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School me on Ti frame lock stickiness

CJZ

CJZ

Gold Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2012
Messages
3,746
What causes it? Will it cause any problems down the road, or does it have any negative effects besides being annoying?

Also, how do I remedy it?
 
The ol' tried and true methods! Sharpie or lead pencil on the lockface gets tossed around a lot.

It's my understanding that the majority of the time, sticky lock gets remedied with use. Keep cycling that Benchmade, buddy.
 
Titanium has the ability to "gall" which means that it bonds with other metals at a molecular level. Everytime you break a sticky lockbar off the tang, you lose some metal as the bond is broken.
 
Stoney26 said:
Titanium has the ability to "gall" which means that it bonds with other metals at a molecular level. Everytime you break a sticky lockbar off the tang, you lose some metal as the bond is broken.
Click to expand...

Ouch. So I imagine this will cause some blade play issues in the future. That sucks, I hate blade play. :(
 
It would probably take years to lose enough metal to the point where blade play occurs. id just go with the old sharpie or pencil trick and youll be fine
 
The ol' tried and true methods! Sharpie or lead pencil on the lockface????

I'm not sure. A normal part of break-in on a new knife? Not sure.

I've had knives...even brand new, fancy $400 new big-names that had sticky lock...that never got better. I've used plenty of Sharpie, lead pencil, grease, etc. and nothing worked. There are plenty of YT videos that seek to explain and fix the problem.
 
I've had my ZT 0560 as a fondeling knife for over a year. I'd be impressed if I didn't have 250,000 flips on it.... the lock has maybe moved 10% and is still strong as a vault. It used to have stickiness like yours until I put sharpie on it.

People worrying about lock moving seems silly after all these flips...I sometimes flip it really hard too. I find it amazing that the detent is still good.
 
It gets better. A guy sold me a Haddock that was literally hard to unlock. After a few weeks it completely went away and has no stick whatsoever. Don't worry.
 
I literally had to pry open the lockbar of a brand new SNG with a screwdriver...after my son flipped it so hard that it stuck. He is 6'5" and 275# and he couldn't get it unlocked. I have no idea whether it ever got any better. I DO KNOW that it didn't stick unless it was flipped hard.
 
Sonnydaze said:
I literally had to pry open the lockbar of a brand new SNG with a screwdriver...after my son flipped it so hard that it stuck. He is 6'5" and 275# and he couldn't get it unlocked. I have no idea whether it ever got any better. I DO KNOW that it didn't stick unless it was flipped hard.
Click to expand...
That is a case for warranty repair ASAP. I have a SnG and an SMF, neither one had any stick on the lock. In fact, they are some of the smoothest knives to unlock (no lock rock either). Another thing to mention is it's not a good idea to open knives with the same force as starting a lawnmower or throwing a MLB fastball. You know this already though. ;)
 
Stoney26 said:
Titanium has the ability to "gall" which means that it bonds with other metals at a molecular level. Everytime you break a sticky lockbar off the tang, you lose some metal as the bond is broken.
Click to expand...


Never heard of that, do you have the source of that info?
 
shqxk said:
Never heard of that, do you have the source of that info?
Click to expand...

I dont remember exactly where i got it... I think it may have been from one of carter's (Blade Brotherhood) youtube videos. I believe it has been mentioned in other youtube videos as well.
 
Essentially when the ti. sticks, its because its up against a stainless steel, and essentially they bond together on a molecular level, which makes it sticky, and each time you break the bond, you are removing titanium. So after a while thestickiness goes away because the lock isnt as tight as it originally was.
 
The phenomenon of what people think is galling, as it occurs in a titanium framelock or linerlock, is a myth.

Galling would be more likely to be present in the contact surfaces between a stainless steel screw and the titanium liner/framelock/standoff, and I haven't experienced any "galling" there.

There just isn't any significant amount of pressure and duration involved between the lockbar face and blade tang for galling to occur. You need a great amount of pressure for material transfer to occur.

Applying a lubricant like graphite or sharpie ink to the blade tang will help lock release, and eventually the mating surfaces will match with a complementary geometry so as to not have any more lock stick.
 
RevDevil said:
That is a case for warranty repair ASAP. I have a SnG and an SMF, neither one had any stick on the lock. In fact, they are some of the smoothest knives to unlock (no lock rock either). Another thing to mention is it's not a good idea to open knives with the same force as starting a lawnmower or throwing a MLB fastball. You know this already though. ;)
Click to expand...
I've seen box opening YouTube videos where the new owner is giving a strong wrist snap along with the flipper. Like spinning a cylinder and snapping it into a revolver.
 
I've had quite a few Striders, in SMF's, Sng's, SJ's and PT's. The Sng was the only one that showing a tendency to gall, and that was only when you flipped it open HARD. One SJ75 was a bit sticky. I don't flip, but I've had seen some other knives that stick. One Gayle Bradley (I've had a few), Leafstorm (a bit of sticky reputation), one of several Military (Spyderco)but none of the many CRK's that have passed through my home have ever showed any sticky tendency...
I don't hold onto folders long enough for them to quit sticking...they just pass through, other than some Sebbies or Zaans. A later Millie has a replaceable stainless insert on the lockbar which worked fine; a great idea.
 
A slightly sticky lock is not really a problem. You want fast open, but you don't want it to close until you need it closed. I've had a slightly sticky lock on my buck mayo. It went away with time. For the sebenza, you are supposed to apply grease to the tang surface where the lock engages. Maybe that helps prevent stickiness for CRK.
 
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