Case - Mod Question

A

akaMatt

Joined
May 10, 2017
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Hey all, took a chance on ordering a Case stockman, which I normally wouldn’t do sight unseen, but…

The knife I received is almost good, the bone is really superb, and everything inside the well is fine (slight rub, not a problem). It’s just that the main blade is very canted (??) when open. I can deal with some angle but this seems extreme.

https://imgur.com/a/13VG3fD

So, question for the modders… is this something I can deal with by filing just a bit away from the back of the tang and/or the end of the backspring on this blade (area where arrow is pointing)? In my mind either approach would allow the blade to open further before locking in place against the spring. But I don’t know if there are other undesirable effects if I were to do that.

I’ve already got it boxed up to return, but it’s such a looker otherwise that I just wanted to get a few opinions if that’s the right move or if there’s a fairly easy fix for this.

Thanks,
Matt
 
That is actually normal for the 6347, which is the knife you have pictured.

You can see it here in comparison to several other Case Stockman patterns:

mG6bHTY.jpg
 
I think that’s how the standard 47 “style” looks. I’m not too sure it’s been that different over the decades. Top 6347 is similar to yours (2014), middle 3347 is 1980, and bottom 6347 is 1972. All look similar to my old eyes.IMG_2947.jpeg
 
jc57 said:
That is actually normal for the 6347, which is the knife you have pictured.

You can see it here in comparison to several other Case Stockman patterns:

mG6bHTY.jpg
Click to expand...

Modoc ED said:
I don't see a problem with your knife Matt. I have to go along with John's reply.
Click to expand...

mph57 said:
I think that’s how the standard 47 “style” looks. I’m not too sure it’s been that different over the decades. Top 6347 is similar to yours (2014), middle 3347 is 1980, and bottom 6347 is 1972. All look similar to my old eyes.View attachment 2952566
Click to expand...

That is very interesting if that is just the way this pattern is made. I definitely appreciate knowing that, and I’ll take another look at the one I have before just sending it back. I wonder why it has such an angle relative to the other sizes… or why each seems to have a slightly different cant off the end?

Thanks for your feedback!
 
Here’s a look at a few other manufacturers’ stockman pattern for your reference: Case, Buck, Schrade, Western, Imperial. Very similar, but maybe the downsweep of the Case is a little more pronounced than the others? Fwiw..I would be hesitant to mess with the back spring.

IMG_2948.jpeg
 
jc57 said:
That is actually normal for the 6347, which is the knife you have pictured.

You can see it here in comparison to several other Case Stockman patterns:

mG6bHTY.jpg
Click to expand...
That's how they look, but shouldn't , it is not a " feature " that most blades should have, and it's something I cannot stand or remotely live with.
It's just how Case makes them, but it's not intentional, and there is conscious a change they need to make to eliminate this.

There is a limit to what can be done without taking the knife apart , but it can be adressed to some degree.
You will end up with a sunken spring when open , and on a knife this canted it will be significant if you take out as much cant as you can, but it sure beats the hell out of an atrociously canted blade.


What I do is carefully hold the blade open at an angle, and use the flat face of a dremel cutting disk ( usually the fine thin little wafer disks ) to take the corner off the spine like this.
20250817_145112.jpg

This knife needed a decent amount so the spring is quite sunken.
20250817_145201.jpg
20250817_145221.jpg
But the blade is perfectly parallel now and it was more than worth it.
20250817_145232.jpg

This one only needed a tiny bit and the spring barely sunk at all, I don't even notice it.
20250817_145337.jpg
20250817_145500.jpg
20250817_145427.jpg

Just be careful if you take too much the blade will have up and down play.
 
It needed to be disassembled so I could adjust the angle on the tip of the spring ( it's the most ideal way to do it ) but this is how a knife should look, the spine of the blade should flow perfectly with the curve of the frame and backspring.
 
Blade cant is not abnormal, per se, but in your case (Case) there is very uneven contact between the spring and the run-up. I'd send it back if I wasn't confident to do the work myself.
 
