The Knife that Bit Me

annr

annr

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Nov 15, 2006
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STR,

As I mentioned in your other thread I was given 2 SAK folders as gifts and have concerns about opening and closing them.

The first is a pic of the small SAK (single blade) that claimed a piece of my fingertip. I lost control of the blade when I was opening it. It is my impression that the spring is extraordinarily heavy. This is an inexpensive knife, the low 2 figures so I am not deeply invested here, but it may have potential for my application.

Since that incident I've had concerns about the second SAK , the one with 2 blades. These springs also have a lot of resistance. This one seems a little safer because it is larger and easier to handle while opening and closing. You mentioned fingernails, well, this one will pull off a piece of nail if you don't watch it. I put super glue on my thumbnail at first. This knife is in the low 3 figures and a custom design by Wenger/Delemont for my kind of usage.

I'm left with a few general questions for STR and others. Is my experience (cutting off part of my fingertip) outside the norm? is it normal for SAKs to have such tight springs? Is there a demo on line showing good technique to open and close this kind of knife- obviously I wasn't doing everything right? Is thing just a hazard one accepts with folders?

Bottom line: what can I do to make the knives safe for everyday use?

Ps "The check is in the mail".:D
 
Well. I take it from your name when you sent me your address that you are a woman. So comparing you to my wife I'd have say your experience is probably not so out of the ordinary. I have noticed that my wife also is very, I don't want to say incapable, but perhaps not prepared for the springs, resistance and sometimes stoutness of many of the knives produced.

I see the second two blade quite well, and it appears to have some long springs, with a good bit of distance between the where the spring center pin is to pivot on and the contact. It is probably one I would like but again I can just bet you its one my wife would hand back to me to open for her.

Oiling the pivot may help some but as for the tension on the springs there is nothing really that I could do. On the first one it would be nice if I could see how it looks with the blade closed so I can see how much height is there but a little stud protruding from it to give your fingers something more substantial to grasp onto other than a nail nick may be the ticket and it may be worth it just to reshape the handle to accomadate it. Weakening the spring to make it easier to open would also make it easier to accidentally close cutting you that way so its a lose lose situation there.

I can certainly do that thumb stud for you at a minimum cost though.

By the way your sharpening stone just went out in the morning mail.

STR
 
Sometimes it is much easier to deal with larger knives than small ones. This appears to be one of those cases.

It is a matter of practice, figuring out how to get it open without getting the blade edge near your fingers, but of course you have to hold the blade to pull it open. Second you have to make sure you hold the handle so that, if the blade snaps back, it won't bite you.

What I used to do - just get the blade open enough to expose the point, then use a hard surface such as a table, or a plastic ball point pen body to push the blade the rest of the way open. This may not be ideal, but it has saved my fingers countless times with hard to open folders.
 
You know looking at those its hard to visualize what they look like closed but on the single blade one it may also be feesible to do something like the old 'easy opener' pattern cut out in the handle to access more of the blade for gripping it to get it opened. I zeroed in on this model as a youth and still collect them and often times carry one of those old slip joints (knives without a lock).

What I am speaking of is this here. Note the cut out at the tip of the blade. When the blade is closed this additional access allows a good grasp with both finger and thumb to pull the blade out with greater control by the tip making it much easier by leverage to deal with a stout spring. It could also be done at a minimum cost to you.

On the two blade it is probably not possible though since you have the blades closed back to back no doubt.

STR
 
STR,

On no!! The woman rationale!!! Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are speaking to an oboist here!!! That hurts.
All kidding aside:
I really don't think that this is the case of diminshed fortitude. I don't have a problem opening due to the tension per se, i.e. I can open it all by myself:D. ( I had been opening and closing it for several months without incident). No strain. It just seems like there is little to latch onto in terms of both the handle and the blade and in my estimation the springs seem cagey.

I guess that I should send it out and you can assess, otherwise it will just sit here.
 
STR,
I will send it out. I realize that in this case a picture is not worth a 1,000 words.
RE: the double blade, I know what you mean. I was even wondering if I could have that converted into 2 knives, or even 2 fixed blades. As you may know I am a musician and I think that I just lucked out that I didn't sever some nerves or worse.

Clembrewer,
I think that you got a good idea of what I was dealing with on the little knife and thanks for the suggestion. I'm all for finger conservation.
 
No offense meant my friend. I thought when the address said Ann, well. Nevermind there. :D Dug the hole lets stop digging ey?

Anyway, the easy opener idea may be your best bet.

That would give you more to get hold of for sure. I would be more than happy to look at each personally if you want to mail them to me at your convenience.

If I can fix the small one up to your liking, which I take it is your preferred one when you use them, it would be worth the shipping to and from to get it to be a good user for you.

STR
 
Truly, truly no offense taken:).

It will be terrific to get a professional assessment and optimize if you think that would be a good move. Thanks! I'll do the small one first and we can take it from there. In the meantime I'll try to stay out of trouble:D.
 
I look forward to seeing it.

Oboe huh? I played flute in school but hated it. My parents made me. It was either that or piano. Years later I took up guitar. That I liked. I met girls that way. :eek: But then I met April and she changed all that. ;) I'm an official well trained husband now!

I always liked the sax and had a room mate in the service that played. I didn't much appreciate it by itself but in the rock band we played in he really made it sound sweet at times. I have always loved the way he did the finish at the end of Lou Reed's "Take a walk on the wild side" and in fact I had to play it just making mention of it. Got the head phones on now.

Thanks for the fun. I hope I can help you out. Its been very nice meeting you and I meant to thank you for the additional information on the frictionite stone, which by the way, I posted yesterday in a new thread here on my forum.


STR
 
STR,
I located the little knife I'm sending you and took a second look at the the way it opens and closes. I think I can see the reason that it caught me off guard.

It takes minimal effort to lift the blade about the first 20-25 degrees. After that the resistance kicks in. I'm guessing that I would have wound up *tugging* on the partially opened blade and lost control.

By contrast the folder with 2 blades requires what feels like equal effort for the entire range of motion; the blade makes a smooth arc with the movement of the hand/wrist/arm.
 
Makes sense. Not sure what I can do about the spring tension. Its probably just the way the contacts were made when it was assembled on that single blade model. It could be wear related also though.

I will let you know when I get it.

Thanks

STR
 
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