New Case Stockman with blade rub

[Woodrow F Call]

I went to a case outlet store and the guy working the counter took out a dozen stockman knives and they all had blade rub to some degree. He said lately it is more common than not. Never found a single one without the blade rub. It's not necessarily that big of on issue, but I don't think it should be as common as it is because , I've never had a victorinox sak that had blade rub, and they cost less to buy.

Victorinox makes a stockman?

 

[MarkPinTx]

If it's a CV knife, you wont even be able to see the effect of blade rub after a while. As long as the blades dont strike or interfere, I think it's something you just have to accept with slimmer multiblade patterns. Using a little care in opening the blades (not exerting or minimizing horizontal force when opening) can help the situation. In some cases, you can put your fingers opposite the nail nick on the other side of the blade, instead of the handle, when opening and exert a more vertical upward force that wont cause the blades to rub.

I have a Vic Cadet with a spot of blade rub on the main blade where it rubs the screwdriver caplifter. It seems to be exacerbated by the way I open or close, and I cant quite figure why as it is on the nick side.

 

[jec88]

I don't know if Victorinox makes a stockman or not, (I don't think so) but they sure can put more than 3 blades/tools etc. in a knife without them rubbing, or rubbing being the norm.

 

[Amos Iron Wolf]

On my 2006 made Case medium stockman, SS, in smooth chestnut bone I only get a tiny bit of rub of the spey against the sheepsfoot when I press the nail nick of the spey to open it. There's just enough flex that it bumps into the other blade as I press in and pull up. On closing there is no issue.

Now on the 2013 Case canoe in the same steel and scales the blade crash (not rub) was bad. So bad that on closing one blade would often catch on the spine of the other and get hung up. I wrapped the main blade and slipped it into a vise and tweaked and massaged it to the point that the blades could close without binding and stopped at that.

Sad because at the same time I got a newly made Rough Rider elephant toenail less than $10 total that was just a better knife than the 2013 Case canoe, and more comparable to the 2006 MS and 2006 Case mini-trapper that had been my EDC for more than a year.

Just by nature of the design it seems the stockman is prone to a little (tiny) bit of rub when opening the spey as it's hard to pull the blade out without some side pressure that shoves it into the sheepsfoot (or whatever blades occupy those two positions), but it shouldn't be so much that it digs hard or catches the other blade. That much is an issue.

 

[555]

My dad just bought the exact same knife and it had horrible blade rub on those same blades. Actually it was so bad that when you went to open the spey blade it would actually get caught in the nail nick of the sheeps foot blade and you couldn't even get it open. Then the main clip blade would rub bad enough that it would actually get hung up on the sheeps foot blade while trying to close it and you would have to push it closed to get it past the sheeps foot. He mailed it off to Case almost 3 weeks ago and hasn't heard anything back from them yet. I'm assuming that one of these days there will be a new one or at least a fixed one on his door step. This was my dads first experience with Case so needless to say he was pretty bummed and not so sure he wants to risk buying any others. I have him convinced they will make things right for now but if it comes back not fixed especially after waiting for weeks I think he will be soured on the brand and not buy any others and stick to what he knows he loves which are the old U.S. made Schrades.

For this I rounded the sharp edge on the back of the spey, allowing it to pass to open. Only have had to do this with one Case stockman (case workman series).

 

[Alnamvet68]

I went to a case outlet store and the guy working the counter took out a dozen stockman knives and they all had blade rub to some degree. He said lately it is more common than not. Never found a single one without the blade rub. It's not necessarily that big of on issue, but I don't think it should be as common as it is because , I've never had a victorinox sak that had blade rub, and they cost less to buy.

Any knife maker can make a Stockman, or any multi-blade folder that will never ever have blade rub...imagine a 3/4" thick Stockman.

 

[Codger_64]

I have dozens of stockman knives from 1959 through 2004 and none of them have blades that rub, much less clash. I have gotten older used knives which did and it was a simple fix to crink them so they clear each other and the liners. In fact nearly all of them are two spring also. I suspect someone is selling knives which have been manufactured, not cutlered. No, blades should not rub, hit or get hung up on each other or the liners. Go ask an actual cutler, not a knife salesman.

 

[Lee48]

I have three Case Stockman knives right now--two small and one large. All of them have varying degrees of blade rub. The large stockman's spey blade kept hitting the nail nick in the sheepsfoot so I added a little swedge to the spey at the rub spot with DMT diamond hones. There's still a little rubbing present but it's smoother and doesn't have an irritating click when I open the spey blade.

