Lockup: how late is too late?

dkb45

dkb45

Joined
Dec 16, 2012
Messages
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I have a few liner locks that are sitting around 70% or so, and slowly working over. When they do hit 100% they won't jam in the gap, they will just be really far over. I also have a few frame locks that are uncomfortably late in the same boat.

My question is how late is too late? I can keep popping the knives apart and putting a layer of super glue on the tang to move the lockup, but that may or may not be needed, and only delays the problem. Is a liner lock something to worry about if the lock can't jam in?
 
when you start to have lock rock its too late, i wouldnt worry about it. On many knives you can fix the lockup with either a new stop pin, or rotating the current.. sometimes they are machined with adjustment in mind.
 
Only one knife I have has lock rock, and it is my CRKT Apache. Too thin to put through any hard use. All the rest had rock solid locks.
 
I think later lockup is better, but I think I'm in the minority. I don't like it to barely be locked, as it could become unlocked. Although it doesn't change the fact it's a folder and we shouldn't really rely on that lock in the first place. I treat all knives as if they were slip joints.
 
Pete3 said:
when you start to have lock rock its too late, i wouldnt worry about it. On many knives you can fix the lockup with either a new stop pin, or rotating the current.. sometimes they are machined with adjustment in mind.[/QUOfTE]

How would a new stop pin fix a late lock up?
Click to expand...
 
The stop pin can get worn over time, and that tiny difference can affect how far the blade can travel, which is directly related to late vs early lockup.

Unless the lockbar gets pinched by the frame or has lock-rock, I really don't see it being an issue, assuming there is still no blade play.
 
Per "I think later lockup is better, but I think I'm in the minority."

You may be in the minority, but I am right there with you. The "late lockup" is common for sebenzas and it's a design feature not a problem.

I have had custom and production liner locks for about 20 years now. They rarely change in position unless there is something loose with the knife. Usually it is a loose frame or pivot screw and a tightening and/or a little loc-tite fixes it.

How late is too late? When the knife won't lock solid, it is too late of a lockup. I have an early Spyderco Lum Chinese that looks like it's just about to touch the opposite liner. Been that way for 5 years. It's got one of the eccentric pivots, so it is adjustable, but it doesn't need anything yet.
 
My knives in question are a Bobyk Icon and BM CQC7 for the liners that worry me the most. I have tried the "Sebenza trick" with the lock, and it helped a little, but as the knives see more opening they are significantly later lockup than when I got them, and I haven't had them for even a year. Is this normal?
 
This is why I am leery of liner/frame locks. I've had some cheaper CRKT M-16Z models that worked their way to past 100% in 2 weeks. I have had other liner locks wear out quick as well. It all comes down to whether or not the tang of the blade is ground correctly with a concave surface that will wear properly and reduce the chances of over travel. One of the first things i look at on a liner lock equipped knife is whether the tang is ground properly. I can pretty much tell just by looking if it is junk or not. The ones I had wear out were cheaper blades, and the tang was either flat across, or a slight straight angle. Couple this with a thin liner and you have the makings for a short lived lockup. So far, the best liner lock I have seen is on the Spyderco Military. I also had an original benchmade mini stryker, and that liner lock seemed pretty good too.
 
IIRC, I think that Chris Reeve supports a "later" lockup on the Sebenza. It seems to work in to a particular point, and then stays there...
I certainly am NOT fond of a knife which sports a 10-15% lockup and says that's great. I wouldn't trust it.
 
My CQC7 was checked over, and I made a mistake. The lock looks like it is at like 80%, but it is safely at between 40-50%. The Icon has no consistency for lockup, sometimes it is 30%, sometimes it is 50%, sometimes it is closer to 70%. Strength of opening doesn't matter, light or hard flicks, or slowly guiding it all the way... It's like rolling lock dice. The lock is completely solid, though.
 
Sometimes a loose screw or two can make the lockup varialbe.
 
brownshoe said:
Sometimes a loose screw or two can make the lockup varialbe.
Click to expand...

The only loose screws are in my head. I crank all my screws down and periodically tighten them back.

Still at a total loss on the Icon. It makes no sense for the lockup.
 
"The only loose screws are in my head"... I've got the same problem. I use gin for loctite :)
 
I now have more than one liner that has the same lockup issue as my Icon. It is the same with perfectly solid lockup (no play), and the liner isn't unusually sticky, but it doesn't lock to the same % every opening. Am I the only person having this completely bizarre issue?
 
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