HELP..My Axis Lock Is Sticky??

Ares1307

Ares1307

Joined
Jun 14, 2012
Messages
545
I just got my Benchmade Griptilian 550HG and I love it. BUT I noticed that when I flip the blade out without using the Axis Lock to do so, when I try to pull the Axis Lock to fold the blade back the lock is sticky and hard to pull. But when I flip out the blade using the Axis Lock and repull the Axis lock to fold the blade its easy to pull and not sticky, it feels perfect.

What can I do to make the lock easier to pull and not sticky? I really hope I described this in a way that it makes sence. :eek:

Ares
 
if its new it may just need breaking in...or you could put a tiny bit of graphite on the tang
 
Try coloring in some sharpie on the tang where the axis pin contacts it when it is closed.
 
It just needs to break in. A couple hundred open/close cycles will smooth it out. As mentioned, graphite (pencil lead), or Sharpie on the lock face may help relieve the stick in the short term.
 
Wow that was fast! Thanks guys! Yes the knife is very new, I just took it out of the box a few hours ago. Im going to try to break it in a little tonight and if it starts to feel better then Ill just keep breaking it in.. If I feel no difference after playing with it for a few hours while watching TV then Ill try sharpy or graphite. I had never heard of those tricks, thats very cool. Thanks again my friends.
 
With my Axis lock, I found the harder you flick it open the harder it is to disengage the lock.

A little practice and you'll discover how hard to flick it open.
 
Your lock is tight. A tight lock is usually a good lock. This forum never ceases to amaze me at the things that people find disconcerting in a knife.
 
Jacksterp, that is exactly what is going on with my knife.. Im flicking it too hard. When I use the Axis lock to flip out the blade I dont flick it that hard, but when I use just my wrist to flip out the blade I use a little more force and thats when the lock gets a little stuck. Its breaking in a bit, I havent been able to sit and play with it yet, but its to the point where it only gets stuck when I flick it hard with my wrist.. which I wont be doing anymore when I play with it. It sounds like its opening with too much force when I flick it out with my wrist and I dont want to break it or cause too much tension to the blade or stop pin. Thanks for all the help guys, Im VERY new to Axis Locks so I didnt know what was normal and what was defective. Im glad to know it is just the User that is defective. :D

Gmahn Im not insecure with my lock nor my knife, I know its a good lock and a great knife I was just wondering why it would get stuck when I opened it one way and work fine when opening it another way. I am new the Axis Locking mechanism and dont really know much about it.
 
Ares1307 said:
Jacksterp, that is exactly what is going on with my knife.. Im flicking it too hard. When I use the Axis lock to flip out the blade I dont flick it that hard, but when I use just my wrist to flip out the blade I use a little more force and thats when the lock gets a little stuck. Its breaking in a bit, I havent been able to sit and play with it yet, but its to the point where it only gets stuck when I flick it hard with my wrist.. which I wont be doing anymore when I play with it. It sounds like its opening with too much force when I flick it out with my wrist and I dont want to break it or cause too much tension to the blade or stop pin. Thanks for all the help guys, Im VERY new to Axis Locks so I didnt know what was normal and what was defective. Im glad to know it is just the User that is defective. :D

Gmahn Im not insecure with my lock nor my knife, I know its a good lock and a great knife I was just wondering why it would get stuck when I opened it one way and work fine when opening it another way. I am new the Axis Locking mechanism and dont really know much about it.
Click to expand...

Yeeeaaahhh.....wrist flicking is generally a bad idea with any knife...

With the axis lock especially you do not need a wrist flick. Just give it a good flick with your thumb (or middle finger since yours has a hole) up, towards the pivot rather than out away from the handle. That blade will fly out like is assisted with absolutely zero wrist movement needed.
 
If you must wrist flick, only do so by opening the Axis lock and flicking gently. Your knife will last longer.
 
Thank you for the tips Mkjellgren and Raymond1000. I didnt know wrist flicking was bad for any knife... Ive only recently been deploying my blade that way... mostly since I got my ZT 200. But I will use only the flipper for the ZT 200 from now on. With the Benchmade Mini Bone collector I usually engage the Axis lock and then flick out the blade with my wrist, but not hard at all... just enough to fully deploy the blade, but only because the thumb hole is deeper in the handle than the Spydercos Ive had. I have a fat thumb which is why I prefer thumb holes rather than studs, so because the hole on the Mini BC is partially covered by the handle I deploy the blade in the way I described. However, with my Grip the hole is better placed and bigger so I can use it with ease. But even when deploying my blade using the thumb hole the lock still sticks, Im assuming its because when I use the Axis lock and flick out the blade with my wrist I already know how gently to do it so when I use the thumb hole Im actually using more force than when flicking + Axis, but Im sure it just needs some breaking in.

I havent had a chance to just sit down and play with it yet, I got called into work just after I started this thread, but now that Im home Im going to relax and enjoy my new toy! I already love this knife!
 
Try practicing the middle finger flick as seen here:

[video=youtube;9odGU2418vk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9odGU2418vk&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]
 
Ares1307 said:
...Im sure it just needs some breaking in.

... now that Im home Im going to relax and enjoy my new toy! I already love this knife!
Click to expand...

"Breaking in" = wearing down, shortening the life of the mechanism. Generally it's a good idea to use your tools in such fashion as to reduce unnecessary wear & tear and extend the life of the mechanism. The axis lock is designed to remain tight and eliminate blade-play even as the tang/lockbar/stop-pin wear down with extended use, the lock-bar traveling further up the tang to better brace the blade. When you open the blade with excessive force, the lock-bar becomes wedged against the tang (like a door-stop), making it harder to disengage and increasing wear. It's pretty simple physics...

Woops, just realized that your knife isn't a "tool", it's a toy! My bad. :p
 
chiral.grolim- I call my knives toys because I enjoy buying them, sharpening them, and using them even when Im not putting them to work. They are more than just tools to me, which is why I try to make sure everything is working smoothly on each of my knives. I wanted to break it in a bit to make it easier and more reliable to unlock so I can make sure when I am putting the blade to work the lock doesnt get stuck on me when Im trying to close it. And yes I know breaking it in means wearing it down, but if flipping it open and shut a few times really shortens the life of the mechanism to a noticeable degree then the mechanism sucks. But in all seriousness I do try to baby my knives as much as possible to extend their lives and still use them and enjoy them. And for the about your other comments, I understand, which is why I had mentioned that I wouldnt be flicking it out with my wrist anymore. Now I feel kind of stupid for doing it in the first place. lol.

The lock seems to have smoothed out. I havent been using my wrist anymore but even when using my finger its not sticking anymore. Now that the issue with my lock seems to be over, I am really loving this new knife. I had a day off today so I reprofiled the Griptilian to 40* inclusive on my Lansky.. which I hear is a bit off on the angles so it might be at a more acute angle. The Grip is My first knife that I have reprofiled.. I did one of my wife's kitchen knives for practice. It came out pretty good though. Well I just wanted to let you guys know that the problem is gone, and I now have my Griptilian just the way I wanted it.. smooth and sharp. Thank you all for the great advice and the tips and tricks.. BTW I tried the trick with pencil lead and it worked, well until it rubbed off, but it is a nice quick fix.
 
Thank you very much. I have to admit, I really didnt think I would like the handle at all, it looks kind of cheap in pictures. I had never seen one in person until I pulled mine out of the box and little black Benchmade bag it was in. I like it though, in person it doesnt look cheap at all, and it feels comfortable and secure. And I absolutely LOVE the blade style, size, and shape. Its an all around amazing knife. Now I need a black and tan one. :D LoL.
 
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