Sticky Lock?

calypso699

calypso699

Joined
Jun 10, 2006
Messages
572
When I flick my XM-24 open hard the lock tends to stick. I've tried both dry and lubed blade tangs and it doesn't seem to help. The stickiness isn't terrible but I was just wondering of this is normal until the knife breaks in. Thanks everyone for the help.
 
When you flip the knife open hard, it allows the lock to extend further into the tang which makes it "tighter" more than it makes it "sticky". Regardless, it will break in over time. What lube have you used? Have you tried using a Sharpie or a pencil on the tang?
 
Thanks RDA. That makes a lot of sense. For lube I've tried nano lube and CRK grease. I haven't tried the sharpie trick yet but I think that's the next option until it breaks in. Does it matter if I put the sharpie on the lock face or the tang?
 
I get XM's like what you describe all the time. The reason for the ones I've had are because the pivot is a tad too loose. Try tightening the pivot & make sure the body screws are tight, let me know if it still sticks.
I always make sure to remove any grease that gets on the lock face as it will reduce friction & let the lockbar slide in farther when opened, potentially wedging it in. Since all XM's are carbidized from the factory you do not need the make up of Sharpies & pencil lead on the lock interface.
I did get a very old 3rd gen that's seen tons of use that the Carbidizing has worn off & it was a little sticky, after it was re carbidized it was butter to disengage.
Hope that helps.
 
Thanks for the suggestions Modifidz. Unfortunately tightening the pivot screw only makes the action tighter and hard to open. What you said about the lube on the tang/lockbar makes sense and I tried to clean it as much as possible without taking the knife apart but it still catches a bit. I'll probably just use the knife as it is and see if it breaks in on it's own. If not, I'll have the fine folks at the ranch look at it when I send it in for sharpening.
 
As Modifiedz said, remove all the lube from the lockface... oil/lube on the lockface can actually cause sticky lock. Your knife probably just needs some break in time and it'll be fine. But in the meantime if the "stick" bothers you, go ahead and try the pencil lead trick (IME pencil lead works a bit better than Sharpie). It does work.
 
Try a Q-tip soaked in acetone or alcohol to clean the lock-tang.
Also try wedging a piece of paper between the lock-face and lock-tang repeatedly until the paper comes out clean.
 
Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I'm sure it will work itself out once I clean the surfaces. Now I have a reason to play with the knife while watching TV.

"I'm just breaking in my knife honey. The guys on the forum said I have to!" :D
 
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