Throwing a Gentlemanly Folder??

[By By Digby]

I know that people say that a knife is made for a specific purpose,and that one shouldn't do with a knife that which it was not intended.Lets say some one decided to throw a real nice custom made folder into some wood to see how it sticks,and the end result is that it disengages from the liner lock quite softly.Is this a defect in the knife? Would this person have to worry about the knife unlocking in a self defense situation? Perplexed & jus Wondering......You people are just great..Thanks...Ikiruuuuu

 

[Ferret]

Hypothetically or have you already done this?

I think that if you use the knife with that amount of force in a self defence scenario then it would be the other person who's doing the worrying.

 

[matthew rapaport]

I have to agree with the above. When a thrown knife sticks or almost-sticks there is a lot of torque applied to the tip of the blade which is why knives not made to throw often break. With a folding knife, the disproportionate weight of the handle makes for even more stress not only on the blade tip, but also on the pivot, and in your case the lock.

The thickness, width, and geometry of the liner all have something to do with this, not to mention the angle of torqe applied in the hit. If the liner would never disengage until more than say 50lbs of force were applied to it and you apply 51lbs and it fails, is that a defect?

 

[PhilL]

This doesn't sound like a very good idea?
I have never seen or heard of a folding knife that was supposed to be used that way, but let's get Bobby Branton and Cliff Stamp in on this it may be just what the knife world was looking for.

[This message has been edited by PhilL (edited 11-05-2000).]

 

[Gus Kalanzis]

Matthew hit the nail on the head.
Have got to admit I have thrown a few factory folders with a light touch, but let's face it there are not too many folders out there designed for throwing (I don't know of any). Of course some will handle the stress better than others.

It might be an unusual situation where a person could get away with a self-defense claim in court if a knife was thrown.

------------------
" The real art of living is too keep alive the longing in human beings to become greater versions of themselves." Laurens Van der Post.
In memory of James Mattis

 

[By By Digby]

I am not implying that I would throw this said knife in a self defense situation. Only wondering if the lock would hold up in a convetional manner.I have a LCC that I could throw at a brick wall and not worry about the lock disengaging.This said knife is rather heavy-duty,thick spacers,3&1quarter inch blade,6 ounces. Thrown down at slight angle,maybe a foot or so,with enough speed to stick.The handle is much heavier than the blade which is on a somewhat slight configuration.Ikiruuuuuu

 

[redvenom]

I've thrown lots of POS folders (all lockbacks which go for less than $10) at trees in my misspent youth and broke a few of them (scales fell off in most cases). I also remember climbing over my neighbours wall to retrieve some of them but that's another story.

From some pretty heavy spine whacks, I'm sure all my MicroTechs could be successfully thrown without the lock slipping or breaking, but these would just be abuse of a fine tool. A could throw my Sebenza but that would cause too much agitation among the hordes of Sebbie-fans and I'll probably be shot or hung, or both

Red

------------------
"Praise not the day until evening has come;a sword until it is tried; ice until it has been crossed; beer until it has been drunk" - Viking proverb

[This message has been edited by redvenom (edited 11-05-2000).]

 

[MaxTheKnife]

Digby, if you want a throwing knife, get one. Throwing a folder is just plain silly in my opinion. Reminds me of something I'd tell my son not to do with one of my knives. Get real. Ask a silly question, get a silly answer. Do you really expect the knife making/using crowd to answer that question seriously? Got any serious questions for us?

 

[By By Digby]

Duh, I thought this was a pertinent question? I am sorry that you might think it is silly, but I just dont know all that much about knives.The said knife was not thrown very hard,just hard enough to stick,No HARDER than that.I did this twice and each time it disengaged real softly,to my humble surprise.Well I li,e to throw a Disc for golf as hard as I can throw it ,and to my humble surprise it sometimes sails where I want it to.A whole different action completly.Just trying to learn something new about about a new knife that I did'nt know before. Oh silly me!!

 

[Rick]

I thought this was a Joke (or a troll), but
he's not kidding, is he?

Good Gawd man! Never throw a folder. There are several very efficient (and nondestructive!) ways to test a lock without abusing the poor thing. My advice is to get yourself a nice rock next time you feel like throwing something, and cut a few hours off your television watching schedule while you’re at it.

 

[By By Digby]

My thing is this. I do not know much about knives.I bought my first custom knife just the other day.I do know what I like from a vizshoul perspective!!!!! Not knowing a whole lot of the Tech weeenie kind of crap, SHOULD I KEEP THIS KNIFE OR RETURN IT!!!!!!!!!! Ikruuuuuuu

 

[Rick]

What is this “real nice gentlemanly custom folder” anyway? The typical “gentleman’s” knife is small (2 1/2” to 3” blade) and comparatively fragile. You shouldn’t expect brute strength from most of them. Try gently whacking the blade spine on a firm surface (wear a glove) to test the lock if you’re worried about it. This is considered abuse to some, but it’s a heck of a lot better then throwing the knife. Also, try gripping the handle firmly and see if you can release the blade with your other hand using reasonable pressure. I find that some liner locks can be accidentally released by a strong grip such as you might apply in a defensive situation. If you like the knife but the lock is improperly adjusted, the maker should be able to correct it for you, but if you’ve abused it, he’ll probably charge you for the work.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Throwing a knife so that it sticks into a piece of wood doesn't place much stress on the blade assuming that the wood isn't seasoned polished hickory and you are not 30+ feet away etc. . I can for example stick a SAK into a piece of split pine from about 4-6 feet without harm (dart throw, no turns). The fact that a custom blade would be less robust lock wise than the $20 swiss army knife does not seem sensible to me.

If you can cause the lock to disengage in that manner then many actual uses would also cause similar failure. Torquing, twisting during hard cuts, material movement, hard stabs etc. . You will get the "not the intended use" line simply because you threw the knife, but consider this - if the blade broke in half while you were buttering toast would the "not intended use" line seem reasonable to you. Of course not as the level of stress is too low.

Fact is that there is not a wide spread agreement on what blades of any kind should be expected to be able to take, folders included. The only fact that you have to comfort you is that there are blades which can take that level of stress and more besides and makers that will back them. It is your money to spend, buy the ones from the prople that have the attitude that seems best to you.

-Cliff

[This message has been edited by Cliff Stamp (edited 11-04-2000).]

 

[Wild Bill 1896]

As a boy, we played mumblety peg. Sometimes on wood, sometimes on dirt and slip joints all around. I don't recall any knives breaking and few closing.

I have also thrown various pocket knives at boards, barns and fence posts and found that lock backs closed about as often as slip joints. I've never thrown one with a liner lock or one of the newer locks. Not yet, anyway, but I am on a list for a MT LCC.
I never snapped a blade or popped a joint, but a bad throw can bend the liners and break the scales. Nothing that can't be fixed easily enough.