Lock up problems with Spyderco Techno

[mouthtranslate]

Hi! I'm new.

I recently bought a Spyderco Techno. The knife is awesome in every respect except for one: it developed lock rock almost immediately. By immediately, I mean that there was a noticeable and audible TICK TICK TICK with the most minimal test of blade play after around fifty openings/closings/cycles. While I don't know an awful lot about lock geometry, I do know that the lock face should contact the blade tang. This lock does not.
So, I sent it in to Spyderco to be fixed and was told, after what I consider to be a pretty bad warranty experience, that the knife was absolutely in spec and that there was nothing that they could do for me.

While it's not really a problem in terms of usage (I'm not putting the knife to any hard use), it is a knife that I saved up for, and I would like it to have a "solid" lock up.

My question is this: is there anything that I can do myself, except for really bending the lock bar over, to fix this problem? If I got the lock face carbonized, would that give enough thickness to stop the lock rock? Anything?

Thanks, guys!

 

[choombak]

Can you post picture of the lock face not contacting the blade tang when open? The blade tang on my techno looks like this (notice the shiny portion on it due to the lock touching it)

 

[mouthtranslate]

For sure, choombak!

This was the best one that I could get with my camera. You can see a little polishing of the blade tang, but I, upon hearing that fixing the problem would be up to me (and every gracious soul at bladeforums), I bent the lock bar over a bit. But low and be hold, the problem cometh again. I'm sure that I could continue periodically bending the lock bar in, but there's got to be a point when, in order to maintain contact, the detent becomes too strong to comfortably use, right?

 

[egally08]

I think he was asking for you to post a picture while its open and locked so we can see the gap between the tang and lock face.

 

[mouthtranslate]

Oh, I'm sorry. Here's a picture of the lock up, but I couldn't get a photo to show a gap. So, I guess that means that the gap either doesn't exist or is so tiny that my camera can't pick it up. I should mention that when the lock is engaged, I can easily push the lock bar in. This effectively stops the TICK TICK TICK that I earlier mentioned, but again, it's not really about functionality so much as it is a bummer that the knife has the rock.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[choombak]

Oh, I'm sorry. Here's a picture of the lock up, but I couldn't get a photo to show a gap. So, I guess that means that the gap either doesn't exist or is so tiny that my camera can't pick it up. I should mention that when the lock is engaged, I can easily push the lock bar in. This effectively stops the TICK TICK TICK that I earlier mentioned, but again, it's not really about functionality so much as it is a bummer that the knife has the rock.

Thanks for the replies!

Did you flick the blade such that it flew open and hit the stop pin during the earlier opening cycles? The new techno is pretty hard to flick, but just asking.

You seem to have a "sticky lock" - lockbar needs to be pressed sideways for an authoritative lockup. Typically with use, this goes away as various components "set in". Did you try cleaning the blade with warm water and soap using a toothbrush around the pivot and lock area? I have had a sticky lock once in a while when there was crud and lint buildup is round the pivot and lockbar area.

Finally, my techno lockup - not ver different from you, just more late lockup (but I have had this blade for quiet sometime now).

 

[mouthtranslate]

No, choombak, I don't think that I have given it any particularly aggressive flicks, certainly no wrist flicking. A friend of mine bought one of the earlier models and let me carry it for a day or so to get a feel for the blade. So by the time I bought mine from the local shop, I already had the hang of opening it. But who knows.

If a sticky lock is one that must be pressed in to get the proper, sturdy lock we're talking about, then that's absolutely what I have! And yeah, a good, thorough cleaning was my first home remedy. I suppose all there is to do at this point is use it more until it settles out. And let's be honest, that's a chore I'm happy to do.

Thanks, man.

 

[AF]

That is pretty disappointing warranty service! You might try posting this in the Spyderco forum to see if Sal will chime in and offer to help you.

 

[mouthtranslate]

AF, it was an awful warranty experience. When I was speaking to the customer service reps, I was made to feel like I was trying to pull one over on them, trying to scam them. I thought of posting to Spyderco's forums, but I didn't want to press my case after blatantly being told that I was a lost cause for warranty repair.

I hear that Sal's a really stand up guy, though.

 

[DRK]

I would post it over at the Spyderco forums, he reads them and you may get a response. Most people rave about their warranty experience so sounds like you must have got someone on a bad day. I sent a Phoenix back because the blade didn't line up very well at the joint with the lock bar and they couldn't replace it as it was out of production so they gave me full value towards the purchase of any other knife in their line up.

 

[choombak]

No, choombak, I don't think that I have given it any particularly aggressive flicks, certainly no wrist flicking. A friend of mine bought one of the earlier models and let me carry it for a day or so to get a feel for the blade. So by the time I bought mine from the local shop, I already had the hang of opening it. But who knows.

If a sticky lock is one that must be pressed in to get the proper, sturdy lock we're talking about, then that's absolutely what I have! And yeah, a good, thorough cleaning was my first home remedy. I suppose all there is to do at this point is use it more until it settles out. And let's be honest, that's a chore I'm happy to do.

Thanks, man.

Yes, you have a sticky lock - they did not polish the blade tang for the lockbar to rest on it properly (you can see the difference between your and my locking - your lockbar is less bent, early lockup, while mine goes slightly more inside, late lockup). But, since you now have "more" metal on the lockbar, things should be fine as the blade settles in. There is another remedy you can try:
(a) paint the entire blade tang portion where the lockup happens with a dry-erase marker
(b) open the blade, do not push the lockbar in.
(c) close the blade, and see what portion of the blade tang touched the lockbar - this is the place which has slightly more metal.
(d) using the coarse (brown) rod of the sharpmaker, rub the portion that is discolored. If you don't have the sharpmaker, use a 800/1000 grit sandpaper (fine) (I typically stick a small square of the sandpaper on a thin pen for precise polishing - DIY).
(e) Rinse and repeat, till you get the desired lockup.

You are basically trying to remove very tiny amount of metal that blocks the free travel of the lockbar to the final resting/tight lockup position.

And as others have noted, please post it in the Spyderco forums as well. For a $150+ knife, you shouldn't ideally be required to follow "home remedies". =)