GEC help...

I don't see how leaving it open a few hours could make the knife completely useless? But then again I'm no expert on slipjoints that's for sure. It was worth a shot, it took a butter knife to pry it open right when I got it. I'm all for a break in period but this was just too much of a hassle to enjoy using. I'll be sending it off Monday...151938541509916906388.jpg
 
If you had to pry it open like that, there's a problem. I've observed two things that cause lazy W&T on new GECs - gunk (polishing compound and metal powder/shavings in the back spring and pivot seams), and an over tightened pivot from the factory. The former resolves with cleaning, the latter resolves with use. I have had, on occasion, on an older "New" knife from a dealer, the action become very gritty and stiff after I washed it with soapy water before oilling again, not really sure why, perhaps coagulated grease. But on a new knife, an especially this 78 run that didn't have nail breaker pulls, it should be fine.

Don't worry, GEC will fix it right up. Their CS is great. Have you called and talked to Chris?
 
traumkommode said:
If you had to pry it open like that, there's a problem. I've observed two things that cause lazy W&T on new GECs - gunk (polishing compound and metal powder/shavings in the back spring and pivot seams), and an over tightened pivot from the factory. The former resolves with cleaning, the latter resolves with use. I have had, on occasion, on an older "New" knife from a dealer, the action become very gritty and stiff after I washed it with soapy water before oilling again, not really sure why, perhaps coagulated grease. But on a new knife, an especially this 78 run that didn't have nail breaker pulls, it should be fine.

Don't worry, GEC will fix it right up. Their CS is great. Have you called and talked to Chris?
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I sent an email at about 3 am and received an email at 6:30am, from Chris yes, saying "it sounds like an adjustment is needed" and to send it in. Feel pretty good about the whole thing now. Not sure how long I'll be without it but well worth a wait I'm sure
 
With half stops and spring steel, I would say that there is some anomaly here you are missing. I would look into a bit closer as it would not be fair to GEC to have to oil your knife and pay for shipping back to you. But if you can't figure out what is going on, they would definitely want to look at the knife.
 
solphilos said:
To be fair to GEC, knives aren't really designed to be left with tension on the springs for any significant period of time.
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I've heard many stories of spring breakage from this very act, and also many that had no change in spring tension whatsoever. It certainly falls into the 'sketchy' use territory.
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:cool: To apply a little physics here :
If that were true the leaf springs on your truck would break (or permanently deform (plastic deformation)) from sitting stationary in the drive way with a little something in the bed (bags of sand for winter etc.).
What causes a spring to break is a flaw in the grain of the material when the steel was rolled or a deepish scratch or sharp edged flaw in the wrong place at the right time.

Clean steel properly machined and heat treated will flex and unflex through it's elastic limit almost indefinitely , in a knife a hundred years easily. It won't matter a jot leaving it partly open with the spring VERY FLEXED as long as the spring doesn't get into it's plastic limit range and then it will just bend and stay bent . . . it still won't break unless the above anomalies are present and then only after thousands of cycles (more like millions of cycles). Now if the spring was overly hardened and not annealed . . . there could be a little problem with breaking there.

The anchor for the spring may have bent (the pin in the middle) unlikely though.

I wonder if GEC will fess up and say or just send out a new knife.

I would give GEC the benefit of a chance to get it right this time.
 
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Excited to find out the why and how! I tried this half open “trick” on the first run of 78s. Mine literally broke my nail.:eek: I left mine open for a long time ide leave it open for a night check in the morning leave it open check when I got home from work after a few days I just gave up:rolleyes: had zero affect on the knife. Wonder why your short period of trying had a Ill affect:confused:
 
I'll post an update when I have one. The uncentered blades would have bugged me over time anyways so this is good in the long run. I've gotten so used to sloppy uncentered blades on my case knives. That's the reason I spent the extra on this GEC, much needed perfection. Or close to it at least
 
I wonder if the pivot pin has bent due to the prolonged strain of the strong springs. That's what it sounds like to me. I'd be curious if GEC actually tells you what happened with it, other than an "adjustment".
 
Mike Large said:
I sent an email at about 3 am and received an email at 6:30am, from Chris yes, saying "it sounds like an adjustment is needed" and to send it in. Feel pretty good about the whole thing now. Not sure how long I'll be without it but well worth a wait I'm sure
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Hey . . . before you box 'er up would you take one or a couple more photos ?
Please ?

