Hard springs on a Queen Soddie

[beanbag]

Hello folks-

I'm new to this sub-forum. I thought I was becoming well versed in the ways of slippies, but I've been lurking here a bit lately, and based on some of the information-rich posts I've read, I now feel otherwise.

Anyway, I just got a Queen Sodbuster, model (70 A), and the springs are really stiff, like GEC #73 stiff. Well maybe that's an exaggeration, but you get the idea.

Is there anything I can do about this issue, short of returning, or selling it?

Thanks,

Bean

 

[Seals]

Thats slightly unusual for a soddie.Annoying isnt it?You can try Dawn and hot water.Work it under the running water.Then wipe off,let dry,and reoil and work it out some more.It probably wont help a lot honestly,but it could help a bit.

 

[matt1987]

some people leave the blade open at 90 degrees for a few hours and that seems to help. but personally i found that i got used to the stiffness after a couple of days.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Thats slightly unusual for a soddie.Annoying isnt it?You can try Dawn and hot water.Work it under the running water.Then wipe off,let dry,and reoil and work it out some more.It probably wont help a lot honestly,but it could help a bit.

It's unusual for most soddies, but it's consistent with the four Queen sodbusters (Country Cousins) I have. All very stiff. I live with it, and have grown accustomed to it. The D2, once I sharpened it up the way I want it, is worth it. Being that I've made mine VERY sharp, the stiffness really makes me pay attention when opening and closing it. Wouldn't want to have a finger in the way, when it snaps shut. Fortunately, there's enough blade exposed to 'pinch' open/closed, without relying too heavily on the nail nick.

 

[tomsch]

The spring on my CC is a little on the soft side and does not snap closed as well as I would have liked when it was new. I did clean it out and oiled and it is much better but certainly not stiff. The D2 did require a complete reprofile but now it holds an edge pretty well.

 

[knarfeng]

I echo the above posters. My Queen Sodbuster has much stiffer springs than the average Queen knife.

 

[RKH]

Same here. My Queen Soddie has stiff springs. My Case and Eye brand are much easier to open. Not a big fan of stiff springs. BTW, I just got a Yellow handle A G Russell Rancher and is just about perfect on spring tension.

RKH

 

[beanbag]

Thanks for the replies. I want to address a few of the points and suggestions that were made.

You can try Dawn and hot water.Work it under the running water.Then wipe off,let dry,and reoil and work it out some more.It probably wont help a lot honestly,but it could help a bit.

some people leave the blade open at 90 degrees for a few hours and that seems to help.

I tried both of these suggestions, and as anticipated there was minimal , if any improvement, however, I now have the cleanest knife in the county.

Fortunately, there's enough blade exposed to 'pinch' open/closed, without relying too heavily on the nail nick.

That's very true, but interestingly I didn't even try pinching open the blade until I saw this comment. I'm not sure why because I do "pinch" open my Case Soddie. I think I was so surprised by the stiff springs when I first tried the nail nick, I must have subconsciously thought it wasn't even worth attempting.

The good news is that now all my concerns have disappeared- the blade is actually quite easy to open with this method, and once it's open, it feels like it's going to stay open until I'm ready to carefully close it.

The D2 did require a complete reprofile but now it holds an edge pretty well.

I think Queens D2 edge holding can't be beat. I had a friend expertly convex my Queen small stockman (my most carried workweek knife) to a razor sharp edge over a year ago, and it has stayed that way with regular stropping on the leather hone. Great steel.

I echo the above posters. My Queen Sodbuster has much stiffer springs than the average Queen knife.

Yup, mine is like 3-4x stiffer than my stockman or small trapper. They really are not even comparable.

Bean:thumbup:

 

[beanbag]

Same here. My Queen Soddie has stiff springs. My Case and Eye brand are much easier to open. Not a big fan of stiff springs. BTW, I just got a Yellow handle A G Russell Rancher and is just about perfect on spring tension.
RKH

Interesting.

After posting this and also reading the thread discussing all types of nail breakers, I decided to test the spring tension on most of my slippies.

Without burdening you folks with a complete rundown, the knife with what I consider to be the optimal stiffness, was my good old Case stockman with yellow delrin handles.

 

[tomsch]

Great that your Queen is working out! After reading more of this post I pulled out my Moore Maker Sodbuster that is also made by Queen. Indeed the spring is quite a bit stiffer than on the Country Cousin. I also pinch it open which makes it a much better method.

 

[NeoClassic]

Try working the blade back and forth without completely locking it open or closed. (Be careful not to cut yourself, obviously.)

I did this with my ultra-stiff GEC #73 and it has gotten easier to open.

It only gets smoother, the more I use it.

Personally, I like stiff springs, they inspire confidence.

 

[ThundarStick]

I like the stiff spring on my CC because of how I use it. Last night I cut 8 chicken brest, slightly frozen, into thin strips. Then sliced up several bell peppers and onions for my wife to make dinner with! The stiff back spring almost makes it a fixed blade in the kitchen and when I was finished, a few swipes on a strop and it was shaving sharp again! I use the Case SB Jr. the same way, but after thinning that D2 blade on the CC a little and getting it sharp, I think I like it better! Stiff spring and all.