does blade play bother anyone

Vertical play happens with lockbacks in my experience, and a little bit doesn't bother me. I always thought it was intrinsic to the design.

With side-to-side play, it depends on the knife. If it's something (like a sodbuster) that I to use hard enough that I can feel the play, then it's a no-go. I want a knife like that to feel solid. On the other hand, my predominant EDC is a GEC serpentine jack that's developed some lateral play since I got it. Do I like it? Not really. But I put up with it, since I don't the notice play when I use the knife.

If the play gets egregious, I'll send it in.

Tangential observation: lockbacks aside, I rarely find single-bladed slipjoints to have any play straight from the factory, but notice it more often in two-bladed jacks. Has anyone else noticed the same, or is my sample size perhaps not representative?
 
nccoonhunter said:
My case 3318 CV has just started developing some vertical play on the main blade I noticed it yesterday when I started sharpening it does it brother anyone Elias and how do I fix it
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Sigh. Sometimes I wonder if folks do more than read the title before responding.

The OP specifically asked about vertical play in a slip joint. He asked whether "vertical play" bothered anyone else. And he asked how to fix "vertical play". Why are we getting all these responses about horizontal play.
 
I have a Case Mini Trapper Lock. No blade play, but it's way off center. It rubs the handle when you open it, which really sucks on a high polish blade. Too bad, too because I love the stag handles. I need to send it to Case to have it fixed, drives me crazy.
 
I was wondering who "brother elias" is. The patron saint of predictive text? -sorry . it made me laugh as I pictured Brother Elias in his monks habit toiling at the forge and by the grace of god creating a knife with no vertical blade play. Watch out Bernard Cornwell .
No don't like blade play and have got lockbacks that don't have it. Schrade, GEC and Buck and a Boker tree
 
I don't think slip joints should develop much in the way of vertical play, except after a decade or more of use.
I cut some cordage with a slipjoint simply with a hard push cut rather than a slice, to see how it would go. The force was quite a bit, & it led to some sideways play but no vertical play.
I think you would have to damage the pivot or spring to cause vertical play.
 
knarfeng said:
Sigh. Sometimes I wonder if folks do more than read the title before responding.

The OP specifically asked about vertical play in a slip joint. He asked whether "vertical play" bothered anyone else. And he asked how to fix "vertical play". Why are we getting all these responses about horizontal play.
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Perhaps because, as you noted earlier, vertical play is pretty unusual in non-locking slipjoints? I've certainly never seen it.

The 3318 is a stockman, right? I would definitely be uncomfortable with vertical play in that knife. Something didn't get put together the way it should have, or a pin bent -- something odd.
 
knarfeng said:
Sigh. Sometimes I wonder if folks do more than read the title before responding.

The OP specifically asked about vertical play in a slip joint. He asked whether "vertical play" bothered anyone else. And he asked how to fix "vertical play". Why are we getting all these responses about horizontal play.
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Probably because he asked "does blade play bother anyone" not does vertical blade play bother anyone. I know he has vertical blade play but his question was not stated that way.
 
Vertical play in a slipjoint is usually a result of wear, between either/both of the blade's cam and the contact face of the backspring. That wear usually comes about through very hard use (commonly seen on very old & hard-used knives), or if the pivots have remained very dirty and/or unlubricated for a length of time. Grit builds up in the joint, and slowly but surely grinds the contact surfaces down. This sort of wear is usually easy to visually identify, as the backsprings will 'sink' below flush with the liners over time, as the metal wears away. Really no way to fix that, aside from completely rebuilding the knife. A bent or deformed pivot pin might also contribute to vertical play; again, that's usually the result of very hard use, such as leaning too hard into the knife while cutting, and forcing the blade to pivot 'backwards', levering against the pin.

Another possibility, is if there's a little bit of grit or stickiness in the mechanism, which might prevent the backspring from fully engaging when the blade is open. The snap or pull may start to feel somewhat loose, if that's happening. If dirty or sticky, look to clean up the spaces between springs and liners, and the pivot itself. Usually, washing the knife in some soapy water (use liquid dish detergent, like Dawn, etc.) while exercising the mechanism by repeatedly opening/closing, will dislodge most or all of the dirty/sticky stuff. Make sure it's moving smoothly before quitting. Then dry it all out (flushing with hot water will help residual moisture evaporate) and lube the joints.


David
 
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Obsessed with Edges said:
Vertical play in a slipjoint is usually a result of wear, between either/both of the blade's cam and the contact face of the backspring. That wear usually comes about through very hard use (commonly seen on very old & hard-used knives), or if the pivots have remained very dirty and/or unlubricated for a length of time. Grit builds up in the joint, and slowly but surely grinds the contact surfaces down. This sort of wear is usually easy to visually identify, as the backsprings will 'sink' below flush with the liners over time, as the metal wears away. Really no way to fix that, aside from completely rebuilding the knife. A bent or deformed pivot pin might also contribute to vertical play; again, that's usually the result of very hard use, such as leaning too hard into the knife while cutting, and forcing the blade to pivot 'backwards', levering against the pin.

