What should I expect from my new (and first) custom knife (am i being a nitpick)?

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Wilco

Wilco

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Sep 19, 2002
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I just purchased a 400 dollar custom knife that I had made for me. Everything is awesome on it, except I had to send it back for the lock up of the blade, which is no biggy.

I'm wondering if I am being to much of a nitpick (I am a perfectionist) as this is my first custom. The locking bar on the knife, while it has a good lock up, binds against the blade, so when I disengage the locking blade to fold the knife, there I have to force it out and there is a loud "clack" as the locking bar disengages (by rubbing on the blade).

Every other folder i own (Emerson, Spidy, Benchmade, Sebbies, etc) has a locking bar that locks up nice, but then smoothly disengages without sticking to the blade.

Is this something I should email the maker about and have fixed? The non smooth nature of it just drives me crazy, esp the binding and loud "thwack".

Thanks for your help.
 
Apply some #2 pencil and a little wd-40 on the blade tang where the lock bar engages. May have to do this a few times but it will stop the sticky lock.
 
Hmmm, I do believe that 400 bucks should get you a virtually perfect knife. I am not a folder fan but I can say that a lot of work (therefore money) goes into the folding/lock mechanism so you pay a lot but not so much for the actual important part of a knife, the blade!!

I have had custom made knives for good money that were way less defined than many higher end production knives. A good example for a good production knife is, and I don't necessarily like their knives particularly, the Fallkniven S1. The blade grind is flawless!! I am not talking about engravings, complicated multibevel grinds, complicated hidden tang constructions etc. I am talking about basics that should be perfect or at least near perfect, at least for 400 dollars. On the other hand, I buy from one maker and if I am not satisfied I send it back or step away from future purchases. Or, I fix it myself, makes the knife mine!

Long story short, I feel you pain and you are not necessarily a nitpick!
 
Thanks Robert. I tried the graphite, and now the blade is closing when I apply pressure to the blade itself, almost closing on my hand (not your fault of course). The lock just totally slips out now, which is dangerous. The other knives I have that I talked about, the lock almost really touch the blade, but there is enough tension on the lock, it keeps the blade locked, while not allowing blade play.

Its pretty frustrating, because it either seems like it is it sticking and clicking or it is just slipping and closing and not totally locking (with graphite/pencil applied)....
 
Is the loick Ti? If so it may just need to break in.
 
I have owned hundreds of custom folders and have had a total of less than 10 that needed work. I would say depending upon the maker, you either got a mistake, or the maker might not be too good at making knives.

Your experience and how the maker deals with the problem will dictate what the answer is. $400.00 is absolutely enough of a cost for a knife to warrant solid lockup and smooth release.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
the liner lock is indeed Ti. What I worry about is when it smooths out, will it be like putting graphite on there, and then slip from the lock and just wack the crap out of me?

I almost, w/o offending him, want to send him my Spidy PPT, or another folder, and say "make it like this"....
 
Can you post pics of the lockbar interfacing the blade while the blade is open? Maybe the angles of the bar/blade are not great? There is alot of pausible issues and pictures would be a huge help in iddentifying the problem.

You don't need the whole knife as it appears that you are not trying to name the maker, just close ups on the interface.
 
Wilco said:
...Is this something I should email the maker about and have fixed?...
Click to expand...
Yes, certainly. I can't answer why or how the blade's lock is fouled up because I've never made a folder. But that's certainly an issue that needs to be addressed. All the makers I know would much rather fix the problem than have an iffy knife out there.
 
I tried to take some pics but I'm not sure if there is anything you can really see without taking the entire knife apart, which I'd rather not do at this point (if I send it back for repairs).
 
IMO, you should expect to be totally pleased with your purchase and I would most definitely address your concerns with the knifemaker.

I have purchased MANY custom knives and have only had issue with 3, one minor and 2 fairly major.
In each case the matter was resolved with my having more admiration and respect for the maker when the ordeal was over.
You really never know just how good a knifemaker’s customer service is until you have a problem.

Any maker worth his salt wants to know if you are displeased and wants even more to correct the issue.
 
Wilco said:
I tried to take some pics but I'm not sure if there is anything you can really see without taking the entire knife apart, which I'd rather not do at this point (if I send it back for repairs).
Click to expand...

You can not take pictures of the interface? I want to see how the lockbar meets the blade, if it is at a slant or full contact? What percent lockup is there when you open the knife in different manors?
 
As a maker I would defiantly want to know if there were any problems with one of my knives. I'd give him a call. Good luck.
 
If it were mine, I'd want it back ASAP. It would get first priority and be on it's way back in a day or two.
 
please clean the lock surfaces from graphite and lubricant...

when clean and grease free,
take a sharpy and coat the lock on the blade
a new knife can have a sticky lock sometimes, but should go away very soon

can also be a clearance issue on the pivot, or wrongly made lock angles , but contact the maker, there proud on there babys , they should be healthy
 
firebolt said:
please clean the lock surfaces from graphite and lubricant...

when clean and grease free,
take a sharpy and coat the lock on the blade
a new knife can have a sticky lock sometimes, but should go away very soon

can also be a clearance issue on the pivot, or wrongly made lock angles , but contact the maker, there proud on there babys , they should be healthy
Click to expand...

A NEW KNIFE should NEVER have a sticky lock....if the maker let it go like that, it is defective.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
So from what I am seeing, you already sent it back for one problem. Am I reading that right??.
 
correct, I sent it back because the knife wasn't locking back (or it did, but if I put pressure on the blade, the lock would slip and close - obviously this is dangerous).

I did the pencil/graphite as a few people mentioned, and didn't even get to the wd 40. The knife closed a little easier, but then it started slipping again when it was locked up, as before....

I'll email him. He is a great guy, and I have some of his fixed blades which are top notch.
 
FIRST thing I would do is contact the maker and send him the knife.
 
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