Possible to improve "snap" in Old Timer?

MatthewVanitas

MatthewVanitas

Go Army, Beat Navy!
Joined
Oct 6, 2004
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467
I bought a Schrade Old-Timer for $6 at a pawnshop. All blades proper, little gunked/corroded. All but one blade "snap" into position well. The main blade, however, only has a little tension holding it in place when deployed.

Is there any way to "strengthen" a backspring, or is this one just not a working knife anymore?

Thanks,

-MV
 
Clean it and see. I like dipping the pivot in oil and working the blade- sometimes enough crud floats out to give snap to a weak blade.
 
Good deal. Should "OneShot" guncleaner be okay? Or should I go w/ WD40? Don't want to melt the grips.

The blades have some of that gunge/corrosive-etching that's on almost every pawnshop knife. Tried a little Flitz, but not much change. Maybe Flitz and brass wool? I know that a plain patina should be left as is, but these look neglected rather than classy.

Did I get totally taken at $6 OTD? A week before I bought a Uncle Henry Stagalon Stockman (US-made) for $8, and felt better about that one.

UPDATE: hosed it down with OneShot, scraped out gunk first with toothpick, then (carefully) with fine-bladed screwdriver, paying particular care to engagement points. Now it "jumps" into place on the last few degrees of open and close, but still has no particular tension keeping it in place. The other two blades, on the other spring, need a good firm press to start folding. Is this one just a write-off?

-MV
 
I'd use a bowl of oil (I like veggie oil) and just keep working the pivot. I've taken knives that wouldn't open at all and rebuilt them to use. :)
 
Only food oils I have in the house are peanut and olive. Peanut is cheaper, so I have it submerged now.

Do I let it sit for a day or two, or just an hour, before I start working all the joints?

Is it entirely possible that the spring is simply "sprung" and will never regain its original tension?

I'm not a mech-type, so I don't quite understand how springs "fatigue" or stop working.

-MV
 
A few minutes is enough, but more is no problem. Dunk, work pivot until crud starts floating out, dunk, repeat. :) Springs can certainly wear out, but I'll bet yours just need cleared.
 
MatthewVanitas said:
Is it entirely possible that the spring is simply "sprung" and will never regain its original tension?

I'm not a mech-type, so I don't quite understand how springs "fatigue" or stop working.

-MV
Click to expand...

Yes it is possible that the spring has lost its tension. The metal may be fatigued or has lost its temper.

The only way to fix that scenario is to take it apart and either replace the spring or re-temper it. You may not be capable of doing it yourself (I don't know you) but there are many people on this website that could do the work for you.

First thing to do though, is follow the advice that you've already begun to follow.

Red
 
Had it soaking for a day now. Have worked the pivot over 250 times at intervals through the day. It stays shut better now, and "jumps" to open better, but still has minimal tension holding it open (compared to the blades on the other spring).

Safe to assume that it's lost its temper?

If so, I might just bundle it up with some other knives and sell it as a lot on eBay, with a blurb about condition in the writeup. I don't imagine it's worth disassembling and re-tempering a $6 knife.

Thanks much for the advice though, will have to try that on future knives I pick up.

-MV
 
I have a Buck trapper that has a spring problem, and it's brand new. Well, I've had it for about a month or two, but haven't used it yet. The Spey blade snaps open and closed like a bear trap, but the clip blade closes nicely, but opens weakly. Barely a snap open. No walk, all talk. I've oiled it, and gunk has come out, and it works good for the time being, but the next day it's back to a weak opening. Someone help!!
 
Buck has an excellent reputation for standing behind their knives. If you have oiled it and worked it but still no joy, I'd say send it to them with a nice note, and a few $ for return postage. They may well repair or replace it for you no charge.

Schrade used to be as good or better. Unfortunately for us, and for the workers, since Schrade closed in 2004, they are not doing any repairs. Colonial made an offer to do Schrade repairs for a short time, but the quoted prices in excess of the value of the knives and, in some cases, tripple the value of a replacement knife. Schrade knives are still in plentifu lsupply, so get yourself a new one if you liked the style and feel of your defective one. A new spring might not cure the knife since it could well be a work kick on the blade. Either way, the knife would have to be recutlered to make the blades sit right both open and closed. $6 was not a big loss for a gamble on what could have been a good knife.

Codger
 
Matthew,

My experience with mineral oil baths in this situation work wonders..

First, bathe the knife in a container of good quality mineral oil(Johnson's Baby Oil) with the blade in the half open position for 6-8 hours.

Second, same thing with blade in the full open position.

Third, work the blade back and forth just as S & S described.

Fourth, use a toothpick & or Q-tip(ear swab) to gently scrape away loose debris on the sides of the back springs, joints and the inside of the liners..

Repeat the process again.. I have had tremendous success with this method for decades and originally learned it from a custom knife maker in the early 1980's. I have used this process on Schrades with staglon scales without any negative effects to the scales.

NOTE: DO NOT USE THIS PROCESS ON KNIVES WITH CELLULOID HANDLES.
 
sunnyd said:
Matthew,

My experience with mineral oil baths in this situation work wonders..

First, bathe the knife in a container of good quality mineral oil(Johnson's Baby Oil) with the blade in the half open position for 6-8 hours.

Second, same thing with blade in the full open position.

Third, work the blade back and forth just as S & S described.

Fourth, use a toothpick & or Q-tip(ear swab) to gently scrape away loose debris on the sides of the back springs, joints and the inside of the liners..

Repeat the process again.. I have had tremendous success with this method for decades and originally learned it from a custom knife maker in the early 1980's. I have used this process on Schrades with staglon scales without any negative effects to the scales.

NOTE: DO NOT USE THIS PROCESS ON KNIVES WITH CELLULOID HANDLES.
Click to expand...




Won't keeping the blades in the half open position for so long compromise the integrity of the springs? I read somewhere that if you keep blades half open for a period of time, it would restructure the springs and make them loose their snap.
 
ElCuchillo said:
Won't keeping the blades in the half open position for so long compromise the integrity of the springs? I read somewhere that if you keep blades half open for a period of time, it would restructure the springs and make them loose their snap.
Click to expand...

I read this claim as well, however, it was pertaining to knives that were in glass displays that were in these positions for extended periods of time.. I can confirm for you from my own experience that a pocket knife left in the half open position for a 6-8 hour time period or even much longer in a mineral oil filled container will do no harm whatsoever.
 
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