Here is my latest problem child. All good now.
Note how much the blade spring sticks up off the back off the spine of the frame when the blades are open like you did. I would like to see how far your springs stick up. Will they stay sticking up after you close the knife ?

Also when you move the blades when the blades are nearly shut like in your first photos do they move easily or is there a ton of drag in the pivots ?

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Anothername said:
I left mine open for a long time ide leave it open for a night check in the morning leave it open check when I got home from work after a few days I just gave up:rolleyes: had zero affect on the knife.
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zackley.
Thats the way good springs behave.
I just hate knives that rip my fingernails up. What kind of a "gentleman's" knife is that. It isn't. It's barbaric.
Send that one back as well and let 'em practice making slip joints on that one to.
They'll learn how to do this eventually.

PS: for what it is worth the knife in my photos just now had a very firm spring to open but not a problem, I suppose in the lingo, I suppose it was an eight.

While modding the tang for other reasons I created a bit of a ramp so it gets progressively more difficult to open after the little hump that holds it firmly closed. Once it gets open it really settles in and is quite firm to start to fold it closed.

So I was able to lighten how hard it is to open, yet retain a very adequately firm spring tension when closed and very noticeably less tension during most of its opening phase.
If I can do this on the first slip joint I ever tried it on I'm sure they can eventually. o_O:confused:
;)

PS: I must confess to doing similar work to several of my Cold Steel Triad locks so I guess I'm cheating. :D
 
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What wowbagger said in #27, above. The force under flexion that the knife will produce is not sufficient to deform the steel and produce this issue. My guess is that there is a problem with the seating or movement of the pivot pin.
 
Wowbagger Wowbagger unfortunately I sold that one off along time ago :( I actually prefer a 9 once they break in they are usually a 7 which is just right for me anyway:)
 
Anothername said:
Wowbagger Wowbagger unfortunately I sold that one off along time ago :( I actually prefer a 9 once they break in they are usually a 7 which is just right for me anyway:)
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Ohboy . . . don't get me started.
That word "break in" . . . well two words but we run 'em together real fast and try to slip 'em in before anyone thinks too hard about it.

You know . . . when the surfaces are square to each other, nicely ground and fairly polished (not mirror just get rid of the roughness that causes galling and friction) there won't be a need for "breakin" and more importantly your knife won't wear down from a 9 to a 7 to a _______ years later.
Right ?
For example once automobile manufactures learned to make piston rings right and piston cylinders were better machined there just isn't the need for all this "breakin" business that we old timers used to go through with a new engine. You just buy it and drive it. ;)
 
Well It took a butter knife to open the main blade so working it under hot water to clean it out was very short lived. But got done still. Still no luck. Only worse somehow? Even used a can of air to make sure it was dry before lubing. I will make sure to ask them exactly what the problem ended up being. And also snap a few more pictures tonight
 
Wowbagger said:
Hey . . . before you box 'er up would you take one or a couple more photos ?
Please ?

Here is my latest problem child. All good now.
Note how much the blade spring sticks up off the back off the spine of the frame when the blades are open like you did. I would like to see how far your springs stick up. Will they stay sticking up after you close the knife ?

Also when you move the blades when the blades are nearly shut like in your first photos do they move easily or is there a ton of drag in the pivots ?

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Off she goes
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Also when you move the blades when the blades are nearly shut like in your first photos do they move easily or is there a ton of drag in the pivots ?

It may be the angle of the photo but it looks like the spring doesn't stick up as far above the spine as I would expect it to.
But it doesn't stay sticking up after the knife is closed; that is good.
 
One of the grittier knives I've owned. Feels like sand was in it. Gave it 3 solid washes and thorough dries and oil. No luck. It's out of my hands at this point. If I did something wrong in the one day I had it I'll be the first to let y'all know. Either way I feel pretty good about the CS from what I hear
 
Is it just the photo deceiving me, or is there a lot of rubbing on the tang of the main blade? I know these weren't the most centered blades I've seen (normally I couldn't care less about perfectly centered blades) but if the tang is rubbing the liner, this could be your culprit.
 
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