kick troubles

[pvicenzi]

I have a new Northwoods stockman that came with the kick ground down so far on the clip blade, that the edge gets a nick from hitting the spring. Am I doomed to sharpen the nicks out until the blade no longer contacts the springs, or is there another solution? Sure is frustrating putting a proper edge on the D2blade, only to have it get nicked the first time the blade is closed.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Ouch, I feel your pain. Having to continually sharpen out these nicks is annoying enough, but having to do it on a D2 blade is all-the-worse, especially if it's chipping instead of rolling. Can you tell if the edge is just bouncing off the spring, or if it's actually resting against it? That might make a difference in how much is needed to remedy it. If it's just lightly bouncing against the spring then, most of the time, this can be sharpened away without taking off too much metal. If it's actually resting against the spring when closed, there's no guarantee the blade won't just drop some more, when metal is sharpened off the edge.

Just curious, is this knife brand new? Or was the kick filed down by a previous owner? If it's new, it might be worthwhile to send it back to the manufacturer (I'm assuming that's Queen), and let them fix it properly.

 

[pvicenzi]

It's a new knife.
I don't think the blade is resting on the spring. If I close the knife slowly, everything is fine. It's when I acidently let it snap shut that I have a problem. Also, this knife has a stronger spring than I am used to. I've never had one that snapped shut so forcefully.

 

[confucius37]

I just received a knife with this exact defect. I sent it back to the manufacturer today, they said it was a very easy fix for them.

 

[kreole]

I would send it back first off, but if you really wanted to fix it yourself, you might be able to pinch it enough that it isn't an issue anymore. Pinching it, coining it might be called, will make the kick a bit taller. It might be better just to see pictures. The Spyderco Caly 3.5 has it done on the back spring to make it a little longer to adjust the fit: http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?51068-Caly-3-5-Lockbar-pinch-marks

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

It's a new knife.
I don't think the blade is resting on the spring. If I close the knife slowly, everything is fine. It's when I acidently let it snap shut that I have a problem. Also, this knife has a stronger spring than I am used to. I've never had one that snapped shut so forcefully.

I'm still assuming this is a Queen-made knife and, if so, the stout spring sort of surprises me. I also have a Northwoods large stag stockman (4-1/4"). It's basically a carbon copy of Queen's #49 Cattle King stockman (I also have this one), save for the Northwoods embellishments and tang stamp. On my Queen stockman, it's got some pretty optimal springs; not too weak, and not too strong. I'll have to dig my Northwoods stockman out, and see how it compares to what you've described on yours. Edit: Looked at mine, it is a little stiffer than the Queen Cattle King. Not a lot stiffer, maybe a 7 out of 10, as opposed to 6 of 10 on the Queen.

At any rate, since it's new, I'd be inclined to send it back and let them fix it. This is a pretty common issue with a lot of knives, and most makers are used to dealing with such repairs. Most any other knife, I'd be inclined to try sharpen this out myself. But with the D2 blade, that would be a little more tedious to have to keep doing.

 

[pvicenzi]

I also have a Northwoods large stag stockman. The spring tension is just about perfect.
The nicks on the medium are so small that a none knife person wouldn't even notice them. In fact, I didn't notice the nicks until I sliced a piece of paper and found some drag. I will live with it.