How to repair non-working Liner Lock?

C

Celebes

Joined
Aug 22, 2016
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I have a very small folding knife in which the liner lock does not automatically snap back after the blade is unfolded.

Thus the blade can fold back on the fingers.

I see the moving metal part that should be the lock. It just does not snap in to block the blade after the blade is opened.

I am thinking a very small piece of metal could be welded by a jeweler onto the inside the metal bar that should be the lock. It would give the bar another 32nd of an inch width thus automatically locking the blade, hopefully.

Then the piece and welded bit could be pushed out to make room for folding the blade back.

If anyone has any ideas about fixing a liner lock, I would appreciate knowing them.
 
Unless it's an expensive knife or has sentimental value, it seems like overkill to weld a bit onto the liner. If the knife can disassemble, then you have a few options depending on what is happening. The liner might not be engaging because too much of it is bumping into the blade, so it is blocked from deploying correctly. If you can push it into place and get a "sticky" feel, I have found that removing a bit of material from the end of the liner can fix the problem. Take it apart, use a file or dremel on a low setting, and take a few passes. The more material removed, the later the lockup gets--go slow and check often, or the liner will be ruined as a lock. If the lock can be pressed into place without feeling any sticky points, then the liner may not have enough spring. The quick fix for that is to take the liner out and gently bend it a bit more in the direction of travel. Bend too much and it will impede the blade opening or even make the lockup so late that it will not properly stop the blade from closing. I have fixed knives using these 2 tricks, but I have to say that I don't trust them as much as I would if they had come to me in full working condition. Good luck!
 
I am thinking about that but the thing has a lot of little screws, so I am am afraid if I start taking it apart I may not be able to reassemble it.

I took it to a watch repairman who tightened some of the screws and made it worse. Now I cannot even manually push in the bar.

But if I can take it out or take it to a precision machine shop, they might be able to bend it.
 
Celebes said:
MTech.

Very small, less that 4 inches open.

The photo insert function does not seem to be working so I can't post photos.

Here is a sendspace.com link to the photos:

https://www.sendspace.com/filegroup/aUUYbt1XnCgMS44awK6vfBKQQEf7deCrB40Mayx5npA
Click to expand...

Is there different levels of MTech knives? 'Cause I did a google search and am finding knives costing $8-$15. Doesn't seem worth the effort you're going thru... knives at this level usually have multiple issues, and don't perform well anyways.

Can't see anything from the link you posted, so figured I'd ask.
 
cbwx34 said:
Is there different levels of MTech knives? 'Cause I did a google search and am finding knives costing $8-$15. Doesn't seem worth the effort you're going thru... knives at this level usually have multiple issues, and don't perform well anyways.

Can't see anything from the link you posted, so figured I'd ask.
Click to expand...

No, thats about as good as they get. Unless this knife has very high sentimental value its not worth messing with it.
 
I'm not putting down MTech knives, but they are on the very low end of the quality spectrum when it comes to folders. If the knife has sentimental value, then I would suggest putting it away as a keepsake.

I don't know if you had to pay the watch repairman, sometimes they'll do little things for free if their friendly, if it's simple, and if they have free time, but if you did pay him, that plus a machine shop, it sounds like you're going to pay several times more than the dollar value of the knife to try and get it fixed, with no guarantee that they will fix it. And even if it does get "fixed", you still have an MTech folder, and it will likely only be a matter of time before you develop other problems with it.

I'd recommend retiring the knife. I won't even recommend replacing it with a new identical one. I will recommend that you take the money that you are willing to spend to try and fix your knife and put it towards buying a higher-quality knife that either won't need fixing, and/or one that comes with a warranty so you don't have to pay to have it fixed.
 
buy a Kershaw, even the china ones beat mtech. to get a warranty you need to go up a step to the usa kershaws.
 
If you are going to tinker with knives, get a small driver with a set of torx and allen bits, and a refrigerator magnet. Draw a rough sketch on a piece of paper marking all the screws, then put them onto the magnet in about the same shape as you go. As long as the screws weren't stripped, you should be able to take them out and put them in again. As stated above, MTech isn't known for using high quality materials, but if nothing else you get a bit of practice on maintaining and modifying that will be useful when you move on.
 
Celebes said:
MTech.

Very small, less that 4 inches open.

The photo insert function does not seem to be working so I can't post photos.

Here is a sendspace.com link to the photos:

https://www.sendspace.com/filegroup/aUUYbt1XnCgMS44awK6vfBKQQEf7deCrB40Mayx5npA
Click to expand...
Hi,
When/where did you get it, do you know what the model is?

Usually with stuff like this, if there is obvious defect,
you return it to the store within 30 days for a replacement,
then check replacement for defect in the store until you find a good one

The chances of getting the same exact model as replacement under "warranty" is very slim,
but with shipping and handling it comes out the same price as buying a new one
Info from usmarinesknives.com/warranty.html as the official one doesnt mention warranty at all MTech USA | Brand | Master Cutlery
 
If you like the knife and are able to, id say to take it apart and bend it yourself. For what they costs, just buying another would make more sense and probably be less money than taking it to someone to be worked on.

Mtechs will cut and serve as a knife should, but like others, i would recommend moving up the line in quality. Plenty of manufacturers make inexpensive (not the same as cheap) knives at or just above the price range of Mtechs.
Kershaw, Spyderco/ Bryd, CRKT, and Opinel are manufacturers that offer a wide variety of quality knives that wont break the bank and are a good place to start.
 
Ok that pretty much finishes this knife off.

I bought a set of screwdrivers that work with this knife. very small 6 pointed things.

I can undo the screws and returned it to the condition before the watch repairman tightened then up.

I will try bending the piece myself, otherwise consider the $8 lost money.

There are better quality knives around but such a tiny one with such a good finger grip I have never seen anywhere.

Thanks to everyone for your help.
 
The problem is that the bevel on the tang isn't allowing the linerlock to spring into position. I've had to use a small needle file to ever so slightly file the tang bevel where the linerlock engages down a bit to get a better lock-up. Don't know if it's worth the trouble on a very inexpensive MTech.
Rich
 
If you are comfortable with hand tools, are patient, and not afraid to possibly ruin the lock I say go for it and file down the liner a bit at a time until it engages. The way I see it the knife already does not function. You may as well give it a shot as nothing is really left to lose.
 
Celebes said:
Ok that pretty much finishes this knife off.

I bought a set of screwdrivers that work with this knife. very small 6 pointed things.

I can undo the screws and returned it to the condition before the watch repairman tightened then up.

I will try bending the piece myself, otherwise consider the $8 lost money.

There are better quality knives around but such a tiny one with such a good finger grip I have never seen anywhere.

Thanks to everyone for your help.
Click to expand...


Better than this?

hqdefault.jpg
 
I have repaired MTECH Knives before, it is a lot of work and sometimes it is either not worth it or outright impossible without replacement parts - and in my experience if you write MTECH they will send you a NEW knife, although they have no warranty so it is not a guarantee - I have owned a lot of knives and they have better customer service than some of the higher end companies (not naming names)

If it cannot be bent back this is your best course of action, they replaced a knife when the spring broke (they make their assisted open Tac Force models with shit steel for their spring)

Or you could just invest in something like a Rat2 or even just a small Opinel, much better quality and still in the budget price points.
 
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