Thoughts on weak springs

[Stixmagill]

Has anyone ever used a knife opener that fits in the nail nick?

I have a couple but I’m not going to try one and scratch one of my knives with it LOL

 

[Leslie Tomville]

Someone who is in a position to know explained to me why GEC spring strength varies. He said the heat treatment is outsourced. This is a part of the process which they do not control. Apparently, heat treating can slightly change the dimensions of the material enough to cause varying spring strengths between runs. He said they test the first few knives of each run and can adjust their internal process, but if the heat treat caused the issue there is not much they can do about it. To me, this means that they do not intentionally adjust spring strength. Things just come out slightly different from run to run. I believe their heat treatment is done by Peters' which is a top notch company. GEC knives are very consistent between runs, but they can't always be identical.

 

[Old Engineer]

10 Years ago Strong Springs did not bother me at all , but they do now . Soft springs make me think that the knife will not have a long life with me . My 2015 77 Northfield has IMO the ideal opening force and so do the 2019 Lambfoot . If I know that I will be using a knife on that day I will usually carry my 2019 Forums knife because it is easily Pinchable for me . My old TEW Lambfoot is probably a 4 to open but still has a good Snap to close . The Whaler that I have has such a Strong Spring that I will not let anyone try to open it . The hardest knife that I have to try to open is an old Cattaraugus with an easy open notch and no Nail Nick . A previous owner had polished the blade so smooth that I can't get a grip on the blade . Neither Soft Springs nor Strong Springs bother me too much because I am lucky enough to have other knives to choose from . I am of the opinion though that knife makers could make blades that are easier to open to Half Stop and still be strong going to fully open .

Harry

 

[Tyson A Wright]

10 Years ago Strong Springs did not bother me at all , but they do now . Soft springs make me think that the knife will not have a long life with me . My 2015 77 Northfield has IMO the ideal opening force and so do the 2019 Lambfoot . If I know that I will be using a knife on that day I will usually carry my 2019 Forums knife because it is easily Pinchable for me . My old TEW Lambfoot is probably a 4 to open but still has a good Snap to close . The Whaler that I have has such a Strong Spring that I will not let anyone try to open it . The hardest knife that I have to try to open is an old Cattaraugus with an easy open notch and no Nail Nick . A previous owner had polished the blade so smooth that I can't get a grip on the blade . Neither Soft Springs nor Strong Springs bother me too much because I am lucky enough to have other knives to choose from . I am of the opinion though that knife makers could make blades that are easier to open to Half Stop and still be strong going to fully open .

Harry

That's what Benchmade did with the Proper - it's got pretty good snap into all three positions, and closed to half-stop is easier than open to half-stop. But that very feature was one of the things that strict traditionalists objected to in the Proper ("the action feels weird") so I wouldn't expect too many of the more traditional makers to adopt this approach, unfortunately.

 

[Tyson A Wright]

My GEC 97 had a terrible pull fresh out of the tube. I don't remember where I saw it first, but the description that it had a "half-slow-down" instead of a half-stop was completely accurate. A very thorough cleaning (this was the filthiest brand-new knife I'd ever seen) changed that. The pulls are light, but the action is actually quite crisp. Perfect for me, and I think a lot of people who insist on a heavier pull missed out on a great knife (the 97 is one of my favorites).

 

[Tyson A Wright]

Someone who is in a position to know explained to me why GEC spring strength varies. He said the heat treatment is outsourced. This is a part of the process which they do not control. Apparently, heat treating can slightly change the dimensions of the material enough to cause varying spring strengths between runs. He said they test the first few knives of each run and can adjust their internal process, but if the heat treat caused the issue there is not much they can do about it. To me, this means that they do not intentionally adjust spring strength. Things just come out slightly different from run to run. I believe their heat treatment is done by Peters' which is a top notch company. GEC knives are very consistent between runs, but they can't always be identical.

The modulus of elasticity (how springy a type of steel is) is determined by the iron to iron bonds in the metal, if I recall correctly, along with the geometry of the object.

Both iron to iron bonds and geometry should be unaffected by the heat treatment. Springs are heat treated to protect them from surface damage (and usually tempered much softer than the blades) - this is important so the tang of the blade doesn't wear the spring away too much like it would with an un-heattreated spring.

If GEC wants the springs to be stiffer, they need to change the geometry - leave more metal in the spring between the center pin and where it contacts the blade.

 

[Oldy]

Someone who is in a position to know explained to me why GEC spring strength varies. He said the heat treatment is outsourced. This is a part of the process which they do not control. Apparently, heat treating can slightly change the dimensions of the material enough to cause varying spring strengths between runs. He said they test the first few knives of each run and can adjust their internal process, but if the heat treat caused the issue there is not much they can do about it. To me, this means that they do not intentionally adjust spring strength. Things just come out slightly different from run to run. I believe their heat treatment is done by Peters' which is a top notch company. GEC knives are very consistent between runs, but they can't always be identical.

I have a 29 that has an awl and sheepsfoot with satisfactory pull not quite my favorite but better then a few,but the clip is another ball of wax it has very weak springs.the 29 with 3 blades and 2 different spring tensions.it might of been by design that the center blade has weaker pull for easier opening.