liner locks

K

keithb

Joined
Oct 8, 2001
Messages
19
What should the proper positioning be of the locking bar on knives
with linerlocks when the blade is opened up? How far should the liner spring across? I have some knives where the whole thickness is engaged, then I have some which have only a portion engagement, I also have some to which the lock is positioned at least 1/2--3/4 across the blade tang.What should the proper positioning be, is there some standard to go by?
 
Good question. I think the general opinion is that they should engage somewhere between the beginning and the first half of the blade. I am personally done with liner locks. Most of the ones I own have reliable lock up, I just don't trust them as much as standard lock backs or frame locks or axis locks. I distrust titanium liner locks the most, which seems to be what most of the custom makers are using at present.
 
I also have liner locks that engage on the left, some towards the right, and some in the middle. So far, I have only 1 liner lock (I won't mention the company) that, when pressure is applied to the back of the blade, will start to slide over towards the unlock position, and I think it's because the end of blade tang is angled too steeply. My AFCK 800SBT engages just past the center and is rock solid and will not slip off. My Military engages fully but still on the left and also will not slip off and is very solid. I have a couple Kershaw Liner Action drop points that seem designed to engage all the way over to the right, and after years show no sign of blade play...in fact, because these Liner Actions have a flat blade tang/liner mating surface, it's impossible to make it disengage with blade spine pressure.

I think it depends on the individual knife itself. My Spyderco Wenger engages just past center and will not slip off...The Wegner, Military, AFCK, Stryker, etc., tend to have concave mating surfaces which can help with lock reliability. I check reliability with pressure on the blade spine, and then I pull back on the blade to imitate heavy cutting (if I'm in the store). Sometimes lower-end liner locks will move further to the right when you apply heavy cutting pressure.
Jim
 
There is no single right place for lockup. The liner lock, by design, is mean to be self-adjusting, so the liner moves to the right as it wears. There are only two positions we don't like: 1. So far off to the left that the liner barely engages the blade. In this case, lock-up will be suspect. Usually, you can snap the knife open hard a few times, and it will quickly move a bit to the right, for better lockup. 2. So far off to the right that it touches the far scale. Once this happens, there's no more room for wear. From here, once the lock wears, there will be play in the lockup, which is both annoying in use, and compromises the lockup. This position can be fixed by putting in a larger stop-pin sleeve, or rotating the stop-pin if it's "eccentric".

Some people feel better if the liner engages the blade tang right in the middle, but I've found that where the liner engages the blade tang doesn't really guarantee you of anything. Either the geometry is right, or it's not. On a knife with bad tang/liner geometry, the lockup will still be suspect regardless of where the liner engages the tang.

When I buy a knife, I prefer that the liner would engage the blade tang as far to the left as possible, without being so far left that the lockup is compromised because the liner is hanging off the tang. That will give the knife the longest life, because the lock will have plenty of room to wear.

Joe
 
Originally posted by Joe Talmadge
When I buy a knife, I prefer that the liner would engage the blade tang as far to the left as possible, without being so far left that the lockup is compromised because the liner is hanging off the tang. That will give the knife the longest life, because the lock will have plenty of room to wear.

Joe
Click to expand...

What Joe said.....


"Hunters seek what they [WANT].., Seekers hunt what they [NEED]"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top