Swayback Jack Crack - Is that Whack?

R

Ryanol

Joined
Aug 24, 2011
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Alright so I absolutely love this thing...I carry it everyday, try to baby it and keeper well oiled but alas somewhere along the line she got salty with me?


Untitled by rlibson, on Flickr

So my question is: I am new to natural materials for the most part - is this too be expected with natural mediums that can dry and shrink etc?

I don't remember dropping it or anything and the corners don't appear gouged or to have suffered and significant impact.

Its nothing that will stop me from carrying it and obviously is just cosmetic but it does have me wondering a little about jigged bone knives.
 
Bone is a natural material, and natural materials are prone to cracking unless they're stabilized very well, then the odds are against cracks forming, but it can still happen.
 
Bone is usually pretty stable, but it can crack if dropped or otherwise exposed to hard impact, or drilled/machined carelessly. Especially near the pins; drilling can start small chips/cracks, which can then spread with flex/movement of the pins.

In this case, that damage looks impact-related, regardless of where/when/how it happened. You might get in touch with Case, and see if they can fix it for you. Even if isn't a warranty fix, I'd bet it'd still be worthwhile.
 
Seeing as how its a fifty dollar knife I have a hard time even justifying the shipping for such a tiny crack...perhaps if it breaks off completely.

I don't think it's ever seen the ground, short of when my pants hit the floor and I forget to take it out of the pocket first. I suppose it could have whacked against something in my pocket during the course of the day.

It may also have been micro crack that was ampified by some freeze thaw cycles in my pocket during a few winter hikes.

Sounds like more than likely it's just a fluke.
 
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Ryanol said:
Seeing as how its a fifty dollar knife I have a hard time even justifying the shipping for such a tiny crack...perhaps if it breaks off completely.
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Yeah, just wait and see what happens. Might not change for years and years.

My dad was a dentist and when he was nearing retirement, a younger dentist who was in the process of buying his practice was examining a long-time patient. The young doc said the person had a slight crack in a tooth and he recommended a rather extensive (and costly) repair. My dad walked over, looked in the guy's mouth, and said that that crack had been there -- unchanged -- for more than 15 years. He'd checked it every time the guy came in for a cleaning and exam to ensure there was no decay and no worsening of the crack. :)

-- Mark
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
Bone is usually pretty stable, but it can crack if dropped or otherwise exposed to hard impact, or drilled/machined carelessly. Especially near the pins; drilling can start small chips/cracks, which can then spread with flex/movement of the pins.

In this case, that damage looks impact-related, regardless of where/when/how it happened. You might get in touch with Case, and see if they can fix it for you. Even if isn't a warranty fix, I'd bet it'd still be worthwhile.
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I agree with you, David. Some of mine droped during work on the street or other hard materials. Nothing happened. I was worrying about the scales, for exactely that result you told Ryanol.

But that seems to be really impact-related. Imo even when dropping a bone handled knife on some hard ground it must haven been material-weakening.

I would also send it back, maybe they can fix it up or replace the scale. Especially when you explain the case, I mean by telling them the knife has never been dropped and whatever happened.

Kind regards
Andi
 
Bone can be brittle of course. May well have happened when you let your trousers fall on the floor, knives in pockets can take a hard knock that way. It's unlikely to worsen, could be viewed as a battle scar.
 
Ryanol said:
Seeing as how its a fifty dollar knife I have a hard time even justifying the shipping for such a tiny crack...perhaps if it breaks off completely. I don't think it's ever seen the ground, short of when my pants hit the floor and I forget to take it out of the pocket first. I suppose it could have whacked against something in my pocket during the course of the day. It may also have been micro crack that was ampified by some freeze thaw cycles in my pocket during a few winter hikes. Sounds like more than likely it's just a fluke.
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In looking at your pic, I thought I was seeing the crack run a long ways, from the start at the spine, rearward in an arc, and back down to the junction of the bone & liner at the butt end? Maybe I'm seeing something that isn't there, but it looked much worse to me than a tiny crack. Looked almost like a chip (large) that'd been glued back on.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
In looking at your pic, I thought I was seeing the crack run a long ways, from the start at the spine, rearward in an arc, and back down to the junction of the bone & liner at the butt end? Maybe I'm seeing something that isn't there, but it looked much worse to me than a tiny crack. Looked almost like a chip (large) that'd been glued back on.
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Yeah, that's what I thought I was seeing. To my old eyes, it looks like a crack that arcs all the way over a corner of the handle scale, from liner to liner. If that is indeed what I'm seeing, I'd send to back to Case. If it's cracked like that all the way, then some change of temps or slight knock, could break it off. I'd get it fixed now, rather than later.

Carl.
 
I think it brings character to what might be your pocket buddy for 50 years to come.....you could force a little clear glue into the crack, let it dry good and gently sand away the excess and then gently polish the liners and back spring to match, but that's just my opinion if it were my knife.
 
I would get it fixed repair or warranty. I don't own a SBJ but from all the pics my favorite thing about them by far is the bone.
 
runninmike said:
I think it brings character to what might be your pocket buddy for 50 years to come.....you could force a little clear glue into the crack, let it dry good and gently sand away the excess and then gently polish the liners and back spring to match, but that's just my opinion if it were my knife.
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I agree. :thumbup:

-- Mark
 
jackknife said:
Yeah, that's what I thought I was seeing. To my old eyes, it looks like a crack that arcs all the way over a corner of the handle scale, from liner to liner. If that is indeed what I'm seeing, I'd send to back to Case. If it's cracked like that all the way, then some change of temps or slight knock, could break it off. I'd get it fixed now, rather than later.

Carl.
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Your not seeing things old timer - it definitely runs from the side all the way to the bottom.

I think I'll give her another six months and see how she adjusts. If it falls off I got some black linen micarta that I made I might try my hand at.
 
That's the one thing I don't like about a bareheaded knife. Their covers can be more prone to breakage, cracking, what have you at the butt end of the cover than knives that have end caps. Notice I said; "they can be more prone to breakage not are "more" prone to breakage.

I have many knives that are bareheaded with no indication of damage to the covers but I do have some that have been damaged just as the OP shows with his knife or have chips, etc. in the covers.

Hard to say whether to send if off or not. I usually just put a knife with that condition in a slot in a knife box for damaged knives that I have and just retire it.

The covers on the knife shown are very nice looking.
 
I also noticed the long crack. I see you wanna just continue to carry as is so if that makes you happy, then good choice. :thumbup:

Sent from Ash forum mobile
 
I believe the dropped trousers on the floor with knife in pocket is likely scenario.
If its a user I'd do the super glue fix-get the high impact resistance supaglue.
As a testimonial I have a buffalo horn handled Trevor Ablett knife.On scale started to lift away from the bolster.

I glued it and clamped it down with a clothes peg.
No worries .Hasn't lifted again at all.
MIND YOU- not a user. I guess that new buffalo horn was a bit warpy.
cheers.
 
Superglue already fixed up one of my RRs, which had a loose handle. Not it´s bombproof. I´m sure that will also work here.

Kind regards
Andi
 
Would be worse if the crack were running to the pin, then it would almost certainly cause a raised edge and eventually a large chip would drop off.

This happened to me with a GEC 73 in smooth bone. Was so excited to get it, I cut open the packet out in the garden, took it out of its tube and it slipped through my fingers and landed on the back door-step. CRACK! Split right to the centre-pin. Fastest maimed knife in living memory.......:eek:
 
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