Another possibility, is if there's a little bit of grit or stickiness in the mechanism, which might prevent the backspring from fully engaging when the blade is open. The snap or pull may start to feel somewhat loose, if that's happening. If dirty or sticky, look to clean up the spaces between springs and liners, and the pivot itself. Usually, washing the knife in some soapy water (use liquid dish detergent, like Dawn, etc.) while exercising the mechanism by repeatedly opening/closing, will dislodge most or all of the dirty/sticky stuff. Make sure it's moving smoothly before quitting. Then dry it all out (flushing with hot water will help residual moisture evaporate) and lube the joints.


David
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Excellent post. I had never considered vertical play in other than a lockback, where it can inhere to the design as the result of sloppy design/fit of the key on the lockbar in the corresponding keyway in the tang or wear of the surfaces of these features.
 
Thank you David. That was an awesome answer.

Robert, I interpret technical English to determine the exact meaning as part of my job. The OP specifically asked about vertical play in his post.
 
MarkPinTx said:
Excellent post. I had never considered vertical play in other than a lockback, where it can inhere to the design as the result of sloppy design/fit of the key on the lockbar in the corresponding keyway in the tang or wear of the surfaces of these features.
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knarfeng said:
Thank you David. That was an awesome answer.

Robert, I interpret technical English to determine the exact meaning as part of my job. The OP specifically asked about vertical play in his post.
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Much Thanks for the kind words, guys. :thumbup:


David :)
 
knarfeng said:
Thank you David. That was an awesome answer.

Robert, I interpret technical English to determine the exact meaning as part of my job. The OP specifically asked about vertical play in his post.
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It seems a lot of other people are also interpreting the title of the post. Which is?????
 
Which gets back to my original comment, "why are people only looking at the title and not responding to the actual question, which is in the post?"
 
Robert, I interpret technical English to determine the exact meaning as part of my job. The OP specifically asked about vertical play in his post.[/QUOTE]
Well, if we are going to parse it that precisely, the question in the o.p. Is "does the vertical play in the posters case knife bother Elias." I am not Elias, so my opinion might not mater, but, no, the play in his knife does not bother me at all. The play in my knife is a bit different. But still not a deal breaker :-)
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
Vertical play in a slipjoint is usually a result of wear, between either/both of the blade's cam and the contact face of the backspring. That wear usually comes about through very hard use (commonly seen on very old & hard-used knives), or if the pivots have remained very dirty and/or unlubricated for a length of time. Grit builds up in the joint, and slowly but surely grinds the contact surfaces down. This sort of wear is usually easy to visually identify, as the backsprings will 'sink' below flush with the liners over time, as the metal wears away. Really no way to fix that, aside from completely rebuilding the knife. A bent or deformed pivot pin might also contribute to vertical play; again, that's usually the result of very hard use, such as leaning too hard into the knife while cutting, and forcing the blade to pivot 'backwards', levering against the pin.

Another possibility, is if there's a little bit of grit or stickiness in the mechanism, which might prevent the backspring from fully engaging when the blade is open. The snap or pull may start to feel somewhat loose, if that's happening. If dirty or sticky, look to clean up the spaces between springs and liners, and the pivot itself. Usually, washing the knife in some soapy water (use liquid dish detergent, like Dawn, etc.) while exercising the mechanism by repeatedly opening/closing, will dislodge most or all of the dirty/sticky stuff. Make sure it's moving smoothly before quitting. Then dry it all out (flushing with hot water will help residual moisture evaporate) and lube the joints.


David
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Agree with all, a great post. The only time I have ever seen vertical blade play is when knife has been used a lot. But that can take years of use. I have a 4" CASE copperhead that I carried for years as my only EDC and it has the tiniest bit of verical play in the main blade. A look at the point of contact with the back of the blade and the backspring revealed many years ago that the mating surfaces are starting to roll a tiny bit.

This allows the blade to over rotate from its original axis. Add that it could also have a slightly bent or worn pivot pin and it is easy to see how vertical blade play happens in an old workhorse.

More often than not though, any noticeable vertical blade play on my traditionals has been from pocket lint on the same surfaces mentioned above. The lint compresses and give the impression that there is play when it actually the lint compressing when using the knife.

Robert
 
I don't like vertical play in a slip joint, but i'll tolerate it in looking blade. Thats just me though
 
Play bothers me if it came to me with it, especially in a higher end knife. If i do something to create the play then it's just part of the deal and I will move on.
 
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