t1mpani
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2002
- Messages
- 5,528
So yes, the classic problem with (it seems to me) Queen's pocketknives: their seeming unwillingness to design a proper kick, and resultant dull/dented spot in the edge from it contacting the backspring during closing. I say unwillingness and not inability because I have a Canoe from them which doesn't have this problem, though perhaps it was a mistake. I suppose it's possible I've just been extraordinarily lucky over the years, but I've never met a Case, Buck, Boker or Bulldog that's done this. And no, I'm not a Queen-hater, I have several of them, and love the bloody things, but it's a very consistent flaw.
Anyway, I bought a Two blade Gunstock from a local dealer a few days back, as I've just always had a soft spot for that pattern. I knew before I took it home because I could already see a bit of indentation, but I just said screw it, I'll have to reprofile the thing anyway (as it had Queen's typical butter-knife factory edge), so I'd just remove a little blade height to give the kick more room to do its job. That's worked just fine in the past, and usually it would take a VERY trained eye to know that anything has been done to them when I'm through. So, I started grinding. Yes, I know this will make some cringe, but I'm good at it, and D2's temperatures run so high that occasional dunking is all that's required. So, grind a little off, coat the edge in black marker, close it. Still hitting. Grind a little more off. Check. Still hitting. Crap. Grind MORE off--the blade is now slightly more than 1/16" narrower than it was when I started, but the cross section of the newly squared "edge" is so thick now that closing it will not show any damage even to the black marker, so I put a new bevel on, few passes on the loaded leather belt to get it sending hairs flying, and pop it closed again. Dent. Son of a bitch-in-heat, just how much flexibility does this backspring have?! I mean, I removed a LOT of material--normal sharpening (especially of D2) would take a LOT of normal use/sharpening to grind away that much steel. Not that I'm going to, but I really wonder just how far I'd have to go before the thing doesn't beat itself up in the handle that's supposed to be protecting it. I checked, and no the edge is not riding on the backspring when closed, it's only with momentum that it makes contact.
Yes, yes...I've heard it, you're not supposed to snap your knives closed. You're entitled to your opinion. I say that's a load of crap. My grandfather taught me to close my first slipjoint against my leg when I was five years old. Not only does this keep your fingers out of the way of a sharp blade under tension, if you do what you really ought to do and wipe the blade down (jeans work fine) to take your fingerprints and any other corrosive agents off the blade before closing it up, you don't have a bunch of rusted spots later; and yes indeed--I've found mirrored D2 marred by little brown fingerprints over the years, in the rare cases where I've forgotten. Having to pinch the thing until the last possible fraction of a second entirely negates any attempt to clean the blade off. Over the decades, my closing method has worked fine on dozens of knives without affecting them in the least, and Queen just seems to be the King of this particular design flaw, at least of the modern slipjoints I've tried. I have a couple of GECs that sort of do it, but when the damaged area is about a millimeter long, I don't mind. It's when I have a 1/4" of dead-dull steel right in the middle of my edge belly that it bugs the daylights out of me.
All in all, I suppose this is more rant than particular question. I certainly, after modifying the knife, would not ask/expect Queen to do anything about it (though it was modded awfully cleanly, if I do say so myself) but just wish I could get their wonderful D2 in the patterns that I want without having to handle the the thing like a fragile antique every time I want to close it. I suppose it's back to carrying the Canoe, and maybe I'll give this one to my brother in law---he seems to be allergic to edges that are actually sharp, and sets about dulling them doing extremely stupid things with them from the get-go, so I doubt he'll mind this built-in feature.
Anyway, I bought a Two blade Gunstock from a local dealer a few days back, as I've just always had a soft spot for that pattern. I knew before I took it home because I could already see a bit of indentation, but I just said screw it, I'll have to reprofile the thing anyway (as it had Queen's typical butter-knife factory edge), so I'd just remove a little blade height to give the kick more room to do its job. That's worked just fine in the past, and usually it would take a VERY trained eye to know that anything has been done to them when I'm through. So, I started grinding. Yes, I know this will make some cringe, but I'm good at it, and D2's temperatures run so high that occasional dunking is all that's required. So, grind a little off, coat the edge in black marker, close it. Still hitting. Grind a little more off. Check. Still hitting. Crap. Grind MORE off--the blade is now slightly more than 1/16" narrower than it was when I started, but the cross section of the newly squared "edge" is so thick now that closing it will not show any damage even to the black marker, so I put a new bevel on, few passes on the loaded leather belt to get it sending hairs flying, and pop it closed again. Dent. Son of a bitch-in-heat, just how much flexibility does this backspring have?! I mean, I removed a LOT of material--normal sharpening (especially of D2) would take a LOT of normal use/sharpening to grind away that much steel. Not that I'm going to, but I really wonder just how far I'd have to go before the thing doesn't beat itself up in the handle that's supposed to be protecting it. I checked, and no the edge is not riding on the backspring when closed, it's only with momentum that it makes contact.
Yes, yes...I've heard it, you're not supposed to snap your knives closed. You're entitled to your opinion. I say that's a load of crap. My grandfather taught me to close my first slipjoint against my leg when I was five years old. Not only does this keep your fingers out of the way of a sharp blade under tension, if you do what you really ought to do and wipe the blade down (jeans work fine) to take your fingerprints and any other corrosive agents off the blade before closing it up, you don't have a bunch of rusted spots later; and yes indeed--I've found mirrored D2 marred by little brown fingerprints over the years, in the rare cases where I've forgotten. Having to pinch the thing until the last possible fraction of a second entirely negates any attempt to clean the blade off. Over the decades, my closing method has worked fine on dozens of knives without affecting them in the least, and Queen just seems to be the King of this particular design flaw, at least of the modern slipjoints I've tried. I have a couple of GECs that sort of do it, but when the damaged area is about a millimeter long, I don't mind. It's when I have a 1/4" of dead-dull steel right in the middle of my edge belly that it bugs the daylights out of me.
All in all, I suppose this is more rant than particular question. I certainly, after modifying the knife, would not ask/expect Queen to do anything about it (though it was modded awfully cleanly, if I do say so myself) but just wish I could get their wonderful D2 in the patterns that I want without having to handle the the thing like a fragile antique every time I want to close it. I suppose it's back to carrying the Canoe, and maybe I'll give this one to my brother in law---he seems to be allergic to edges that are actually sharp, and sets about dulling them doing extremely stupid things with them from the get-go, so I doubt he'll mind this built-in feature.
...I own or have owned 6 or more sowbellies, 4 or more stock knives, 3 moose, 4 whittlers, 2 congress, and 3 bull heads from Queen. Maybe the problem that you are experiencing is more common on another pattern?
