The shiny area on the inside top corner of the lock bar does not look good. I have only seen this twice before. Once on another maker's titanium frame lock which I had dropped and once on a large Sebenza belonging to my son. The pattern (at about the same location on both knives) was on or near the area where the blade tang and the lock bar SHOULD just BEGIN to meet or engage. On the FIRST knife, my hands were wet and I dropped it WHILE OPENING it. It had fallen on a tiled floor without any APPARENT damage. I had opportunity to clean and lube this knife shortly after the incident. The markings on the lock bar face were highly noticeable and new. The following is merely my supposition. A small area on the lock bar face had been damaged by being the ONLY portion of the lock surface in contact with the not yet fully opened blade tang, at the exact moment the butt of the knife had hit the tile floor. This small contact point received and concentrated the impact forces in a highly localized area resulting in damage to that portion of the lock face. Had the knife been fully opened and locked, the larger mating surfaces could have transferred the impact energy over a larger area and probably not resulted in damage to the softer titanium. This knife did not appear to have a hardened lock bar face. The Sebenza's lock bar face is hardened to well above the RC of the blade. This process produces a hardened "shell" on the mating surface that is exceptionally resistant to frictional wear. It may not be thick enough however to protect the underlying soft titanium from deformation and damage resultant from a very localized and concentrated transfer of IMPACT energy before the lock bar is fully seated against the blade tang. This damage may be the result of a freak accident combining
(1) ~ a hard impact to the knife's butt (2) ~ at the exact moment (3) ~ an almost fully open blade just begins to receives the radiused inside area of the lock bar surface ?
The SECOND knife, (my son's Sebenza) also exhibited an unusual shiny surface at approximately the same area of it's lock bar face. Watching his particular technique of closing the knife gave a reasonable clue to the cause. It appeared that AS he was closing his knife, he would apply constant substantial pressure against the spine of the blade with his index finger while moving the lock bar open with his thumb. He would maintain this pressure until the blade would "jump" inward once the FLAT area of the lock bar face had cleared the mating surface of the blade tang. This caused the blade tang, still loaded with the applied pressure, to forcefully ride against and over the rounded corner of the radiused lock bar face. After MANY MANY cycles of not fully disengaging the bar and using pressure against the blade spine to CAM the edge of the tang over and past the rounded corner of the lock face edge, this method may have created unnecessary wearing on this same small area of the lock. His similar opening technique consisted of keeping his fingers free of the lock bar until the ceramic ball had cleared the detent recess. Then, he would shift his fingers from lightly resting on the frame to firmly gripping the back of the lock bar, apparently to obtain a better grip in anticipation of putting the knife to use. Since finger pressure on the lock bar was only applied AFTER the ball had left the detent and was riding on the blade tang, the knife opened relatively smoothly. Unfortunately, as the blade reached maximum travel, the same section of the lock bar face (as indicated above) moved against the blade tang with the additional pressure created by his grip on the rear of the lock bar. He has since changed his opening and closing technique. The pattern on his lock bar face has not appreciably changed since that time. At no time, did the knife or it's lock not function perfectly.
Neither of these situations may be applicable to your Insingo. Perhaps this condition is in fact just normal wear and is more common than I thought.
It just doesn't look right or familiar. ... Yes, I am this obsessive and boring in person. OldDude1
(1) ~ a hard impact to the knife's butt (2) ~ at the exact moment (3) ~ an almost fully open blade just begins to receives the radiused inside area of the lock bar surface ?
The SECOND knife, (my son's Sebenza) also exhibited an unusual shiny surface at approximately the same area of it's lock bar face. Watching his particular technique of closing the knife gave a reasonable clue to the cause. It appeared that AS he was closing his knife, he would apply constant substantial pressure against the spine of the blade with his index finger while moving the lock bar open with his thumb. He would maintain this pressure until the blade would "jump" inward once the FLAT area of the lock bar face had cleared the mating surface of the blade tang. This caused the blade tang, still loaded with the applied pressure, to forcefully ride against and over the rounded corner of the radiused lock bar face. After MANY MANY cycles of not fully disengaging the bar and using pressure against the blade spine to CAM the edge of the tang over and past the rounded corner of the lock face edge, this method may have created unnecessary wearing on this same small area of the lock. His similar opening technique consisted of keeping his fingers free of the lock bar until the ceramic ball had cleared the detent recess. Then, he would shift his fingers from lightly resting on the frame to firmly gripping the back of the lock bar, apparently to obtain a better grip in anticipation of putting the knife to use. Since finger pressure on the lock bar was only applied AFTER the ball had left the detent and was riding on the blade tang, the knife opened relatively smoothly. Unfortunately, as the blade reached maximum travel, the same section of the lock bar face (as indicated above) moved against the blade tang with the additional pressure created by his grip on the rear of the lock bar. He has since changed his opening and closing technique. The pattern on his lock bar face has not appreciably changed since that time. At no time, did the knife or it's lock not function perfectly.
Neither of these situations may be applicable to your Insingo. Perhaps this condition is in fact just normal wear and is more common than I thought.
It just doesn't look right or familiar. ... Yes, I am this obsessive and boring in person. OldDude1
, but since then I tightened them down a bit harder.
