Why not an exposed pivot pin?

J

jackknife

Joined
Oct 2, 2004
Messages
17,618
Okay, I gotta ask this. We've all seen and read the posts about excess blade play, and we don't like it. Use a knife enough, and eventually you will get blade play.

But in the recent time that I have been using and exploring the world of friction folders, I have cme to appreciate that they have the exposed protruding pivot pin that can be snugged up. It was so easy to snug up my Opinel to use as a friction folder, and very easy with a tap or two on my Sardinian Resolza, that I wonder why more knives don't have that option of using that kind of pivot pin? I've seen it on a lot of German folding knives, and French folding knives, and Sardinian folding knives. That has always been one of the big draws of the Opinel, that is so able to be tinkered with.

Wouldn't it be nice if more knife companies made their knives as easy to snug up as the Resolza or Opinel?

Carl.
 
Carl,
I have great fun in seeing how a simple knife can raise so many topics and make so many of your previous thoughts tumble :D
On the pure "tuning" side, yes, you are right: these knives are easier to tune, to adjust to your taste, and that's quite a factor. But, on the pure aesthetic side, I'm not a fan of exposed pins, and some of them protrude too much and get uncomfy.
I'm curious to see what people think about this :)

Fausto
:cool:
 
The Queen Workhorse series I've noticed has exposed pins, I assume to fix the Queen future wobble, exposed pin would not bother me, I would choose function over fashion.

Pete
 
sitflyer said:
I think the biggest reason is aesthetics, a flush pin looks cleaner.
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Yep. Love my Opinels, but on a traditional slipjoint knife, if I can see the pin my first reaction is to think it's a cheap, poorly made knife.

-- Mark
 
mnblade said:
if I can see the pin my first reaction is to think it's a cheap, poorly made knife.

-- Mark
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Not always...

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Kris
 
quattromori said:
Carl,
I have great fun in seeing how a simple knife can raise so many topics and make so many of your previous thoughts tumble :D
On the pure "tuning" side, yes, you are right: these knives are easier to tune, to adjust to your taste, and that's quite a factor. But, on the pure aesthetic side, I'm not a fan of exposed pins, and some of them protrude too much and get uncomfy.
I'm curious to see what people think about this :)

Fausto
:cool:
Click to expand...

I have to admit, Fausto, it's your little Resolza that really got me to thinking of this. And the Opinel numbers that don't have the locking ring. When I learned that the locking ring was not added until 1956, it really took me by surprise. But then, with my Opinel snugged up, I rarely use the lock, and just treat it like a friction folder. That made me think of all those posts that folks are complaining about blade play, and yet the European peasant knives seem to have solved that problem centuries ago. Form following function, as it should be. When does aesthetics take precedence over function?

When I look at the Queen work horse series, I think that somebody got it right.

Carl.
 
I always thought that at least for some traditionals it might be interesting to have a threaded torx pin that could be snugged up. Wobble really bothers me and there is not reason it shouldnt be an easy end user fix without use of vice and sanding/polishing
 
I've always been on the fence about exposed (proud) pins on knife handles and/or pivots. Some manufacturer's attempts at these aren't very well-done, with too-tall or irregular/too-knobby heads on them, and those have always bugged me in how they feel in-hand, and less-so due to the appearance of them. They can be uncomfortable in some cases, if the head of the pin creates a pressure point in use. If care were taken to keep them relatively wide & smooth, and low-profile, I wouldn't mind them (Kris' posted example above is a perfect illustration of this, when done 'right' :thumbup: ).


David
 
I have several totally screwed together slip joints. My preference is for the pivot pins to be hidden but for the really hard use knife it is nice to be able to tune to preference without sending it to the maker.
 
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For a nice example of smooth, low-profile pins, see any Alox SAK. Not that I've ever had to snug up one of them.
 
Stich2442 said:
The Queen Workhorse series I've noticed has exposed pins, I assume to fix the Queen future wobble, exposed pin would not bother me, I would choose function over fashion.

Pete
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My Queen workhorse stockman had those for a few hours. It doesn't anymore. I found them uncomfortable and annoying, and wasted no time peening them down and filing them off.
 
yablanowitz said:
My Queen workhorse stockman had those for a few hours. It doesn't anymore. I found them uncomfortable and annoying, and wasted no time peening them down and filing them off.
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That's something I wouldn't do, for the reason that those bolsters likely have straight-drilled holes. In order for a pocket knife joint to stay snug, it's best to have the pin holes flare out a little toward the outside, so the pins can expand as they're peened, holding the joint tight. Lacking this, a joint may work loose again more easily.
 
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