If it is something that you don’t like I would send it back. Case is good about replacing defects. Having said that, it doesn’t look too out of sorts for that pattern.
If you decide to file down the tang, I would just caution to be extremely careful and not take too much off. File very little and see how it looks…repeat if needed.
 
I did a similar "adjustment" on a S&M sowbelly stockman about 10 years ago. I was nervous to use a dremel, because I didn't want to take off too much. I used a tiny carbide file, and just did a few passes, and checked it, did a few more, and checked it. I was happy with how it turned out.
 
I have “fixed” this problem on a different knife in the past. This knife had a slight but noticeable downward cant to the blade when open and it drove me absolutely bonkers.

As I’ve heard that messing with the back square of the blade can impact the functionality, I figured the issue was a slightly too-long spring which prevented the blade from fully seating into position.

While it seems from other responses that this design is intentional on your knife, it could be modified by removing some of the spring material to get the angle correct.

Here’s an album showing how I achieved this on my knife.

https://imgur.com/a/eXbSUhj

Some notes. Unless you’re way more steady than I am, you’ll likely scratch up the inside liners like I did (less offensive to me than the awkward blade angle). You want to file the spring at an “inward” angle so to speak. This ensures that the blade tang and the spring still meet at a point rather than a face. Hard to explain, but meeting at a point is best. I did this with small diamond files and it took me quite a while. I believe this is because the steel is hardened and because it’s tough to work in such a small confined space. Also, you’ll wanna flush it out extremely well, since there’s gonna be a ton of filing dust in there and that could cause unintentional wear in the pivot if left.
 
Hoffmajo89 said:
While it seems from other responses that this design is intentional on your knife
Click to expand...
I'm still not convinced that this is the case here.
Yes it's how they are just like the peanut is this way ( the peanut wasn't always) , but I think that's more a matter of Case using standardized angles for the springs &just not caring to make the adjustments needed for the blades to open fully.
angles and pivot hole locations would need to be adjusted slightly.

I truly do see it as a flaw that case just doesn't consider a flaw, I see absolutely zero possible reason why this could remotely be an intentional design characteristic.
 
Thanks for all the replies, info, and advice. I appreciate it and it’s good info to know about that pattern. I got the knife back out and took another long look, got my files and abrasives ready to have a go at it… and in the end decided that while I might be able to slightly reduce the angle, I’ll never like it or accept it. So back it will go!

Incidentally, this is the same reason I sold my 2021 forum knife (Spring Street Barlow). Loved the handle and size, but the forward angle of that blade was similar(’ish) to this stockman, and it drove me absolutely nuts to look at and use!
 
akaMatt said:
Thanks for all the replies, info, and advice. I appreciate it and it’s good info to know about that pattern. I got the knife back out and took another long look, got my files and abrasives ready to have a go at it… and in the end decided that while I might be able to slightly reduce the angle, I’ll never like it or accept it. So back it will go!

Incidentally, this is the same reason I sold my 2021 forum knife (Spring Street Barlow). Loved the handle and size, but the forward angle of that blade was similar(’ish) to this stockman, and it drove me absolutely nuts to look at and use!
Click to expand...
I have several Case stockmans, and the 47 is the only one with blade droop. I've had it for years, and it hasn't been a problem. You're correct, though. If this is going to bug you the whole time you have the knife, then send it back. I think Case makes some really good stockmans, so maybe a different pattern is the answer.
 
I have 3 Case 6347 stockman knives, and never noticed the "droop" in the clip blade that many folks have shown here. So obviously it doesn't bother me :rolleyes: , and the 6347 is my 2nd favorite Case stockman pattern, after the sowbelly stockman.

I recently acquired a 2-blade, single-spring, 1972 Case 06247. I'm posting a photo that I find interesting. Even though my '47 "pen knife" has the same frame (but fewer springs and blades) as the stockman knives, I don't see the "blade cant" on my knife.
1Lmw6t3.jpeg


- GT
 
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