RAT 1 lock up failing

R

ricecakes

Joined
Dec 18, 2014
Messages
6
I bought a RAT 1 recently and yesterday needed to light a fire and had no axe so thought..perfect....I can try some batoning. Well...I was shocked at the poor performance of the lock mechanism. I was trying to split small kindling size pieces with relatively light taps and the lock was just not handling it. I know my knife is not made for this but I've seen plenty of YouTube videos where guys use the RAT for batoning without issue.

I should have made a video but it was just me so only two hands. One thing that might be the issue...have I bent the liner lock to far to the opposite side in using it for batoning ? See this photo:

DSC_0175_zps98vwuyio.jpg


To be honest I don't remember the position of the lock up before this happened AND the liner lock started failing from the moment I started batoning.


The painted black blade also lost a lot of it's paint in the process but I'm not concerned about that. Makes it look..used :-)

Other than that I love my RAT.
 
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(the liner lock started failing from the moment I started batoning)

You have pointed to the reason it failed. Not many fixed blades will do that kind of work let alone a folder.

Richard
 
Almost all fixed blades will do that kind of work if reasonable force is applied. It is easier on the knife than chopping.

A folding knife is far less likely to survive that work.

You say you knew the knife was not made for batoning.

Please clarify the point of your post.

Thank you.
 
The point of my post is clearly , despite all the YouTube videos to the contrary, the small RAT folder should NOT be used for even light batoning !
 
ricecakes said:
The point of my post is clearly , despite all the YouTube videos to the contrary, the small RAT folder should NOT be used for even light batoning !
Click to expand...

No folding knives should be used for "fun" batoning. I have the full sized RAT1, and have carried it regularly out on the job site for about four years now. It has held up marvelously, and is a fine knife for hard work.

However, it has only been used as a knife, not a splitting wedge. Granted, I have used it to the edge of what I would consider knife abuse, but no more. The scales are smooth and slick, the blade is a touch shorter at the point from many, many sharpenings, and the blade is pretty scratched up. But still a great performer and works as well as the day it got it.

Using the correct technique for splitting SMALL wood with a folder in an emergency situation, I wouldn't hesitate to use the RAT for that task. But not for fun. Why tear up a knife when you don't have to? Splitting wood with a knife is an emergency last resort anyway, even though it is quite the popular sport around BF.

Robert
 
Robert
Very true on all fronts. I wouldn't normally use the knife for splitting kindling. Just wanted to try it and yes it'll do it in a true emergency situation but as a last resort.

Made me laugh with the popular sport comment.bang on.

Rc
 
Next time you baton using a folder don't lock it. You can hit it as hard as you can without damaging any mechanisms.
 
ricecakes said:
The point of my post is clearly , despite all the YouTube videos to the contrary, the small RAT folder should NOT be used for even light batoning !
Click to expand...

OK.

Sometimes titles summarize the OP's point. Sometimes not.

Then there was your "surprise" at "poor performance."
 
Interesting. Thanks for that. I would never of thought of using a folder like that.
 
ricecakes said:
One thing that might be the issue...have I bent the liner lock to far to the opposite side in using it for batoning ?
Click to expand...

Assuming you didn't deform the face of the lock bar while batoning and there's no up/down play in the mechanism, there looks to still be some decent life left in that lock. Having said that, you can probably move the lock back over a bit by following the instructions in this thread: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1241043-A-repair-maintenance-question-for-an-older-knife.

edit: To clarify a bit: The lock may have moved over due to being flattened against the tang, or...It may have moved over due to the two halves of the knife being forced out of alignment with one another. The latter situation is definitely fixable via the method in the link. I can't say whether it will work if the lock bar has been damaged. :thumbup:
 
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