I also have a Boker Congress and a Northfield two-blade sleeveboard that have blade rub. The GEC rub is pretty significant and this knife was the most expensive of all my carry folders. I attribute this to the force needed to open the main spear-point blade. As long as the rub doesn't affect opening/closing, I don't pay much attention to it. On a knife intended for use over show, which is all the knives I own, the rub spot on the blade will be just another honorable scar attained with honorable labor. I don't own any non-user knives but if I were inclined to buy for show only, I might refuse an expensive knife that displayed such common laborer behavior.

 

[MercyfulfateXX]

I have 4 newer stockmans and nine have blade rub. Maybe the three spring thing did the trick?

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I have 4 newer stockmans and nine have blade rub. Maybe the three spring thing did the trick?

If they're either Buck 300-series, or Case's '47 pattern, maybe. Otherwise, it's likely they don't have three springs, as the vast majority are built on 2 springs. Which brands/models do you have?


David

 

[MercyfulfateXX]

If they're either Buck 300-series, or Case's '47 pattern, maybe. Otherwise, it's likely they don't have three springs, as the vast majority are built on 2 springs. Which brands/models do you have?


David

I meant none have blade rub not nine. A d they are the 44series

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I meant none have blade rub not nine. A d they are the 44series

I assumed you'd meant 'none'. What brand/make is the '44-series'?

If you look at the back of your knives, it'll be easy to see if they have two or three springs. If 3, they'll be side-by-side-by-side, with a separate spring supporting each single blade. If only two springs side-by-side, then one of the springs will be supporting two opposing blades from each end of the handle (most often the spey & sheepsfoot blades at opposite ends of the same single spring).


David

 

[Lee48]

This thread spurred me into digging out the little Buck 303 I bought but found too small for my purposes. It has just a smidgeon of blade rub on the sheepsfoot and spey blades despite having three springs. Blade rub seems a common affliction of multi-blade knives. On the other hand, I can detect zero rub on my Queen #32 Congress.

 

[Will Power]

Let's see, I have I think 6 CASE Stockman, the big one doesn't have any rub, one of the Humpbacks doesn't have it, the Chestnut Bone Medium with Pen blade doesn't rub, the other three 2 stainless 1 cv have some rub but still have very smooth action. If it's jamming or suchlike it must go back. I'm not bothered by slight blade rub on this pattern, you can get it on Whittlers too. The Buck 303 has three thick construction but the springs are thin stainless and the overall thickness is about the same as CASE 2 spring/liner models but without crinked blades, all straight. Just wish they weren't sabre though.... I dislike blade rub on single-spring knives, that's when I get annoyed.

 

[immolatus]

I've got a Case jumbo stockman that has it on the sheepsfoot and the spey. I wonder if thats why Case slimmed down the foot and spey on the new sowbellies. I've got a Burmuda green sowbelly with no rub at all but those two blades are thinner.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Bumping this thread, as I saw something today which is pertinent.

I visited a large chain 'warehouse' sportsman's store ( ) today, to take another look at a new Buck 301. I'd looked at them some time back, and had been somewhat on the fence about them, at that time. I pointed to the 301 in the display, and the sales associate behind the counter was quick to pull one out of their stock, still in the box; he handed it to me. I was looking it over, at the 3-layers of springs on the back (no liners separating them), and noticing the very, very tight spacing of the blades in the handle. Opened up each blade, one-by-one, then closed them to check the 'snap' (I'd noticed the last time I looked at these, the springs were very light on these). Snap seemed a little better on the first two blades checked. Upon opening and closing the spey blade, I immediately noticed it wouldn't close on it's own, and had to be gently nudged back into the blade well. It was rubbing against the adjacent sheepsfoot blade. I asked the sales associate if he had another in a box, and he did, so he dug that one out. All of it's blades opened/closed as expected; I went ahead and bought this one.

Upon examining the new knife a little closer at home, I noticed even the 'good' one exhibited some very light rub marks on both the sheepsfoot and spey. They are less conspicuous than sometimes seen on Case or other blades, but still recognizable upon closer examination under some decent light. A lot of the difference in seeing them, or not, seems to come down to the finish on the blades. The lower, hollow portions of Buck's sabre-grind blades have an 'as ground' finish very similar to Case's version of the same, and it seems to somewhat diminish or obscure the obvious nature of rub marks that would otherwise stick out like a sore thumb on a high-polished blade (as with Case's tumbled & polished blades).

