Folders on the half notch

[Mountainwind]

Didn't find any past posts on this, soooo.....
I see a lot of knives in sets, clampacks, LTD editions etc, that are stored on the half notch, some are only a quarter open.
I see this has some pressure on the back spring, and was wondering if the tension makes the backspring loose some of it's spring over the years.
If possible, would it be best to remove knives from the display, and close them, and only put them back when you want to show them?

 

[orvet]

There are many theories on this. If you ask 10 collectors you are likely to get 10 different answers.

My opinion:
I prefer to store a knife or display it without any tension on the backspring. This usually means closed or with the blade fully open. Charlie, Way North, recently showed a display somewhere with only the master blades open. That makes a lot of sense to me.

I believe LT (Rich Langston; The Collectors Guide To Switchblade Knives), has recommended storing switchblades with the blade open, so that there is no tension on the spring. A switchblade usually has the maximum tension on the spring, when it is closed.

I hope this helps,
Dale

 

[glennbad]

We have had alot of discussion about this at times. Although you get a 'bad one' every now and then, there doesn't seem to be much evidence to support the weak spring theory.

I still would personally err on the side of caution and either have them all open or all closed. Kinda ruins the displays, though...

Glenn

 

[waynorth]

I'll chime in again on this; IMO springs will take a lot of abuse, but ALL will fail given enough time. It's just a question of how soon you wish that to happen. The worst thing to do is open two blades on the same spring (at opposite ends of the spring). This will almost always exceed the design parameters.
My dad, a life-long firearms instructor, told me he'd found .45 mags fully loaded for years still functional, but asked me if I wanted to find out the spring finally sagged when I needed it most??
He also taught me that no knife should have more than one blade open at a time. I've done it to photograph a knife, but with trepidation. I think we lose our traditions too easily, and many times they were founded on common sense.
I too, like Glenn, will err on the side of caution. When you realize what you are doing for the knife by displaying it without full tension, it becomes beautiful. Form follows function!