Half stop question

B

billg1949

Joined
Sep 29, 2011
Messages
27
Are half stop knives harder to open than non ones? i have a Northfield (72 or 73?) single blade trapper half stop that is a nail puller. Are other brands of trappers any easier on the nails?

thanks...........Bill
 
Half stops have nothing to do with how hard they are to open Bill. How thick the spring and how much preload it has does that.
 
Tony Bose said:
Half stops have nothing to do with how hard they are to open Bill. How thick the spring and how much preload it has does that.
Click to expand...

Thank you for clearing this up, Tony. I have always been under the impression that the squared off tangs of knives with half stops contributes to the heavier pull strength on the blades. I would have answered "yes" to Bill's first question.

If you don't mind my asking, what exactly do you mean by "preload"?
 
That's the amount of pressure that's on the spring with the blade completely open or closed. That's what holds the knife open and keeps it shut. The distance between the center pin and the pivot pin plays a part too.
 
Tony Bose said:
That's the amount of pressure that's on the spring with the blade completely open or closed. That's what holds the knife open and keeps it shut. The distance between the center pin and the pivot pin plays a part too.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Tony.
 
Bill,
mr. Bose cleared the topic from the very start, so you already have your answer.
Still, half stops modify a bit the dynamics of opening the knife, so that might give you the impression that the knife is harder to open than the (hypothetical) same knife without half stops. But it's just an altered perception. Personally, I don't like half stops, and even though they don't make the knife any harder to open, they sort of make the whole process a bit on the clumsy side. I have to say, anyway, that until one year ago I had never carried a knife with half stops in my life. :)

Fausto
:cool:
 
wait wait.....so im in NO way shape or form contradicting what anyone here has said, but isnt opening a round tang (NO half stop) inherently easier to open than a square tang (half stop) [assuming both have the same spring size\tension] ?

Like i said im not going against what anyone has said, but i have the same knife, one half stop one without, and the half stop is harder to get to open than the other....once you get it past a certain point its easier again, maybe its just in my head...? Maybe i didnt thoroughly clean out the factory black polishing compounds\grime or maybe some other factor im not seeing?

isnt that why tires are round? (not being a smarty pants just trying to give example)
 
It may seem that way, because the amount of resistance changes though the travel with half stops while it remains more constant on a cam end blade. The actual resistance on either will be determined by the strength of the spring and how far the tang has to flex it. The cam end holds the spring in the flexed position where the square end allows it to relax in the middle, so you have to flex the spring a second time to get past the half stop, meaning you have to do a little more work, but it doesn't really increase the resistance. I guess it would depend on what you mean by "harder to open".
 
shrapne1 said:
wait wait.....so im in NO way shape or form contradicting what anyone here has said, but isnt opening a round tang (NO half stop) inherently easier to open than a square tang (half stop) [assuming both have the same spring size\tension] ?

Like i said im not going against what anyone has said, but i have the same knife, one half stop one without, and the half stop is harder to get to open than the other....once you get it past a certain point its easier again, maybe its just in my head...? Maybe i didnt thoroughly clean out the factory black polishing compounds\grime or maybe some other factor im not seeing?

isnt that why tires are round? (not being a smarty pants just trying to give example)
Click to expand...

All things being equal, in my mind there is one factor that could possibly cause a sense of "harder to open" in a half stop knife. If the shoulders of the tang are left rather sharp on a half stop, there could be an increase in friction against the spring when that shoulder is causing the spring to climb out. Especially if the spring area where this interference action is a little bit rough, say from patina, pitting, or grinding marks.
 
Very good points yablanowitz and flyer, i suppose "harder to open" is up for interpretation and i looked at it differently.
 
Cam tangs are easier to open but they are also easier to close---on your finger. half stops are a bit of a safety feature for a knife accidently closing during hard use. I personaly like to hear the action that a half stop makes and they are harder to make. I would like to think that I'm tuff enough to open either one too. If that spring and tang is right it's no problem opening either one.
 
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