Why do people here have such an obsession with early lock up?

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Dan57

Joined
Apr 8, 2012
Messages
1,123
If a liner or frame lock's well made, it should settle at one point and then just stop. So why does it matter if that point's 30% or 80% across the lock face?
 
Titanium is a soft metal and will wear over time against a hardened steel blade tang. The earlier the lockup, the more room for wear there is.
 
I think the wear factor comes into play. Another thing, on one knife I have that locks up late. It is a little more difficult to unlock.
 
EagleScouter said:
Titanium is a soft metal and will wear over time against a hardened steel blade tang. The earlier the lockup, the more room for wear there is.
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But people still obsess about early lockup even on steel locks. And carbidizing/carburizing/hardening/a lock face insert virtually eliminates the wear factor once the lock's worn in.
 
Dan57 said:
But people still obsess about early lockup even on steel locks. And carbidizing/carburizing/hardening/a lock face insert virtually eliminates the wear factor once the lock's worn in.
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Yeah, I don't get the early lockup thing when the locks are carbidized or have a steel plate. Maybe it's just ingrained from when those improvements weren't as common. :confused:
 
EagleScouter said:
Titanium is a soft metal and will wear over time against a hardened steel blade tang. The earlier the lockup, the more room for wear there is.
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Good shot, Eagle. I was gonna say almost the exact same thing.

Early lockup = longer knife life.

Late lockup = shorter knife life and possible sticky lock.

Moose
 
When I make a liner lock I like the lock to be around 40-50% engagement. I've been carrying one of my custom liner lock folders for 2 yrs I have abused it but I don't see any wear yet it still locks up the same as it did the last time I put it together over 2 yrs ago. I see this question and others pop up about lock wear and early or late lock up. I personally have never had this problem with any of my production or custom knives.
 
If it's a linerlock, I prefer the entire lock face to be touching the blade tang. It "feels" safer and puts my mind at ease.

I have a John W. Smith custom with a linerlock that I have flipped open literally thousands of times (bad habit :D) and the lock has not moved at all. I'm pretty sure he carbidizes the lock face on his knives.
 
I have an old Emerson that I have abused for about 8 years, and the liner lock has gradually moved across the tang. It is now almost to the opposite side, and I will send it in for a new lock. Maybe if it had an early lock up from the start it would have lasted 15........but honestly I don't remember where it started.
 
Robert Carter said:
When I make a liner lock I like the lock to be around 40-50% engagement. I've been carrying one of my custom liner lock folders for 2 yrs I have abused it but I don't see any wear yet it still locks up the same as it did the last time I put it together over 2 yrs ago. I see this question and others pop up about lock wear and early or late lock up. I personally have never had this problem with any of my production or custom knives.
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This is why I posted this thread in the first place. I just don't get it.

Oldboy said:
If it's a linerlock, I prefer the entire lock face to be touching the blade tang. It "feels" safer and puts my mind at ease.
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Same here.
 
hm. more room for wear and tear huh? that makes pretty good sense. glad someone else brought this up because I've been wondering the same thing for a while now
 
It's one more thing to obsess about. Remove it, and we'll just find something else.

We've gotta talk/argue about something, right?
 
Nullity said:
It's one more thing to obsess about. Remove it, and we'll just find something else.

We've gotta talk/argue about something, right?
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It's human nature to argue Nullity, some just can't help themselves
 
why don't they make a discontinuous tang surface like with the RJ martin knives? that way, the lock bar never goes past 50%.
 
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