Morrow slipjoint

Ritt

Ritt

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Toothpick pattern. The blade is just shy of 3" from tip to bolster, and the handle is just shy of 4". Blade is ATS-34, scales are water buffalo horn. Fully fileworked backspring that continues onto the blade spine. Liners are fileworked as well. There may be a few small handling marks on it, but I haven't carried it (I'm the original owner).

There is an imperfection in the knife. If you allow the blade to snap closed, the edge will contact the inside of the backspring. It happened once, didn't dent the blade, but left a very small (1-2 mm) "flat" spot on the edge that you could see if you held it correctly in the light. I sharpened it out with a few passes on the Sharpmaker.

Two ways to get around this problem. One would simply be to not let the blade snap shut. The other, which I've tried and I know works, is to cut a very thin strip of rubber and snug it between the liners and up against the backspring in the offending area. That way the blade comes in contact with the rubber and doesn't hit the backspring, even if you let it snap shut. I use the same method on an old Laguiole, works like a charm.

I thought about peening the kick, but the tip of the blade is already even with the top edge of the liners, and if the kick was any higher the blade tip would sit above the liners when the knife was closed.

A new knife, of like style by this maker, without the mechanical imperfection, would go for $350. I'm offering this one for $250, including Priority USPS shipping. Most overseas destinations, and our Neighbors to the North, add $5. Paypal, no fees to you.

Thanks for looking.
 
You got a nice knife there. I can't help butting in though with a couple comments. A custom slipjoint shouldn't be snapped shut. From the half stop to closed, the blade should be held so it doesn't drop. Many fine custom slipjoint will overtravel/flex if allowed to snap. Especially the ones with good springs. The best way to fix it is to sharpen the nick out of the knife. I had it on a Ruple, and after trying it myself, I sent it back to Bill Ruple to have it done right. When buying a slipjoint, one of the things to check is the hump on the spring. If a knife has had this situation, there will be a line on the spring where its been hitting.

And, I think if you peened the kick, it would have also affected the position of the backspring in the closed position, probably making it stick out. You can modify a kick without messing up the overall geometry of the tang and backspring

Still, you got a great knife from a great knifemaker. I'd have bought it if I got here sooner.
 
fasteddie said:
...Still, you got a great knife from a great knifemaker. I'd have bought it if I got here sooner.
Click to expand...

Hey, stop complainin' - it was up there for a whole 36 minutes! ;) ;) ;)

I have several other Morrows. Don is one of my favorite makers - and a fine gentleman.

I also do not let blades "snap" closed full-force, but might disagree a bit about the "problem" - IMHO, the knife should "snap" closed without that "bounce". If not, the maker should be able to correct the dimensions so that problem doesn't happen. I learned about this problem with my first Claude Montjoy - couldn't figure out where that little "sparkle" was coming from off the tip of the blade. Until I saw the "flat" on the edge. :( Since then, I have been closing all knives like this VERY gently.
 
Not to start a pissing contest about it, but I've talked to several of the top slipjoint makers and they've all said that overtravel comes with the territory. The clearance is so tight between the cutting edge and the hump on some patterns that blade drop/flex/overtravel is unavoidable unless they take more away from the blade.

I think some patterns are better about this. Congresses I own tend to have good clearance, and although I dont own any, I think swell centers are probably good because the hump is on the outside. Rogers whittlers are probably good in this area because many of them have a lower profile spacer in the middle where the large blade is.
 
I should have made this point with the first post. When I recieved the knife and realized the edge could hit the backspring, I sent an e-mail to Mr. Morrow. All I did was inquire about the condition; was it normal for his knives? could it be "fixed"? He went out of his way to "make things right", even though he could have just argued that nothing was "wrong" in the first place (see fasteddie's comments above). I was completely blown away by Mr. Morrow's attitude. He's an artist and a true gentleman.
 
Whoa! Guys - stop it! :D

Just so there's no confusion - we're definitely not talking about 'buyer's remorse' in this particular case.

I know what to expect from a Morrow knife and I know about 'overtravel' - in fact, if that had been a 'problem' for me, I wouldn't have bothered with the knife. The fact that Dale even mentioned it in the description of the knife tells me a whole lot about doing future business with Dale. :thumbup:

However, my contention is that a maker _should_ be able to adjust for this -- once he has discovered his knives suffer from this "problem". If the blade tip shape has to be altered by a millimeter to avoid this, so be it. I have knives from Baily Bradshaw, Ken Steigerwalt, Rod Olsen, PJ Tomes, etc. and none of them suffer from this problem.

If someone says it "can't be fixed", I am always skeptical. Reminds me of Ferraris I have owned with oil leaks and the mechanic says, "Oh, they all do that!" My answer is: "Well, I want mine NOT to do it. Fix it."

Now the important question is: any more Morrows for sale out there? ;)
 
fasteddie said:
....Not to start a pissing contest about it.....
Click to expand...

Oh yea - MY urologist can beat up YOUR urologist! :D

Seriously - thanks for the info. I think a plain Congress should be next on my list.
 
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