Folding knife that needs help from another knife , just to close it !

[DocJD]

Brand new Thompson Ti-Lite 6" S35VN G10

Liner lock , which ironically I was afraid might be prone to accidental closing .

Nope ...absolutely no chance of that !

Got tired of breaking thumb nails and sore fingertips .

Big SAK to the rescue !

Hope this thing will break-in . Otherwise, I like it . First one I've ever had of the Ti-Lite models .

 

[Wild Ben]

Is the pivot screw tight? If all the screws are tightened properly then it’s not going to get better. Sorry!

 

[DocJD]

Is the pivot screw tight? If all the screws are tightened properly then it’s not going to get better. Sorry!

At first it was OK . I put some silicon lube and worked the lock some and it started to stick soon after .

Just seems to get worse now ?

With their Tri-ad locks , they will eventually wear-in .

Yeah , I will check on pivot adjustment . Thanks !

 

[1911bphil]

It's not supposed to be that tight.
Paging K killgar - Is this normal? Does it get better?

 

[knarfeng]

I have a couple of Cold Steel knives which have modified liner lock mechanisms (Luzons). On mine, the material used for the locking liner is considerably thicker than the flexing part of other liner locks and framelocks that I own. The result is that those Cold Steel knives are very stiff to unlock. And I have not noticed any tendency for them to get easier.

 

[killgar]

I've had seventeen Ti-lite 6's in my possession, and I've worked on all of them. Here's something I've learned- Sometimes the lock is bent over a lot farther than it needs to be, and this causes the lock to jamb against the tang a lot harder than is required for a secure lock-up.

Another issue that this can cause is that even when the lock doesn't stick it can make the lock difficult to unlock just from the amount of force necessary to push the lock away, the slipperiness of the locks surface, and the small notch in the handle/liner. It can be a real thumb-buster.

My solution is to carefully bend the lock back (this requires complete disassembly of the knife). I do this by securing the liner in a vise (masking tape or a piece of leather to protect the liner from scratches), with the lock portion above the top of the vise jaws, bend it back, measure, bend, measure, etc. until I get it just right.

In this pic you can see how far the lock extends from the rest of the liner on this particular knife (before adjustment), 1/4", but there is just slightly less than 3/16ths" of space between the two liners of the knife, and the ball detent won't allow the lock to travel the full distance, so that basically reduces the distance even more. So 1/4" of travel is more than is necessary. On a few occasions the lock stuck out 5/16ths".

I like to bend them until they are somewhere between 1/8" and 3/16ths". Maybe try 3/16ths" and see how that works.

The locks are hardened stainless steel, and they can take a good amount of bending without being negatively affected by it. So if you bend it too far, you can bend it back. But of course there are limits.

Before I figured all this out I used to use a thick piece of kydex to break the lock free (and I really mean break). I have performed this adjustment on several Ti-lite 6's and have always had great results.

Anyways, that's my experience with Ti-lite 6's and lock-stick. I can't say for certain if that's your issue. It is also possible that the lock and tang just need to "mate", and wear in together. But if you measure the lock like I have below, and it's 1/4" to 5/16ths", then it might well be just what I described above. Good luck.

 

[DocJD]

I've had seventeen Ti-lite 6's in my possession, and I've worked on all of them. Here's something I've learned- Sometimes the lock is bent over a lot farther than it needs to be, and this causes the lock to jamb against the tang a lot harder than is required for a secure lock-up.

Another issue that this can cause is that even when the lock doesn't stick it can make the lock difficult to unlock just from the amount of force necessary to push the lock away, the slipperiness of the locks surface, and the small notch in the handle/liner. It can be a real thumb-buster.

My solution is to carefully bend the lock back (this requires complete disassembly of the knife). I do this by securing the liner in a vise (masking tape or a piece of leather to protect the liner from scratches), with the lock portion above the top of the vise jaws, bend it back, measure, bend, measure, etc. until I get it just right.

In this pic you can see how far the lock extends from the rest of the liner on this particular knife (before adjustment), 1/4", but there is just slightly less than 3/16ths" of space between the two liners of the knife, and the ball detent won't allow the lock to travel the full distance, so that basically reduces the distance even more. So 1/4" of travel is more than is necessary. On a few occasions the lock stuck out 5/16ths".

