Case Sodbuster blade play after daring to use it.

I agree with "The Kids" assessment, and it seems like whacking the knife with a mallet will likely be a temporary fix, and eventually blade play increases with use, especially hard use. It would especially annoy me on a new knife. I don't buy or use customs, or very many new production knives. I know blade play does not affect the functionality of most cutting chores, but it annoys me more than blade rub or uncentered blades, which don't bother me much at all. To each his own.
 
I have alot of knives, so my choice is abundant. I have 3 soddies, but I do not carry them much, since they are big for a pocket. If one of them developed blade play, I probably would not carry them at all. I agree with the kid, and that older knives were constructed to last. Now, once a product is deemed "marketable" and has a demand, the manufacturer immediately goes into COG reduction mode. This is tragic. COG= Cost of Goods. I enjoy older things, and covet them much more than newer ones. I get more nostalgic as I get older.
 
We're talking about a $20 knife here, right? There's an old adage that says, "you get what you pay for." Case is a good company and they will answer your email, and they will fix it, but It's not worth the money for you to send it back from overseas anyway. My guess is that the blade play will eventually return - especially, if you decide to cut more than the paper you mentioned. If it were me, I'd use the living daylights out of it and not worry about it.

BTW, your use of English is perfect! I'd NEVER be able to communicate in your language in a million years.
 
zippin44 said:
We're talking about a $20 knife here, right? There's an old adage that says, "you get what you pay for." Case is a good company and they will answer your email, and they will fix it, but It's not worth the money for you to send it back from overseas anyway. My guess is that the blade play will eventually return - especially, if you decide to cut more than the paper you mentioned. If it were me, I'd use the living daylights out of it and not worry about it.

BTW, your use of English is perfect! I'd NEVER be able to communicate in your language in a million years.
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I know. it's a very cheap knife BUT the old Herders from yesteryear were also very cheap.
Thanks for the compliment, a browser spell checker helps a lot. :cool:
 
It's interesting what Kid writes about the Herder Sodbuster. Having a kind of Bird's eye pivot with a steel core MIGHT make it more durable. I think that Sodbusters being classic workman's knives and thus inexpensive, will tend to be knives that are not often that well-finished. The Herder his friend got is clearly a very good knife, not sure if they would all be so well turned out though. The Herders I've come across, and the Otter-Messer and Löwen-Messer as well, are nice honest knives but finish can be variable/rough&ready. I don't really think it's always to do with things being made better years ago, and it's the same with CASE sodbusters I believe. They vary, a lot. However, I don't think that knives will inevitably develop blade play, they usually have it in the first place, then it gets worse...... The Kid might like to try an RR Old Yellow Sodbuster, comes in various sizes. The one I have has no gaps, no play and vicious snap. Whatever the brand a Sodbuster is a pleasing simple knife that is excellent in the hand, unpretentious and workmanlike.
 
the kid said:
A friend of mine has a Friedrich Herder Sodbuster (Solingen, Germany) from his dad.
It's 40 years old ...
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Just curious, the kid, what model is your problem knife, the Sodbuster, or the Sodbuster Junior?

the kid said:
Here I have a Case which is supposed to be one of the better brands for Sodbuster which develops blade play the first 5 minutes of usage...

A lot of people remarked here blade play is unavoidable and will happen sooner or later. Perhaps that's because with so many things these days they aren't as well build like in the old days.
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I don't think your experience is indicative of the standard of quality for Case. It sounds like you got a bad one. I've had two Sodbuster Juniors (each yellow, cv) and have done a lot of heavy wood carving with them. I've never had any sort of loosening of the knife. I don't doubt for a second that your buddy's old Friedrich Herder is a great knife, and better than most made today. But I simply don't buy that there's anything wrong with a good quality Case Sodbuster or Sodbuster Junior. They're legendary heavy-use knives. Again, I suspect you got a lemon.

-- Mark
 
@mnblade.
I have a junior, a nice yellow one.
Looks great expect doesn't get much use because I might as well use my Victorinox.
Great for wood though, much better then my other pocket knives.

I'm glad to hear I got a melon because I really like the knife.
I'm gonna use it a bit to make fire and if the blade play returns I'm sending it in.
 
I have four Case 'Busters - two Large Sodbusters from the 70s, one more recent Large Sodbuster and a recent Sodbuster Jr. The Jr has a TINY bit of play in the open position. I'm pretty picky so it's funny that I never noticed it until I read your post. I love these knives. Great feel in the hand. Sometimes simpler is better.
 
same to me to a small EYE soddie, hammered it holding it between 2 pieces of wood and now it's almost perfect, I can now see how it's held together btw, like a normal slippie, the pivot has pin in the middle
 
The only problem with the vise or hammer technique is that you are not adjusting the size of the pivot pin.

If you think of the knife as a "blade sandwhich," the toothpick that holds the sandwich together is kind of like a pivot pin.

If you squash the sandwhich together, tightening all of its ingredients, more of the toothpick will be revealed. The same kind of thing happens with your pivot pin.

Basically, the pivot pin wont be flush with the bolsters anymore. It may take a few times or just a significant amount of play, but eventually you may notice the pin sticking up above the bolsters.

I have used this technique, and while it does seem to work well, it doesn't make the knife "new" again.

The good news is that you can choose which solution is best for you -as I am prety sure that case will fix it proper for you if that is what you preffered.
 
This replay inspires me a lot. I have been thinking about this, from a teknical standpoint and from experience. but I have hesitated trying to write about it in this forign language.

The squising in the wise tightens the knife up but doesnt nessisarry hold it together during harder work, so it loosens again. Taping the pivot with a hammer works the pivot so its tightening up in the hole the microsize needed for making it stay in place. A problem with this is that its easy to tighten to much or deform in a way infecting on walk and talk.
I will use a screwed together EKA 38 as an example. If the blade is loose and wiggles its possible to tighten it by squeesing it together but if one dont tighten the screw it will soon be back into its outer position and be loose again but if one squeeses it together and after that also tightens the screw it will stay tight. With a pivot pin this is harder to do without experience and hands of a craftsman but nesisarry to be a long term solution.

Bosse
 
Hey Kid,

You're not living too far away from me lol.
I hate blade play with a passion as well. Slippie or not.

At my mothers attic there are a few "Herders" from my late dad and granddad. Both very well used and the play that comes with that.

Wanted to carry on "in honour of" and I checked the lokal hardware store that carried a few.

Big ones are EUR 78 and the little ones about 65.
All of them had play.
They had Friedrich Herder on the blade, so it were real ones.
Big disappointment for such prices.

My own Case Junior Soddie came play free. However I didn't use it that hard.
 
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