Stiff liner lock...any solution?

R

rkny

Joined
Nov 3, 2001
Messages
17
Hi all,

Just took delivery of this very nice titanium Andre DeVilliers. It's a sweet knife, but I'm on the verge of returning it tomorrow because the liner lock is very stiff.

On knives I consider to have good liner lock action, it's been a simple matter of pushing quickly and firmly against the lock, hearing a short distinct click, and folding the knife closed.

On this ADV knife, pushing the lock requires much force. The sound is a scraping noise, and I can feel the liner "chatter" as it stutters across the blade end. If I close the liner with my left hand, while holding the knife in my right hand, the action is slightly smoother, but this of course is not the optimal way to use the knife.

Thing is, I REALLY like the knife, and of course, there are no others just like it anywhere on the net that I can find. Part of me feels like I will always regret returning it and that I'll never have anything quite like it again. But the other part of me is my thumb, which is sore from working the lock.

Is there anything I can do myself to remedy this situation? Does the knife need breaking in or something? (none of the others I have ever needed breaking in) Or did I just get a dud?

Any advice or suggestions welcome.

Thanks,

Rob

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Hi there. You might find that if you take a # 2 Pencil and when the knife is closed, mark the area were the lock ingages.On the surface of the blade it self.This will add graphite to the contact point and should let you unlock the knife easier. Mark the locking point only.
Where the liner and blade meet. This should make a big differnce.
Hope this helps. It is a great looking knife.

Regard,
Brad Duncan

http://www.duncanknives.com
 
You can also use some tflon based lubricant or use a bit of Flitz or similar metal polishing compound on the locking portion ONLY.
Be careful not to let the polishing compound go anywhere else.
Open and close the knife about a hundred times.
Clean perfectly and oil the mechanism.
It should work better. Do not attempt any polishing of the surfaces with any other system or you risk spoiling the lock.
If it's not as you want it, repeat the treatment until the lock disegnages smoothly enough.
If the knife shows no smoothing up after this treatment, I should consider returning it for servicing.
A liner lock which is hard to close may mean hurting you if you are in a hurry or doing something that distracts you from the closing operation.
 
rkny, The liner may just need to be broke-in as with many factory and custom knives. After a reasonable number of openings and closings, and the liner is still not broken-in, then I would definitely call the maker, and let him recommend what should be done to the action of the knife. I hope it works out for you. Good luck!! Big D1
 
In short, Andre has cocked up the lock and oughta fix it (even though it'll be a pain in the rear)...if you can live with the pencil/lube/breaking in solution then fine, otherwise send it back...he'll know exactly what you are talking about (and probably get a sinking feeling when you mention it).
 
Thanks for the ideas and advice folks. I contacted Andre about it, and he replied immediately with 2 suggestions...1.) add a bit of oil to the lock mechanism, and 2.) to loosen the pivot a tad.

I tried a touch of oil to no avail. It actually seemed to make it a bit worse. For some odd reason, I don't seem to have a single pencil in the house. And since I didn't want to risk marking up the pivot screw and possibly ruining my chances for a return, I decided returning the knife was the best bet.

Hopefully it will find its way back to Andre for correction. Who knows, maybe I'll get another chance to own it. A beautiful knife that just wasn't quite right.

Rob
 
I have received custom knives with linerlocks that fit the same description. I am sure if you send it back to the maker, it can be fixed in a short period of time and then returned to you..
 
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