Help - Can't Open A Northfield 77

I don't disagree with you that it's not an ideal situation to get a knife that's just about unusable from the factory. It seems like GEC puts out a run here and there that are just super stiff. There are some of their patterns that are notorious for being bear traps. The report of super stiff pulls on the 77 HJs has kept me clear of them. It's weird because these were run at the same time as the last run of 77 barlows, and the pull on those is great.

I took a file and rounded off the front corners of the tangs on my 23 and that helped quite a bit. I didn't round them completely, just took the sharp corner off. I had a 78 that got a similar treatment and was pretty pleasant to use after that. Other than that working it is the only thing I've done that's had a lasting effect.
 
Cory Hess said:
I don't disagree with you that it's not an ideal situation to get a knife that's just about unusable from the factory. It seems like GEC puts out a run here and there that are just super stiff. There are some of their patterns that are notorious for being bear traps. The report of super stiff pulls on the 77 HJs has kept me clear of them. It's weird because these were run at the same time as the last run of 77 barlows, and the pull on those is great.

I took a file and rounded off the front corners of the tangs on my 23 and that helped quite a bit. I didn't round them completely, just took the sharp corner off. I had a 78 that got a similar treatment and was pretty pleasant to use after that. Other than that working it is the only thing I've done that's had a lasting effect.
Click to expand...

I was wondering about rounding the edges. I don't know how easy that is. I have a file that might fit in there....
 
It wasn't too hard. Just take it super slow and give it a try every so often to see how it's feeling. It doesn't take much to make a big difference. The spring is still really strong, but it makes it a easier to get over that first hump to the halfstop.
 
Cory Hess said:
It wasn't too hard. Just take it super slow and give it a try every so often to see how it's feeling. It doesn't take much to make a big difference. The spring is still really strong, but it makes it a easier to get over that first hump to the halfstop.
Click to expand...

Thanks!
 
I recall Charlie saying that he specifically had GEC make these stiffer then usual. It was covered quite a bit in the harness jack thread.
I cut myself really good on the awl twice. That super toothy edge ain't no joke! It left quite the gash on my thumb.
 
The 23's and the 73's have the flat bolsters and flush tangs. Very easy to work on the corners of the tangs.

Your 77, unless I am mistaken, you would have to work the file on the corners down in the rounded bolsters. It would be a pain, and much tougher to get it done with out messing up the bolsters.
 
Cory Hess said:
It wasn't too hard. Just take it super slow and give it a try every so often to see how it's feeling. It doesn't take much to make a big difference. The spring is still really strong, but it makes it a easier to get over that first hump to the halfstop.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure which corners you are referring to, could you show a pic with an arrow pointing to them?

Connor
 
You're going to have to bear with cell phone pictures I took at my desk.

This is my 23 looking down the well with both blades open. You can see the shiny edge where I filed it down.



I don't have a 77 Washington or Harness Jack anymore, but I do have the Northfield barlow. Here's a picture of where I'd file on that to make it easier to open.



I'm working in less than ideal conditions, but I tried to get the light to reflect so that you could see that the 77 has a sharper corner than the 23. If you work your knife open and closed and pay attention to what's happening in the joint you should be able to see that this corner is what the spring pivots on when going from closed to the halfstop. Hopefully you can see from my picture that I didn't file much off at all. It's probably the same thing that would happen if you opened and closed your knife a couple thousand times to "break it in". I don't see how working on the 77 would be any different than the 23 or 78. You just find a file small enough to fit into the well and go at it. Make a few cuts with the file, squirt in some oil as anything you do right there at the pivot is bound to leave scraps in the pivot itself, and work the blade from closed to halfstop to check your progress. Rinse and repeat until you get the knife where you want it. You'll probably scratch up the liners a bit, but that's not something I'm too worried about.
 
Ah, I see. Thank you, I have done that on a Diamond Edge before, and need to do it on my electrician knife that I over tightened at the pivot.

