dropping the kick

Mad_Maxx

Mad_Maxx

Joined
Nov 29, 2007
Messages
2,519
so, I have a wonderful GEC #53 in STAG wich I really dig, awesome knife
the only drawback besides some not very sharp blades is that the Wharncliffe blade sticks pretty much out from the handle and when not in use it disturbs the grip, I can keep 2 and 2 fingers efore and after it but if I have to push I can feel the spine...

are there any drawbacks in lowering the blade kick to lower the blade? done carefully and not too much?

i'll just grind it with a coarse stone, any other ways? (no grinder or anything else here..)
thanks
Maxx

this is the knife

255p06t.jpg
 
Maxx,

You can lay some coarse sandpaper on a flat surface and rub the kick back and forth across it to lower it as well. Only takes off a little metal at a time.

The only thing you should notice is that the spring will have sunk (a minute amount) deeper between the liners due to the change and of course the blade (and tip) will now sit a little lower in the frame.

Go slow and monitor progress often.
 
That's an expensive knife - I'd sell it and get another - that blade sticks out a bit on the stockman pattern - its a thing and one of the compromises multiblades bring to handles - I wonder if it might be the wrong pattern for you. Maybe get a moose
 
I wouldn't mess with the kick unless the point of the blade is actually protruding from the handle, which isn't all that uncommon with GEC. If you're trying to lower the blade significantly for ergonomic reasons, you might be better off with a different pattern, as Noddy suggested.

When lowering an exposed point, I put a little masking tape over the handle opening to keep metal dust out of the works, and also wrap some around the blade and bolster adjacent to the tang if the kick isn't very pronounced, just in case I slip, since I use a file for the job. I've found that some backsprings will sink very quickly when you take down the kick, while others, like the one in my GEC Sleeveboard, remain flush, even after removing around 1/16" of the kick's point.

FWIW, that's a Sheepsfoot blade on your Stockman, rather than a Wharncliffe, though the distinction can be a bit vague when it comes to GECs.
 
tips are fine
wanted to do it as it felt not that nice
it's already better as I've ground something like 1mm away, imo they left too much kick out
the spring is fine, just a hair lower than the liners when closed wich is fine for me

now it's more usable and it does not disturb that much as before
Maxx
 
I have very few stockman pattern knives that I have not ground down the kick on the sheepsfoot blade to lower it. Classically, the sheepsfoot was the most used blade, so they were set high to be more easily opened by pinching the blade. Hey, if you're a cowboy wearing gloves, it's pretty tough to use a nail nick, and the sheepsfoot was the blade they used when they were doing things they wore gloves for, so it makes sense to me. I'm not a cowboy, and although I use the sheepsfoot the most, I prefer nesting the blade deeper and using the nail nick to get it open.
 
Its a great lookin knife.
Nothing wrong with making it a little more to your liking
 
the sheep/wharnie is useful and rising it is a good idea, but if you want to use the larger clip you may feel the other blade, much more than on a trapper for instance

let's see how it works, I may still lower it more if needed
now it disturbs just a tad more than the spey on a 73 or trapper, wich is ok

the 36 has the small pen blade that disturbs my pinkie, just a little, very little but it seems I can't do anything right?
Maxx
 
Mad_Maxx said:
the 36 has the small pen blade that disturbs my pinkie, just a little, very little but it seems I can't do anything right?
Maxx
Click to expand...

Do you mean a GEC #36 sunfish? That depends of what type of kick the small pen blade has and how low the nail nick already is.
 
Mad_Maxx said:
so, I have a wonderful GEC #53 in STAG wich I really dig, awesome knife
the only drawback besides some not very sharp blades is that the Wharncliffe blade sticks pretty much out from the handle and when not in use it disturbs the grip, I can keep 2 and 2 fingers efore and after it but if I have to push I can feel the spine...Maxx
Click to expand...

That's pretty much the nature of a Stockman. From what you've described in a later post in this thread, I'd say you've gone as far as you ought to go with modifying the kick. The more you use the knife the more you'll get used to the Sheepsfoot blade protruding as it does to the point that after awhile you'll not notice it at all.

Great looking knife by the way.
 
Noddy said:
Ha! All is well then - sorry for doubting
Click to expand...

don't be sorry ;)
I'd prefer another pattern but the knife is just too nice for me, also wantef to try a big stockman
won't edc it as here I'd prefer something smaller as an edc but I may still use it at home or in some occasions :thumbup:

Maxx
 
may try it sometime

I've used a very coarse stone, one of those you may use for lawn mowers, pretty frequent in the country here
it has 2 tips as it's a bit oval, I masked the bolsters ans proceded moving the knife back and forth about 1cm near one of the 2 tips of the stone
has a flat piece of plastic under the edge in order not to ding it

my 66 jack had the same problem of your's, I lowered the tip, not the kick as I didn't want the edge to hit the spring
Maxx
 
Possible, but I've seen some sheepsfoot blades on stockmans that were more than a half inch from touching the backspring. I've seen a few that the tip was outside the handle and only the other blades kept you away from the edge.
 
mhawg said:
Be careful or your blade may whack the backspring when you close it.
Click to expand...

the small blades sit very high no problem there, I've cheched it :thumbup:

sometimes the problem is with the "clip point" blades or those sitting low, I've got a factory #73 that has the clip blade hitting the spring where it rises (central pin height), have a small chip there..., probably they've sanded the kick too much

same with a 66 jack, lowered the tip instead of the kick for this reason

I always accompany the blades when I close them though.. :thumbup: it's a good thing i've noticed
cheers
Maxx
 
As near as I could tell, it was done that way deliberately, to make the sheepsfoot easy to pinch open. If it's left high and the guy who buys it doesn't want it that way, he can grind down the kick to change it. If the blade is nested deep, he can't build the kick back up if he wants the blade up where he can reach it. Seeing one come from the factory with a high sheepsfoot doesn't bother me at all, but using one that way does, so I adjust mine to suit my preference.
 
yablanowitz said:
As near as I could tell, it was done that way deliberately, to make the sheepsfoot easy to pinch open. If it's left high and the guy who buys it doesn't want it that way, he can grind down the kick to change it. If the blade is nested deep, he can't build the kick back up if he wants the blade up where he can reach it. Seeing one come from the factory with a high sheepsfoot doesn't bother me at all, but using one that way does, so I adjust mine to suit my preference.
Click to expand...

Jack I fully agree :thumbup:
 
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