Stiff Spring/Impossible Pen---This Worked For Me

AFAustin

AFAustin

Gold Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2004
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2,494
Anyone who loves traditional slipjoints will have frustrating encounters with overly stiff springs. The two most common remedies are: (1) leave the blade partially open with the spring extended for a long period of time; (2) open and close the blade repeatedly, several hundred times or more.

I recently took in a pretty little black box Winchester with a nightmare pen blade. I literally could not open it with just my nail. I tried both methods above to no avail. While I realize this will be no news to the pros, a modification to remedy #2 above was a small revelation to me. The problem with the #2 remedy, especially with a small pen blade, is that it's difficult to maintain a good grip and it will wear you out. I have an inexpensive little HF vacuum vice and it even has rubber jaw pads which are perfect for not scratching blades. By mounting the Winchester pen blade in the vice, I was able to manage a couple of thousand open/closes with a very reasonable amount of time and effort.

And now, voila, I have a manageable pen blade which, while still on the stiff side, will open with thumb nail alone. And since it's Saturday night after all, if I get a couple of beers in me, I might give it another 1000 or so and I bet it gets even easier. ;)

Andrew


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I like that vice, Andrew. Those rubber jaws not only keep the blade from getting scratched but the frame and covers too if you happen to bump the vice with the knife a few times, which seems inevitable.
 
Hi, Rick, and right you are. The rubber pads are definitely good all round protection---particularly for a clumsy guy like me!

Andrew
 
I have done something similar before to ease up a stiff blade...it works great!
 
I use 1/4" copper sheet in a vise, bent around the vice to hold it in. Also, if you wear heavy leather gloves you can really go to town.
 
Useful tip, that's a fine looking knife too.:thumbup:

I'd like to get hold of one of those vices, looks really handy for knife-work. The only one (vice) :D I have is some old monster out in the workshed, and that's unheated (-10c yesterday) so I might die of frostbite before The Taming of the Spring :eek: Plus it's a real old crusher....
 
Thanks for the nice comments, gents. I have a few more overly stiff springs that are now in line for the "vice treatment".

Andrew
 
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