Latch/Blade Banging?

[Redfield]

OK, found an old BenchMade with the black Zymak handles. What's the trick to keeping the latch from banging up the cutting edge of the blade?

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PowerderBurns' Black Powder & Muzzle Loader Forum:
http://www.hotboards.com/plus/plus.mirage?who=powderburns

 

[MacCanine]

We used to tighten up the latch area so that the latch stayed out of the way of the handles/blade.
Take a couple of small pieces of a good rubber if you can find some,and place them on each side of the latch handle.Make sure the latch is pointing straight out.Don't pound too hard with the hammer,but lightly pound both sides of the latch handle right where the pin is for the latch.
When properly done,the latch won't move past the two corners of the handle by itself.The only way to move it will be by hand.
Be careful though...you don't want it to get too tight.After every hit or two,check and see how far the latch is moving,and see if it's stuck.If stuck,take a large flat headed screwdriver and put it in the blade slot right near the latch and gently pry the area open a little..just enough to loosen the latch.
If you have a centerpunch,it's a lot easier to use for this,as it concentrates on just the pin,but make sure the other side of the handle is sitting on a hard surface with some protection between it and the surface.Also,remember to hit both sides of the pin.

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*The* Lunatic Puppy
It wasn't me...It was my *good* twin..
My "inner puppy" made me do it..

 

[GuyInBlack]

A good idea from MacCanine. What I do though, for a less permement solution, is to simply get some thin sticky tape and wind it around the handle just under the latch pin, which acts in a similar manner to MacC's rubber idea, but obviously can be removed easier. If you dont wind enough layers round the handle then the latch will eventually eat its way through the tape though. Another idea is to use different coloured tape depending on, for instance, if you have the blade taped up or not. i.e. red tape on the latch means the knife has a live blade, green tape means the blade is also taped. Yeah, I know, I really, really should try to get out more...

Of course if you have a couple of dedicated practice balis then a more permement fix is more preferable.

Hope this helps.

 

[Redfield]

Clay in BaliSong Xtreme says that the latch should swing free, that hammering down the latch end of the grip is a bad idea. I'm a newbie, no clue why this is so.

Thought maybe there was some trick I was overlooking.

I'm thinking about inserting a pin that will keep the latch out of the way. The new BenchMades have this feature.



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PowerderBurns' Black Powder & Muzzle Loader Forum

 

[Gollnick]

Proper manipulation techniques will create enough centrifigal force to keep the latch out. But, if your technique isn't quite perfect, you might want to consider adding a few bits of tape to protect the latch and blade. Click Here to see what I mean.


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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com

 

[MacCanine]

Actually,some users like the latch loose,others don't.It really is a personal thing,based on your own style and comfort.
Tightening the latch so that it only goes to the very corners of the handle is still loose enough to do most (or all that I know,which is quite a few) of the tricks without the latch getting in the way.If it is able to swing all the way,you're risking damaging your blade and after time,your opposite handle.I've seen it happen several times with the handle,much more often with the blade.
The method i spoke of for tightening the latch will not cause any harm if done properly,plus it will still allow the latch to swing just enough,but not allow it to interfere with opening or closing the knife.It is also not a "permanent" solution.This has to be done every once in a while,because the vibration of the handle will loosen up the latch over time.
I hope this helps

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*The* Lunatic Puppy
It wasn't me...It was my *good* twin..
My "inner puppy" made me do it..

 

[GuyInBlack]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by MacCanine:
Actually,some users like the latch loose,others don't.It really is a personal thing,based on your own style and comfort.
Tightening the latch so that it only goes to the very corners of the handle is still loose enough to do most (or all that I know,which is quite a few) of the tricks without the latch getting in the way.If it is able to swing all the way,you're risking damaging your blade and after time,your opposite handle.I've seen it happen several times with the handle,much more often with the blade.
The method i spoke of for tightening the latch will not cause any harm if done properly,plus it will still allow the latch to swing just enough,but not allow it to interfere with opening or closing the knife.It is also not a "permanent" solution.This has to be done every once in a while,because the vibration of the handle will loosen up the latch over time.
I hope this helps

</font>

Ok, ok, so I can't spell!

 

[MacCanine]

Heh,sorry lad,but I wasn't picking on your spelling

In fact,I hadn't even noticed that it was misspelled.I read "typo",which is a necessary reading skill these days..and because I do,I hardly ever pay attention to the way some things are spelled..I just catch what the person is trying to say and continue on.

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*The* Lunatic Puppy
It wasn't me...It was my *good* twin..
My "inner puppy" made me do it..

 

[KentDog]

Just bust off the latch with a hammer

. Well, at least that's what I do to my cheapies after the latches start wearing down and getting in the way... but probably not the best idea for your Benchmade. Not exactly in the same league as my cheapies

. Just an idea, though.