Marlin Spike Suposed to Lock or What ?

Wowbagger

Wowbagger

Gold Member
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Sep 20, 2015
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Hey . . . ahhhhh
I suppose this has been asked before but I got a couple questions about this knife :

It is a brand new Rough Rider Marlin Spike , 440 SS, Red jigged RR576

Does it seem right, design wise, that the anchor is upside down when the knife is dangling from it’s lanyard ? Or maybe that is the great white whale blowing and I am just not seeing it right ? :D

Also and more importantly, if any of this is really of importance, the lever “lock” on the spike . . .
should it actually lock? Because when I fold the spike open, push the lock into the notch in the blade hard with my thumb and then, with the lanyard loop forward like in the second photo, try to fold the spike back closed it just folds back no problem. It doesn’t feel like it could ever really catch . . . it does provide some resistance to closing but not much more than a similar slip joint of about the same blade length.

Ha, ha . . . I couldn’t be further from the ocean living as I do in The Wild Wild West but I will use the knife; for undoing knots and straps and for aligning machine parts.

For any one looking at buying one of these it is very nicely made other wise, not cheep looking or in the hand. Brass liners . . . good solid working knife. Blade is sharp enough to use.









 
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I have that same knife - but in smooth white bone; handy for rope work & random paracord things.

My spike locks securely open. The loop/lever must be depressed back to unlock the spike and fold it closed. I also have a Camillus marlin spike in abalone (probably the model RR copied from) which functions the same way.

If possible, you should send yours back for one that locks.
 
Yes it should lock open and depress lever to unlock and close.
This would be because you need to jam the spike into a big fat wet knot and and manipulate it to loosen the knot-especially for knots that have had large weight or tension applied to the rope.
 
Modoc ED.,

Thanks (I think). Not sure where in that 152 pages I was supposed to look for my info. I will continue the slog once I rest up and have a good meal.
 
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onespdfrk,

My spike locks securely open. . . . I also have a Camillus marlin spike in abalone (probably the model RR copied from) which functions the same way.

If possible, you should send yours back for one that locks.
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THATK YOU !

Nice tusks you have there. :)
 
Wowbagger said:
Dodoc ED.,

Thanks (I think). Not sure where in that 152 pages I was supposed to look for my info. I will continue the slog once I rest up and have a good meal.
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Yeah...I opened that link and was like, is there tl;dr for this?
 
meako,

Yes it should lock open and depress lever to unlock and close.
This would be because you need to jam the spike into a big fat wet knot and and manipulate it to loosen the knot-especially for knots that have had large weight or tension applied to the rope.
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THAK YOU !

Maybe if I hit it with a hammer ? I'm only half kidding.

Oh well I didn't expect much for one sixth of what a real knife should cost.
 
Helleri,

Guess I got to pay my dues if I ever hope to be a real knife guy.
A knife collector has got to do what a knife collector has got to do. :)
 
Wowbagger said:
Modoc ED.,

Thanks (I think). Not sure where in that 152 pages I was supposed to look for my info. I will continue the slog once I rest up and have a good meal.
Click to expand...

Helleri said:
Yeah...I opened that link and was like, is there tl;dr for this?
Click to expand...

I think Ed was simply pointing out that there is a thread dedicated to rough riders and that there was a lot of useful information in there if someone was inclined to take the time to look. The advanced search function on the forum is actually a very good tool too, don't be shy of using it.

Wowbagger said:
meako,

THAK YOU !

Maybe if I hit it with a hammer ? I'm only half kidding.

Oh well I didn't expect much for one sixth of what a real knife should cost.
Click to expand...

This surprises me. My experience with RR has always been very good and I think most peeps here have had similar experience. Rough rider produce an extremely good product for the price and although the scale materials and blade steel aren't anything particularly exciting, what they come up with is extremely good - and comes out the box very sharp, which doesn't often happen with traditional patterns.

My point is that if the lock doesn't work, and although it was cheap to buy, you may consider taking it back to the vendor for a replacement for what is clearly a mechanical flaw. This may not be an option though, it might be more than postage is worth :)

Paul
 
The marlin spike should lock with the lever toward the marlin spike. And unlocked when depressed into the handle. That is if it is truly a copy of the Camillus which I have.
 
Every marlin spike knife I've ever used required you to hold the bail in the locked position when using the spike. It does not lock in place like a liner lock or lockback.
 
MY RR marlinspike locks. The bail is then free to move around, until you pull it up against the spring (about 90°). Pushing it against the spring unlocks the spike and allows it to close.
 
I have that exact knife, same handle scale and the marlin spike should lock. The bail unlocks it when it is rotated towards the body of the knife and depressed.
 
Thanks for all the replies.

Sounds like some varied experiences out there but for the most part she should lock up tight without holding the lever forward against the spike. In my case I can hold the lever forward as hard as I want and can still easily fold the spike closed with as little resistance as a normal slip joint; maybe a tiny bit more resistance but no significant change beyond just leaving the bail sticking straight up.

Any more comments on the anchor orientation ? Is it so the user of the knife when they look down sees it right even though an observer would see it upside down ? That seems odd for a decoration/artistic embellishment. I think most other such things are oriented so observers would see it right side up. Beating a dead horse here but I am kind of mystified.

Reminds me of the guy who said "That's nice . . . you have "MOM" tattooed on your arm." The other guys says "That doesn't say MOM . . . it says WOW when I look down at it".
 
It's a rope knife with a marlin spike, not the other way around, so the shield is oriented right side up when you're using the blade. :) And yes, my Rough Rider marlin spike locks.
 
r8shell said:
It's a rope knife with a marlin spike, not the other way around, so the shield is oriented right side up when you're using the blade. :) And yes, my Rough Rider marlin spike locks.
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Beat me to it :)
 
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