Lockback Issues

C

Cait_Sith

Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
381
I have two knives (A Spyderco Delica and Cold Steel Recon 1), both that use a lockback to secure the blade. Recently I've noticed that opening and closing the knife has been very gritty. Specifically just as you blade is being opened/closed. I've taken the knives apart to clean them and oil them. I've even tried smoothing out the surface of the lock that slides on the tang to see if there were some burrs and while the gritty feeling was gone for a short while, after opening and closing the knife more, it came back.

Any suggestions?
 
How much oil are you using? Too much can collect debris and cause more harm then good. I run most my knives dry, or near dry to avoid these issues.

-sh00ter
 
There really is no need to oil or retool the mating surfaces of the locks. You are asking for trouble doing this.
Adding oil, attracts more dirt, defeats the purpose of cleaning it.
Retooling the lock surface, you are changing the geometry of the lock face. Making it more suseptible to potential failure. Once in a while, lint can build up on the tang where the lock bar rests. Clean it with a toothpick. Short of that, not really sure what you could do. Keep in mind, knives take time to break in.
 
Normal maintenance should include checking the lock notch for lint. Grit build up is a problem with carry knives and oil. The oil is a lint magnet. Grease also. A dry lube of some sort would be best such as perhaps the Tuff Glide which I've used with some success. Its not my fave but it works for most knives fairly well if you ask me. Your pockets must have a lot of lint or you work in dusty and poorly ventilated areas where dust and stuff like that accumulates. The grit sound could be coming from the blade moving side to side rubbing a side and not be related to the action or the rocker arm at all. It may be that the blade moves enough to cause part of the side to rub and that is what you are hearing. If the sound of the gritty rubbing is from one hand thumb stud opening only and not present when you lift the blade to open it straight up I'd say bingo.

STR
 
It's not the oil collecting lint since I had cleaned it and tested that beforehand. Perhaps it could be a side that is rubbing the blade. Strangely if I don't open the knife for a while and then try it, it opens and closes smoothly. But if I keep working the knife open and closed, it becomes super difficult to open and close. Strange that it's happening to two different knives by different companies as well. Perhaps lockbacks hate me?
 
Cait_Sith said:
It's not the oil collecting lint since I had cleaned it and tested that beforehand. Perhaps it could be a side that is rubbing the blade. Strangely if I don't open the knife for a while and then try it, it opens and closes smoothly. But if I keep working the knife open and closed, it becomes super difficult to open and close. Strange that it's happening to two different knives by different companies as well. Perhaps lockbacks hate me?
Click to expand...

This doesn't make much sense to me. So both knives have be disassembled, cleaned, and put back together correctly and dry(no lube)?

How much are you working them back and forth opening and closing before the start to grit up? Is it only after you've carried them, or it they just been sitting too?

The more detail the better.

-sh00ter
 
RevDevil said:
There really is no need to oil or retool the mating surfaces of the locks. You are asking for trouble doing this.
Adding oil, attracts more dirt, defeats the purpose of cleaning it.
Retooling the lock surface, you are changing the geometry of the lock face. Making it more suseptible to potential failure. Once in a while, lint can build up on the tang where the lock bar rests. Clean it with a toothpick. Short of that, not really sure what you could do. Keep in mind, knives take time to break in.
Click to expand...

+1.. also try a can of compressed air like they use for keyboards
 
I agree with no oil. Use an air compressor or canned-air to clean that stuff.
It probably IS where the lockbar and the blade tang touch. Press the lockbar down all the way so its not touching the blade and then work it.
If its still gritty then, its in the washer/bearing area.
It doesnt really affect performance anyways
 
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