Connor
 
Jewelers files work the best. You need one with crisp edges, as you need to get as close to the edge of the tang where it touches the liners. As other said, do not take a lot off. Make a few passes to slightly knock the corner off, then work it back and forth many times. You may find the action rough or gritty, that is because the filing takes away the smoothness of the tang. Make sure you spend enough time flushing the joint and working the action before taking more off, as the roughness can smooth out after awhile, and before you know it, you have removed too much and can lose a lot of closing snap.
 
I once did this filing method with a slim strip cut from one of my wife's emery boards. Much less aggressive than my watchmakers files. I used a matchstick or a toothpick - I forget which - to add rigidity to it when working. Took literally a couple of minutes and worked a treat :)
 
Thanks everyone for the advice and pictures! I have some emery cloth of different grits. I am going to look for some jeweler's files first. I stopped at the hardware store on the way home, but they didn't quite have one small enough. A quick glance online looks like they are fairly inexpensive.
 
I have used a Swiss pillar file (safe edges on two sides). It will cut material quickly so a person has to be "judicious" when using it.
 
I actually have some jeweler's files on order. There are a couple of knives I want to work on, but this 77 will be the first one.
 
I've got a 77hj in redbone. It was a nail breaker at first but after working it back and forth with a paper towel wrapped around the blade it has become more user friendly. I did cut my pointer finger on my left hand on more than one occasion.
Hey vaporstang I just sharpened the awl on mine using the diamond rods and the 20dps on the sharpmaker.
Enjoy yourself
Fyi it took quite awhile (month?) of manipulating the blades for the pull to go from 8-9 to a smooth 7.5 -8
 
There is just no way this situation or the suggested remedies are acceptable in any new knife, especial one costing as much as a Northfield HJ. Not in any way, shape, or form. That knife should have never left the factory. I read of just way too many QC problems with GEC.
 
leghog said:
There is just no way this situation or the suggested remedies are acceptable in any new knife, especial one costing as much as a Northfield HJ. Not in any way, shape, or form. That knife should have never left the factory. I read of just way too many QC problems with GEC.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I gotta agree with leghog on that. For what GEC charges, yoou should get a smooth opening knife that doesn't break a nail. I've always though of Victorinox as the gold standard of pocket knife function, in spite of their massive production numbers. I can't think of any reason a GEC should be any harder to open than an Victorinox soldier.
 
I like that they are "hard" to open, and think the whole issue is pretty subjective. But a QC problem?? Not to me. Different strokes.
OP- I hope you can get it to your liking.
 
leghog said:
There is just no way this situation or the suggested remedies are acceptable in any new knife, especial one costing as much as a Northfield HJ. Not in any way, shape, or form. That knife should have never left the factory. I read of just way too many QC problems with GEC.
Click to expand...

I felt the same way about my Washington Jack I got last year. I thought it was ridiculous I received a brand new knife that I can't use. I posted my frustration in the forum and something odd happened. Several people emailed me asking to trade their weak opening knife for mine - I asked them why do you want a non functional knife? Every person had essentially the same reply that its their preference to have a knife that's difficult to open because of the strong springs. I thought to myself that maybe I have something to learn from this because of the email requests to swap knives. I decided to use the WJ I couldn't open, and put my second one I received that was easy to open in storage. I have used the WJ for about 9 months now. We fought at first, but the pull has smoothed out over the past couple months. The spring is very strong so it closes with authority. I like the strong snap to open position. It's now my favorite knife. When I first got it I couldn't open it without using a tool. Now, my personal preference has changed. I prefer a knife that's difficult to open when new (if I'm planning on using it).
 
Ramrodmb said:
I like that they are "hard" to open, and think the whole issue is pretty subjective. But a QC problem?? Not to me. Different strokes.
OP- I hope you can get it to your liking.
Click to expand...

I have a second one now and can compare. The second is stiff but not ridiculous. The original one is certainly a lot harder to open than the second one. This is even after flushing the original one with oil and working it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top