I like to bend them until they are somewhere between 1/8" and 3/16ths". Maybe try 3/16ths" and see how that works.

The locks are hardened stainless steel, and they can take a good amount of bending without being negatively affected by it. So if you bend it too far, you can bend it back. But of course there are limits.

Before I figured all this out I used to use a thick piece of kydex to break the lock free (and I really mean break). I have performed this adjustment on several Ti-lite 6's and have always had great results.

Anyways, that's my experience with Ti-lite 6's and lock-stick. I can't say for certain if that's your issue. It is also possible that the lock and tang just need to "mate", and wear in together. But if you measure the lock like I have below, and it's 1/4" to 5/16ths", then it might well be just what I described above. Good luck.

View attachment 2777745

Thanks for the detailed expert advice !

Hope it won't come to that , but now I know how if necessary .
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just now applied some Sharpie permanent marker to the tang lock face , not expecting any effect .

Wrong ! Helped a lot . No idea why . Maybe just smooths the surface ?

For now , just gonna work the lock , Sharpie as needed . See if it works in enough .

 

[killgar]

Thanks for the detailed expert advice !

Hope it won't come to that , but now I know how if necessary .
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just now applied some Sharpie permanent marker to the tang lock face , not expecting any effect .

Wrong ! Helped a lot . No idea why . Maybe just smooths the surface ?

For now , just gonna work the lock , Sharpie as needed . See if it works in enough .

You're quite welcome . The Ti-lite 6 is my favorite knife topic to discuss.

I'm glad you found what may be a simple fix. My guess would be that the ink is acting as a sort of lubricant.

 

[Wowbagger]

Got tired of breaking thumb nails and sore fingertips .

I have at least four of the ~ 2015 years Ti Lites and every one is easy to use ; six inch and four inch . All of them are users that I use at work as TOOLS , not collectors , Every one of them I have heavily modded the blades for specific uses ( one is a Razel ) . I dig these knives !
Maybe return it and get another one .

 

[DocJD]

Maybe return it and get another one .

Oh , heck no ...I'm just getting this baby dialed in now !

Worked it tonight . Many hard and fast open / close cycles . Lots of stabbing and slashing at heavy cardboard targets .

Freshened up the Sharpie treatment . Working pretty good now . I really don't want to compromise the lock stability / strength .

This is one viciously effective, huge folder , old school Cold Steel LCT style .

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

"At first it was OK . I put some silicon lube and worked the lock some and it started to stick soon after ."

Just putting this out there. Maybe it's relevant or not. But just in case.

I once had an issue when using silicone-based lubricant on a knife that was previously lubricated with petroleum-based oil. When the two mixed, it created a sticky mess in the pivot. The lesson learned for me was, make absolutely sure the old lube is completely cleaned out before applying something different. That one knife of mine has never quite been the same since then. It was a pinned pivot, so I couldn't disassemble it to thoroughly clean it up.

 

[DocJD]

Just putting this out there. Maybe it's relevant or not. But just in case.

I once had an issue when using silicone-based lubricant on a knife that was previously lubricated with petroleum-based oil. When the two mixed, it created a sticky mess in the pivot. The lesson learned for me was, make absolutely sure the old lube is completely cleaned out before applying something different. That one knife of mine has never quite been the same since then. It was a pinned pivot, so I couldn't disassemble it to thoroughly clean it up.

Certainly a possibility . I used a food grade silicone grease actually . Never would normally use anything that heavy on a knife lock , for fear of holding dirt .

Tiny amount on a Q-tip , just on the lock face . Won't again !

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Certainly a possibility . I used a food grade silicone grease actually . Never would normally use anything that heavy on a knife lock , for fear of holding dirt .

Tiny amount on a Q-tip , just on the lock face . Won't again !

That's what I used as well. I don't know if the result I got is typical, so it may not always be an issue for anyone trying it. I avoided using it again after that, out of caution. But the frustrating experience comes to mind every time I see mention of issues like this happening when silicone lubricants are involved. Hopefully your situation will be resolved with the other good advice you've gotten here.