So, about that vintage Case quality...again.

[Frankki]

Hey guys, sorry to be doing this thing again but I think this time it is my turn to complain.

Purchased this 1976 (birth year, yay!) 52087 SSP recently and everything seemed fine at first. Smooth walk and talk, no wobble, springs neither proud nor sunken and it's even got some pretty decent stag.

And then I looked closer. At that point all I could say was: "Seriously, Case?"

Have a look at that gap between master blade tang and liner. The damn pivot pin is actually visible in there!

They didn't properly align the blade and liner before tapping in the pins, it seems. It's all completely lopsided and bent in there, also the tang rides on one corner only:

It's a little weird that there isn't any blade wobble, seeing how messed up that assembly is. I guess the pivot pin must have bulged somewhat in the space between tang and liner, thus holding the blade in place.

But I'm not about to trust that assembly. Once a little wear sets in, who knows what's going to happen. And when that spring-riding tang corner wears down...I don't even want to guess.

Now I'm completely willing to accept that the older Cases aren't perfect. I've seen proud springs, wobbly blades and gaps between spings and liners in the relatively short time that I've been buying and collecting knives. Some flaws I've fixed myself. But this is too much for my abilities to repair. And yes, I would say that it's unacceptable to see that level of wonky assembly.

The real irony here is that I really like the knife otherwise and I want to keep and carry it. But this has probably got to go back to Case to make it right. Of course, to make matters worse, I am located outside the U.S. so it'll be an even bigger pain in the, hmm, sitting parts to get this resolved. Does anyone know if Case can fix these older knives at all?

(Sorry about the long rant, but I'm not very pleased at the moment.)

 

[waynorth]

It's hard to get Stag that nice on a more modern Case!
A good knife mechanic could most likely fix that problem.

 

[Prester John]

Hey guys, sorry to be doing this thing again but I think this time it is my turn to complain.

Purchased this 1976 (birth year, yay!) 52087 SSP recently and everything seemed fine at first. Smooth walk and talk, no wobble, springs neither proud nor sunken and it's even got some pretty decent stag.

And then I looked closer. At that point all I could say was: "Seriously, Case?"

Have a look at that gap between master blade tang and liner. The damn pivot pin is actually visible in there!

They didn't properly align the blade and liner before tapping in the pins, it seems. It's all completely lopsided and bent in there, also the tang rides on one corner only:

It's a little weird that there isn't any blade wobble, seeing how messed up that assembly is. I guess the pivot pin must have bulged somewhat in the space between tang and liner, thus holding the blade in place.

But I'm not about to trust that assembly. Once a little wear sets in, who knows what's going to happen. And when that spring-riding tang corner wears down...I don't even want to guess.

Now I'm completely willing to accept that the older Cases aren't perfect. I've seen proud springs, wobbly blades and gaps between spings and liners in the relatively short time that I've been buying and collecting knives. Some flaws I've fixed myself. But this is too much for my abilities to repair. And yes, I would say that it's unacceptable to see that level of wonky assembly.

The real irony here is that I really like the knife otherwise and I want to keep and carry it. But this has probably got to go back to Case to make it right. Of course, to make matters worse, I am located outside the U.S. so it'll be an even bigger pain in the, hmm, sitting parts to get this resolved. Does anyone know if Case can fix these older knives at all?

(Sorry about the long rant, but I'm not very pleased at the moment.)

Is it possible that a previous owner is responsible for the condition of the knife?

 

[Jolipapa]

I share your frustration, the dealer is to blame because he was aware of the problem and did not warn you. Not very honest. Did you get in touch with him?

 

[Will Power]

Did you buy it NOS or used?

CASE have very good warranty and I would imagine they could fix this without having to replace the Stag. You should state, when you send it in, that it has sentimental value and you don't want to have the scales replaced or damaged. Go to their website and look for the warranty form.

And yes, they fix stuff from overseas, I've had it done.

 

[Frankki]

Is it possible that a previous owner is responsible for the condition of the knife?

Unknown. The knife was sold as "not used or carried" and was in very clean and lint-free condition, so it's quite possibly the case.