All of this is just to voice something that I'd thought about earlier, as to whether the 3-spring arrangement guarantees no rub or not. Seems it doesn't; at least if the blades are still so snugly nestled into the handle. It occurred to me that, to some degree, at least a thin liner between each spring will give each blade a tiny bit more wiggle-room. Otherwise, with relatively thick-spined blades arranged in a 3-spring configuration, with no liners separating them, the tolerances necessary to eliminate any rub at all will have to be very, very tight. At the price-point of knives like these (Case & Buck), I wouldn't expect to see that in each and every knife. It was curious to me, that I found an example to point this out, in the very first of two knives I looked at today.

This is why I still don't worry about the 'cosmetic' issues often associated with light blade rub. I still believe, now more than ever, that it's relatively common in patterns like these, and has been for a long time. The one knife I saw today, with a blade that wouldn't quite close on it's own, is a different matter. And it's also why it's always good to get some 'hands-on' time with a prospective purchase beforehand. The Buck 301 I brought home today looks like a good-workin' & useful tool, as it should be. I'm sure I'll be as satisfied with it, as I am with my other stockman patterns from Case, Queen and others.


David

 

[Alnamvet68]

I assumed you'd meant 'none'. What brand/make is the '44-series'?

If you look at the back of your knives, it'll be easy to see if they have two or three springs. If 3, they'll be side-by-side-by-side, with a separate spring supporting each single blade. If only two springs side-by-side, then one of the springs will be supporting two opposing blades from each end of the handle (most often the spey & sheepsfoot blades at opposite ends of the same single spring). David

It's the smaller medium Case with a spey blade. It is a "smidgen" above 3", 3.16" I think, and the other medium Stockman are usually 3 3/8", 3 5/8", and 3 7/8". If it's over 4" it's a large Stockman; under 3" makes it a small Stockman. Why are there 4 sizes for a medium, well it depends on whether it's a serpentine Stockman, or what I call a baby sow belly Stockman, and whether it has round or square bolsters, and whether it has a spey or pen blade....go figure.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

It's the smaller medium Case with a spey blade. It is a "smidgen" above 3", 3.16" I think, and the other medium Stockman are usually 3 3/8", 3 5/8", and 3 7/8". If it's over 4" it's a large Stockman; under 3" makes it a small Stockman. Why are there 4 sizes for a medium, well it depends on whether it's a serpentine Stockman, or what I call a baby sow belly Stockman, and whether it has round or square bolsters, and whether it has a spey or pen blade....go figure.

If a Case, I'd assume the '44 is in reference to a 6344 'Medium' stockman (assuming bone/jigged handle, 3-1/4", square bolsters); but this pattern currently has a pen blade in lieu of the the spey blade. Case used to assign the '44 mark to a different pattern (3-1/4" 'Premium Stock' knife, with a spey), many years ago. A pic showing the tang stamps would clear up which version you have, and narrow down it's age.


David

 

[Alnamvet68]

If a Case, I'd assume the '44 is in reference to a 6344 'Medium' stockman (assuming bone/jigged handle, 3-1/4", square bolsters); but this pattern currently has a pen blade in lieu of the the spey blade. Case used to assign the '44 mark to a different pattern (3-1/4" 'Premium Stock' knife, with a spey), many years ago. A pic showing the tang stamps would clear up which version you have, and narrow down it's age.


David

Yes, and that Premium Stock knife was a smallish medium size with a spey blade and round bolsters. For the record, I'm still confused with the way Case pattern numbering system....it gets worse when the Stockman is a Crandall, or a Kane, or Case Brothers, or a Kinfolks; excuse me while I get myself 4 fingers of Jack's.

 

[michaelxwhite]

I just got in a new Case Medium Stockman, with Amber Bone and CV Blades (6318). Both the clip and the spay blades are rubbing on the Sheep's foot blade. Is this typical or common, or should I consider sending to Case?

thanks

I just recently purchased two of the beautiful star spangled series: single blade hunter, canoe, and the fit and finish on the hunter has room for improvement. Single blade hunter has significant rub. Now, I understand certain models are prone to rub, but we're talking about a single blade slip joint. I purchased these through the Amazon rainforest as the price point was correct. I will send it back to case/Zippo to have it fixed. I will be keeping them both as they are the most beautiful knives I own, but at almost $100.00 a piece the quality is alright to most standards. This is also excluding the fact that the edge profiles look as if a 5 year old applied the bevel and these wouldn't even come close to cutting paper, VERY DULL. Let me make this clear...these are the dullest new knives I received. American workers need to have some pride in thier work! I WILL continue to support case knives and purchase many more of thier knives.