Can the blade be lowered on an OTS automatic?

[Railsplitter]

I love this little knife but the position of the tip when closed causes me some concern. It isn't too bad right now. In its current state, I can catch the meat of my finger on the tip but I have to try. I fear that when I re-profile the edge, which I will want to do eventually, it will raise the tip just enough to be a legitimate concern.

Is there a way to lower the blade in the closed position without causing any problems elsewhere on the knife? I only need to lower it about 1 millimeter.

 

[AntDog]

If you filed down the “kick part” would it lower it?

 

[Railsplitter]

If you filed down the “kick part” would it lower it?

Thank you for responding. I'm not sure but I don't think so. Being an automatic, it "locks" into the closed position with an audible click. I don't think the kick is what stops the blade but I have never disassembled the knife to see.

With the blade closed, I can push it down about 4 or 5 millimeters farther. Then it stops.

 

[killgar]

No, the blade cannot be lowered. The button lock is what holds the knife closed. The button cam would either need to be a larger diameter, or the hole in the blade that the button cam fits into would need to be smaller diameter. Either would require that there be more metal present, and adding metal isn't something you're going to be able to do.

The only things you could do to have the tip be lower in the handle is to re-grind the tip, or have it re-ground (bring the false-edge down to meet the main edge sooner), but that would shorten the blade and alter it's shape a bit.

If it's new then I would suggest sending it back.

 

[Railsplitter]

No, the blade cannot be lowered. The button lock is what holds the knife closed. The button cam would either need to be a larger diameter, or the hole in the blade that the button cam fits into would need to be smaller diameter. Either would require that there be more metal present, and adding metal isn't something you're going to be able to do.

The only things you could do to have the tip be lower in the handle is to re-grind the tip, or have it re-ground (bring the false-edge down to meet the main edge sooner), but that would shorten the blade and alter it's shape a bit.

If it's new then I would suggest sending it back.

Makes sense. Thank you.

 

[Railsplitter]

I'm just thinking out loud now. It occurred to me that the blade length on this knife is advertised as 1.95" so that it meets the less than 2" requirement for legal carry in California.

As evidenced in my picture above, the raised tip is only a problem because the tip rests right behind the cut out in the handle. Don't get me wrong, I like those cut outs for gripping purposes but I have to wonder: Would another .04" of blade length (still under 2") be just enough to place the tip behind the higher part of the handle and eliminate this problem? Seems like it might be.

 

[rpttrsn]

Mark the area of the back of the blade that you feel should be removed with a sharpie. Then close the blade and see if it falls below your what it is at now.

 

[killgar]

It looks like the tip could be shortened/re-ground to hide behind the raised area (red arrow). But it would need to be the false edge that is ground downward to meet the cutting edge, rather than the cutting edge being ground upwards. Fortunately grinding the false edge downward is the easier of the two as you don't have to re-grind the edge.

 

[Railsplitter]

Mark the area of the back of the blade that you feel should be removed with a sharpie. Then close the blade and see if it falls below your what it is at now.

It looks like the tip could be shortened/re-ground to hide behind the raised area (red arrow). But it would need to be the false edge that is ground downward to meet the cutting edge, rather than the cutting edge being ground upwards. Fortunately grinding the false edge downward is the easier of the two as you don't have to re-grind the edge.

I understand grinding the false edge and you are spot on with the red arrow. What would be the best way to do this? Sandpaper, file, grinding wheel, or maybe a Dremel tool? I don't have a belt sander.

I'd like to avoid getting scratches on the side of the blade.

Thanks for your help, guys.

 

[killgar]

I understand grinding the false edge and you are spot on with the red arrow. What would be the best way to do this? Sandpaper, file, grinding wheel, or maybe a Dremel tool? I don't have a belt sander.

I'd like to avoid getting scratches on the side of the blade.

Thanks for your help, guys.

Preferably I would use an Extra Coarse DMT 6" diamond hone, but a regular coarse hone would also work, just take longer. I'd recommend staying away from any power tools, a grinding wheel could easily overheat the tip and edge (a pro could do it, but they have the experience), and no way should you attempt it with a Dremel.

A standard file isn't likely going to work (I assume the blade is CPM-154), but a coarse diamond file would. Sandpaper on a hard surface could work, but it would take a LOOONG time. A coarse sharpening stone could also work.

The method I would use is to lay the hone/stone on a flat surface, grip the knife edge-up, and pull the tip of the false edge back along the hone, pulling the knife slightly upwards as I pulled it across the hone. It would take awhile even with a diamond hone, but it's certainly doable.

And to show you I'm not talking out of my backside, I performed such a procedure on the knife pictured below (Viper Start). When I received the knife the tip of the blade stuck out past the bottom of the liners just a fraction, enough that I could feel it (and cut my finger) if I dragged my finger across the bottom of the knife along the liners. You can see the shiny area where the black coating has been removed from me reshaping the tip using the method I described above. Fortunately I didn't have to remove a lot of steel.

 

[Railsplitter]

Preferably I would use an Extra Course DMT 6" diamond hone, but a regular coarse hone would also work, just take longer. I'd recommend staying away from any power tools, a grinding wheel could easily overheat the tip and edge (a pro could do it, but they have the experience), and no way should you attempt it with a Dremel.

A standard file isn't likely going to work (I assume the blade is CPM-154), but a coarse diamond file would. Sandpaper on a hard surface could work, but it would take a LOOONG time. A coarse sharpening stone could also work.

The method I would use is to lay the hone/stone on a flat surface, grip the knife edge-up, and pull the tip of the false edge back along the hone, pulling the knife slightly upwards as I pulled it across the hone. It would take awhile even with a diamond hone, but it's certainly doable.

And to show you I'm not talking out of my backside, I performed such a procedure on the knife pictured below (Viper Start). When I received the knife the tip of the blade stuck out past the bottom of the liners just a fraction, enough that I could feel it (and cut my finger) if I dragged my finger across the bottom of the knife along the liners. You can see the shiny area where the black coating has been removed from me reshaping the tip using the method I described above. Fortunately I didn't have to remove a lot of steel.

Thank you! That is very helpful as I’ve never done anything like this before. Very much appreciated.

The steel is in fact CPM-154.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

That tip-trailing method for grinding down the spine, exactly as killgar described, can also be done very easily using a grinding belt cut at the diagonal seam and glued flat to a hard surface (board, etc.). A 120-grit grinding belt in aluminum oxide works very aggressively and quick for such a job, with lots of abrasive length for long, sweeping passes. I keep a 3" x 21" belt of zirconia-alumina, cut and glued flat to a piece of 24" hardwood for such jobs and have used it to repair a broken tip on a Kershaw Leek blade in ZDP-189, as pictured below in 'before' and 'after' shots. I've also used it to re-point severely rounded tips and for grinding off severely bent tips on blades - all done in that tip-trailing fashion. Comes in very handy for that sort of work, and the belts aren't expensive either.