I share your frustration, the dealer is to blame because he was aware of the problem and did not warn you. Not very honest. Did you get in touch with him?

Entirely possible also that the seller wasn't aware. I certainly didn't notice anything at first, it was only when I saw daylight shining from a gap that shouldn't be there that I became aware of this "interesting" build feature. If the knife were kept in a display case all it's days one might never notice anything, after all there is no wobble or play and the blade opens and closes fine. I'd rather get the knife fixed than demand my money back, it was a long wait to find a -76 jack this nice.

 

[jstrange]

Is it possible that a previous owner is responsible for the condition of the knife?

That was my thought as well. Not that Case doesn't put out some stinkers now and then, but how do we know the previous owners didn’t pry with it or otherwise mess it up.

 

[Frankki]

Did you buy it NOS or used?

CASE have very good warranty and I would imagine they could fix this without having to replace the Stag. You should state, when you send it in, that it has sentimental value and you don't want to have the scales replaced or damaged. Go to their website and look for the warranty form.

And yes, they fix stuff from overseas, I've had it done.

Cheers Will! I need to get this done once I find time to chat with Customs about sending it in and then re-importing. I'm certainly not paying VAT on it again!

 

[Will Power]

That's no problem actually, I recall there is something on the Customs website where you can state it's been for repair and you quote the import tax certificate number, they're stored by your name. www.tulli.fi/sv

 

[Frankki]

That was my thought as well. Not that Case doesn't put out some stinkers now and then, but how do we know the previous owners didn’t pry with it or otherwise mess it up.

That is indeed impossible to know. But I doubt it. The knife was in really fine condition, no obvious signs of damage or misuse on the blade, and it lines up perfectly with the spring. Then again, supposing it had taken some serious prying to line up the blade so precisely, how bad was it to begin with..?

 

[jstrange]

Gotcha.

 

[brownshoe]

It's 40 yo.

To me it appears that it's been worked over by somebody. In the first picture the edges on both blades appear to be buffed and the point too sharp. In the third picture showing the poor fit, the right bolster is flat on top with 90 angles. However the left bolster, where the gap is, has a pronounced slant. Never seen that before.

Per age, my new in box 1992 Winshester with stag handles had considerably more green verdigris leached into the stag from the brass and it is 16 years younger but was probably stored in a US urban environment. The brass and nickel silver seems too shiny for a 40yo unused knife. Do you have a box that corroborates the age? Blade replacement is more common with stag case knives than other brands or covers. "Not used or carried" by the seller could still be true

 

[Frankki]

It's 40 yo.

To me it appears that it's been worked over by somebody. In the first picture the edges on both blades appear to be buffed and the point too sharp.

I believe the buffed look is part of the SSP (Stainless Steel, Polished) treatment and is supposed to be there. Same transition line was, and still is visible on my 5347 stockman too, which also was part of the -76 Razor Edge etched set. Can't say about the blade tip, to me it looks just like an ordinary needle-tip point, fresh -well, relatively- from the sharpening station.

In the third picture showing the poor fit, the right bolster is flat on top with 90 angles. However the left bolster, where the gap is, has a pronounced slant. Never seen that before.

Noticed the same thing, new to me as well. Unable to comment further because I haven't looked at that many old Cases. Dont' know the exact process of how they are/were built and assembled.

Per age, my new in box 1992 Winshester with stag handles had considerably more green verdigris leached into the stag from the brass and it is 16 years younger but was probably stored in a US urban environment. The brass and nickel silver seems too shiny for a 40yo unused knife. Do you have a box that corroborates the age? Blade replacement is more common with stag case knives than other brands or covers. "Not used or carried" by the seller could still be true

On my -76 5347, I also see the verdigris leach happening. It wasn't there when I got the knife, around 2010, but has started to show in the recent years. How it forms and under what circumstances, don't know enough to say. No box came with the knife. I wonder if the etched sets even have specific individual boxes...can't remember seeing one, although the knives do pop up for sale every now and then.

Oh well, all part of the "online knife purchase"- gamble. You never know what you'll get!