ZT 0560 love it...but hate the sticky lock

Raging Rhino

Raging Rhino

Joined
Nov 14, 2011
Messages
667
Just got the 560...couldn't resist any longer. I absolutely love the knife but the frame lock is ridiculous! I've read other threads on this and am amazed by the apathy. If I use the flipper, I literally have to pry the damn thing hard to get it to unlock. I'm amazed...I've never had this issue before and I've owned many-a-Ti frame lock. Although I've heard the striders are the same, which I've yet to have the pleasure to own.
The inability to release the lock without a prying instrument is obnoxious and should be a QA test prior to shipping.

I don't need advice...I've been making knives for over 20 yrs...I'm a hack, but I have enough finesse to polish out this issue if I decide...which btw, IMO is the real real issue...a lack of finishing on rough machining. Anyway... I absolutely love the knife in almost every way... any complaint I have other than the sticky lock up would be petty and subjective and not worth mentioning. I have no doubt that the sticky lock up will lessen with time...but damn! I guess it could be interpreted as a good thing... I interpret it as hasty production.

As far as taking the knife apart to polish up the lock interface...part of me wants to keep it sticky. Talk about confidence in the lockup! My mind is zen...if I ever need to flip this thing out to use it in an extreme situation, there will be no part in of my mind that thinks there's even a remote -f-ing chance that the lock will fail! Nope, gonna need to pry it apart if ya want to close the knife! One handed closure...try two hands and a tool! ;)
 
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Mine was like that till I put a sharpie to where the blade meets the lock. It cure mine with a little pencil lead applyed ever now and then.
 
Mine also came in the same way, but now the stickiness is gone and all smooth flipping fun. Just takes a few days of flipping and a sore thumb :D

The 0560 is a great knife, just needs a little breaking in.
 
Do you think Ti frame locks are like that in general? Or, is this an isolated issue with your particular knife? Or isolated to the 560/561 due to it's design?
 
mley1 said:
Do you think Ti frame locks are like that in general? Or, is this an isolated issue with your particular knife? Or isolated to the 560/561 due to it's design?
Click to expand...

No, I've never had this issue on a frame lock. I love frame locks. I can only speak about my knife, but others have experienced similar issues. Either way, I wouldn't let it stop me from buying the knife... If it didn't lock, or the lock was prone to slipping, that's another story...that would be a serious confidence and safety issue. This problem is the opposite. The lock is stupid strong...so much that it's annoying.
 
Sharpie Sharpie Sharpie! Use it on my Striders,ZTs CRKs and makes the sticky go away! Put sharpie on when the lock engages the section of the blade and it with help with the stick..
 
Mine was one of the early ones and has never had any sticky issues. Sorry to hear about your concerns.
 
Hmm. Never heard of the sharpie trick before. I will give it a try!

I had a 0560 in my shop last week and it was initially sticky. I disassembled it and degreased with cotton swabs and alcohol. My new lube of choice is Froglube, which requires all the metal parts to be heated with a hair dryer. Then all the parts get swabbed with the Froglube. After it cools down, all the parts get wiped down with a microfiber cloth. After I did this, the knife, especially the bearings, worked amazingly well!! And no hint of the sticking on the lock face.

fyi, when two dissimilar metals come in repeated contact, this is called galling.

Galling usually refers to the adhesive wear and transfer of material between metallic surfaces in relative converging contact during sheet metal forming and other industrial operations.

In engineering science and in other technical aspects, the term galling is widespread. The influence of acceleration in the contact zone between materials have been mathematically described and correlated to the exhibited friction mechanism found in the tracks during empiric observations of the galling phenomenon, (see figures 1,2,3 and 4). Due to problems with previous incompatible definitions and test methods, better means of measurements in coordination with greater understanding of the involved frictional mechanisms, have led to the attempt to standardize or redefine the term galling to enable a more generalized use. ASTM International has formulated and established a common definition for the technical aspect of the galling phenomenon in the ASTM G40 standard: "Galling is a form of surface damage arising between sliding solids, distinguished by microscopic, usually localized, roughening and creation of protrusions, (i.e. lumps, see figure 1), above the original surface".[1]

Anyway, back to my project, if you keep your knife clean, especially the lock face, and use a dry lube like the Froglube (which was designed for firearms, but has several uses) your galling should be eliminated.
 
I traded for one today and it is a little sticky to. I will try the sharpie and then try to find some frog lube.

thanks for the post.
 
Mine was sticky when I first got it but it wasn't the lock face to the tang that caused it. The lock bar was actually rubbing on the frame. After a few days it went away.

I think I would rather get a new knife that is tight and wears into be being buttery smooth than have on that comes smooth and wears loose.
 
chester22 said:
Sharpie Sharpie Sharpie! Use it on my Striders,ZTs CRKs and makes the sticky go away! Put sharpie on when the lock engages the section of the blade and it with help with the stick..
Click to expand...

I tried this just for fun....it actually worked way better than I thought it would...although temporary( needed reapplication after three or so openings). But I was impressed nonetheless. Thanks for this tip... This is definitely a worthy trick to know about.
 
mley1 said:
Do you think Ti frame locks are like that in general? Or, is this an isolated issue with your particular knife? Or isolated to the 560/561 due to it's design?
Click to expand...

It is a problem with some framelocks and linerlocks. Cleaning the lock/tang interface, or running a pencil lead over it, generally solves the problem.

I have had no problem with most of my frame or liner locks but a John Greco, Emerson Commander, and Kershaw Storm were all very tight at first, with the Greco and Emerson needing a prybar to close them. It is rare but it happens, and it can be fixed.
 
Raging Rhino said:
I tried this just for fun....it actually worked way better than I thought it would...although temporary( needed reapplication after three or so openings). But I was impressed nonetheless. Thanks for this tip... This is definitely a worthy trick to know about.
Click to expand...

Apply the Sharpie then let it dry for a couple minutes then apply another layer...
 
I saw something about this technique called carbidizing that is supposed to make the lockface less likely to gall.
 
AdioSS said:
I saw something about this technique called carbidizing that is supposed to make the lockface less likely to gall.
Click to expand...

Strider, for one, carbodizes (which is actually a heat treat) their framelocks. Its a matter of heat treating the lock face. If you have a Sng, SMF, DB or an AR you can see the technique plain as day.
 
Barry H said:
Strider, for one, carbodizes (which is actually a heat treat) their framelocks. Its a matter of heat treating the lock face. If you have a Sng, SMF, DB or an AR you can see the technique plain as day.
Click to expand...
Is there a difference between carbodizing, carbidizing, and heat treating? I know that you can harden or anneal Ti just like most metals, but then I've heard that you can get a carbide surface from just thermal cycling, and then apparently some people melt (solder) a carbide layer onto the lockface. How many processes are there and what exactly are they?
 
Raging Rhino said:
I tried this just for fun....it actually worked way better than I thought it would...although temporary( needed reapplication after three or so openings). But I was impressed nonetheless. Thanks for this tip... This is definitely a worthy trick to know about.
Click to expand...

reapply a few times and let dry then flick it for a while, my sticky lock smoothed out in a few days this way.
 
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