Liner Lock Goes too Far

L

LeeBo337

Joined
Nov 26, 2000
Messages
24
My wife gave me the Kershaw 1520 Richochet for Christmas which I really like.

I noticed however that the liner lock goes too far when it locks the blade. That is, to unlock it I have to use more force than normal. Not excessive force, but still, more than I would prefer.

Common sense tells me to grab some needle nose pliers but then I thought "you know, I could screw this up."

Any comments, ideas, suggestions?

Thanks.
 
The tang/liner lock interface is an extremely close fitted critical junction. Worse, if the knife has a Ti liner lock, Ti is prone to galling.

It is a new knife. It doesn't work. Send it back to the factory. The only thing I would do is put a drop of oil on the tang. If this doesn't fix the problem, mail it back.

Walt
 
"Ti" refers to Titanium. AFAIK your knife
does indeed have Titanium liners, so Walt
may be on the money here.

T.
 
The position of lockup you described is what it may be AFTER long use. There are differences in opinion on this matter, but the lockup location should be at the lower portion of the blade tang when new. That is where the liner actually contacts the blade. After time the liner will "wear" its way towards the opposite side. But that will take maybe years of use. Ti liners are indeed subject to galling. For those who are concerned with this matter, an anti seize compound is actually better as it is not a lubricant. And does not encourage sticking as oil further may. The compound is called Anti- Sieze and is available at all automotive parts stores. It is made by the Permatex label name and is used primarily for sparkplug heads. In my experience though, most any oil works just fine. And yes, I' d call the company to have it sent back. Good luck.

L8r,
Nakano
 
A dealer gave me a Kershaw Blackout to play with a while back. It didn't take long for the lock to move over to the right. Since then, I've picked up several and they all seem to do the same thing.

I don't know if it's because of the spring assisted opening, but it seems to me that any liner-lock knife that is repeatedly "snapped" open will wear faster than one that is opened slowly.

Titanium will gall, but liner-lock knives with stainless steel locks seem to still suffer rapid wear if snapped open too often.

One thing that might avoid this situation is using thicker lock material that won't wear down so quickly.

Using an integral frame lock like Chris Reeves uses on his knives or capping the top of the lock with a hardened "shoe" that avoids galling and wear are other alternatives. Of course, these change the knife's design and would increase the cost of production.

Has anyone noticed if the locks seem to wear quicker on Zytel handled knives than those with heavier metal frames?
 
I have had a Kershaw Blizzard for a while it is starting to lock about half way in now but if i tighten the blade it changes my black out locks up just about at the edge but if i move the blade out more the lock will go further in i love the speed safe man it works good
smile.gif
my new Lcc locks up on the edge but when i lubed it the lock got sticky and harder to move i think cause the grease made up for a few thousands and filled in the gap ??? i cleaned out the grease and it works good again Kershaw is real good with warrantys send it back if you are not happy

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I am just a worthless liar....... I am just an Imbecile ...... I will only complicate you ..... Trust in me and fall as well .... I will find a center in you ... I will chew it up and leave .. I will work to elevate you just enough to bring you down
 
I am attempting to post a picture of my knife. I scanned the knife with the blade open. This is where the lock normally rests. I've had the knife for 1 week.

Whatcha think? Is it the knife or me that's abnormal? Thanks.

Richochet%201520.jpg
 
Lee I think that the lockup position is within what would be considered "normal" tolerances. I personally would like to see the liner engage a little bit further to the left. If this bothers you, by all means send it back. BTW I own a Ricochet and its a terrific folder. Good Luck!
 
after looking at your pic i checked my kershaws and they both lock in the middle sometimes, i guess it depends how far the blade opens, if i pull my blades open by hand the lock will keep comming over almost 3/4 to the other side, i am not to worried about it cause the blade is locked up tight and i can adjust things if i want

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I am just a worthless liar....... I am just an Imbecile ...... I will only complicate you ..... Trust in me and fall as well .... I will find a center in you ... I will chew it up and leave .. I will work to elevate you just enough to bring you down
 
I think most liner locks wear more at the stop pin than at the lock-blade junction (although I'm sure wear occurs there as well). So if the stop pin wears, this creats more slop between the liner and the blade and the liner will walk over.

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Hoodoo

I get some pleasure from finding a relentlessly peaceful use for a combative looking knife.
JKM
 
do NOT put oil on it....that will make it stickier......If you are unhappy send it back. it doesnt look too bad to me...but if you like to play with things you can get a small ballpeen hammer and whack away at the bend and it will actually stretch the ti enough to make it lock up much further towards the edge.....also check and make sure everything (screws) is snug cause that is a big/major cause of looseness in liner locks.
smile.gif
 
Not too familiar as to whether that knife has a ball detent on the liner lock or not, but if you decide to do the hammer thing (I wouldn't), check for a little ball like knob sticking out of the liner. If there is a little tiny detent ball on there, make sure you don't hit that part with a hammer.

Personally, the only knives I've seen with the locks going past halfway were the really cheap ones or the really used ones. I would probably send this one back, but it will only be a matter of time before it gets that way again.

My theory with why liner locks wear quicker with snap openings is that when you snap it, the liner lock engages, but the blade hits the stop pin really fast and it wants to try to bounce back. When it tries to bounce back with the lock engaged, it might smush the end in and make the liner lock bar just a little tiny bit shorter.

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bc2000logo.gif

Chang and the Rebels of the East
(Southern Taiwan Shall Rise Again!)
 
And do NOT use the pliers. I'll tell you why... if you use the pliers and make it engage more to the liner lock side, you'll make it have some extra space between the bar and the tang of the blade, and your knife might have a bit of up and down wobble.

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bc2000logo.gif

Chang and the Rebels of the East
(Southern Taiwan Shall Rise Again!)
 
A lot of good advice above. Two things I would try is to wipe off the blade ramp a couple of times with alcohol. Also see if you can reposition the stop pin by rotating it. It may have some wear or be slightly out of round.
 
Unless you depend on the folder for emergency purposes, you might try to carry it and use it for a while. If it stays put where it is, then it will do just fine. Kershaw will still honor the warranty as long as you don' t abuse it.

In the event you haven' t yet tried this, hold the folder while in its opened position. Give the blade flats a firm grasp and give a strong pull going against the stop pin. Does the liner ride over even more? If so, I' d definitely send it back. The same may occur during hard use and there is the possibility that the locking liner may lodge itself hopelessly stuck between blade tang and corresponding liner. This may possibly be due to the stop pins fit (loose) into its recesses in the liners/ scales. Good luck.

L8r,
Nakano
 
MANY MANY thanks to all of those who have replied. I'm glad to hear that it appears to be in the normal range.

I don't mind sending it back unless it is normal which means the next knife will be the same way and I that I was just too picky.

I don't mind that the lock goes to the middle; rather, I mind that it's a hair sticky to unlock.

I will try the alcohol as suggested.

Are any other fluids recommended. I agree that oil could gum it up. What would you use? Please provide actual name of product as I am unfamilair with many general terms since I'm still a newbie.
 
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