Linerlock early lockup?

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Josh Crutchley
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Linerlock early lockup?

#1

Post by Josh Crutchley »

Is this something to worry about? Should I let it be and see if it wears in or just file it down with some diamond stones?
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The Meat man
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Re: Linerlock early lockup?

#2

Post by The Meat man »

If it's locking up solidly I wouldn't worry about it.
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Josh Crutchley
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Re: Linerlock early lockup?

#3

Post by Josh Crutchley »

The Meat man wrote:
Wed Jan 12, 2022 5:04 pm
If it's locking up solidly I wouldn't worry about it.
If I open it slowly sometimes it doesn't lock up.
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Re: Linerlock early lockup?

#4

Post by The Meat man »

Joshcrutchley1 wrote:
Wed Jan 12, 2022 5:35 pm
The Meat man wrote:
Wed Jan 12, 2022 5:04 pm
If it's locking up solidly I wouldn't worry about it.
If I open it slowly sometimes it doesn't lock up.
Oh. That would be unacceptable for me.
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Re: Linerlock early lockup?

#5

Post by LakeOconee »

I like my locks to engage the tang fully when opened normally.

Is it new I suppose, and as you suggest might need breaking in.

Maybe loosen the pivot and retighten?
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Re: Linerlock early lockup?

#6

Post by The Meat man »

The Meat man wrote:
Wed Jan 12, 2022 6:53 pm
Joshcrutchley1 wrote:
Wed Jan 12, 2022 5:35 pm
The Meat man wrote:
Wed Jan 12, 2022 5:04 pm
If it's locking up solidly I wouldn't worry about it.
If I open it slowly sometimes it doesn't lock up.
Oh. That would be unacceptable for me.
I guess maybe I should clarify a bit. If it's new I might play with it a bit and see if it gets better (it probably won't get worse). Sometimes new knives do better after a "break-in" period. As mentioned above maybe taking it apart and reassembling it will help.
I would be pretty hesitant to actually remove metal from the lockface though, I'd probably sooner look into warranty replacement (if that's an option,) before doing that.
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Josh Crutchley
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Re: Linerlock early lockup?

#7

Post by Josh Crutchley »

The Meat man wrote:
Wed Jan 12, 2022 8:21 pm


I guess maybe I should clarify a bit. If it's new I might play with it a bit and see if it gets better (it probably won't get worse). Sometimes new knives do better after a "break-in" period. As mentioned above maybe taking it apart and reassembling it will help.
I would be pretty hesitant to actually remove metal from the lockface though, I'd probably sooner look into warranty replacement (if that's an option,) before doing that.
Well the knife wasn't too expensive, under $50usd shipped, it just took a while to arrive from China. So I'm not going to bother with the warranty route.

What is a "good" amount of lockup? When I go to fix this what should I shoot for 50%?
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Re: Linerlock early lockup?

#8

Post by skeeg11 »

Personally, I find any inexpensive liner lock worrisome and a company regardless of COO that would allow that to pass QC even more so.
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Re: Linerlock early lockup?

#9

Post by Josh Crutchley »

skeeg11 wrote:
Wed Jan 12, 2022 10:27 pm
Personally, I find any inexpensive liner lock worrisome and a company regardless of COO that would allow that to pass QC even more so.
What's wrong with an inexpensive liner lock that makes them worrisome? I bought a Tenacious for $35usd and it was an amazing knife. I've also heard of lock up issues from many companies and would never judge them for one knife.
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Re: Linerlock early lockup?

#10

Post by skeeg11 »

Good deal on the Tenacious. I do have faith in Spyderco liner locks, tho. As a matter of fact, I am very much looking forward with great anticipation to an S35VN Resilience. It's just that I've seen and heard of so many cheap gas station liner locks and stories of lock failure. Nothing Spyderco is cheap in quality as far as fit and build go. :thinking
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Re: Linerlock early lockup?

#11

Post by Evil D »

I would loosen up all of the screws and flex the knife around a bit, see if it has a stop pin like a Para 2 uses and if it does then rotate it around 180 degrees, then snug all the screws back down and see if it changes the lock up any. If nothing changes then my concern would be when it doesn't lock. On one hand you have what many people dream of, which is "the longest lock life" since it will have the furthest possible wear distance. On the other hand as you probably figured out by now, a shallow lock engagement is also a less safe one so while people may not like a "late lock up" they are also more secure that way. If you do decide to try to remove some steel off the lock bar, think about the angle that you grind at and try to match the angle that the bar will hit the blade tang...this is a pretty precise science and very easy to screw up. I'd work with a very fine grit sandpaper and sand very small amounts and reassemble and test fit often.
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Re: Linerlock early lockup?

#12

Post by Ramonade »

I have very few linerlocks, mainly because they don't often please me.
I own a Kizer with a really early lock up and it is still solid. I spine whacked it like a moron just to see if it would fail lol.

Sending down is a valid option only if one knows what he is doing. It can destroy the lock interface (blade tang / liner contact) hyper fast. Just one gentle sweep of abrasive at a time then test lock up. If it can open and lock reliably I wouldn't try it. Or I would contact the manufacturer, Kizer sent me the whole liner to change the lock up of the Sliver knife.
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Re: Linerlock early lockup?

#13

Post by Bloke »

What Evil D said. Though I’d strongly advise against removing metal any other way except for lapping the liner and tang with a fine abrasive compound.

I’d prolly start with a light smear of 5-10μm diamond paste on the liner with a tooth pick and just open and close the knife and see how that goes.

Just be sure to remove any abrasive when you’re done.
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Re: Linerlock early lockup?

#14

Post by The Meat man »

Joshcrutchley1 wrote:
Wed Jan 12, 2022 8:31 pm
The Meat man wrote:
Wed Jan 12, 2022 8:21 pm


I guess maybe I should clarify a bit. If it's new I might play with it a bit and see if it gets better (it probably won't get worse). Sometimes new knives do better after a "break-in" period. As mentioned above maybe taking it apart and reassembling it will help.
I would be pretty hesitant to actually remove metal from the lockface though, I'd probably sooner look into warranty replacement (if that's an option,) before doing that.
Well the knife wasn't too expensive, under $50usd shipped, it just took a while to arrive from China. So I'm not going to bother with the warranty route.

What is a "good" amount of lockup? When I go to fix this what should I shoot for 50%?
Personally I prefer my lockup later rather than earlier, but as long as it is locking solidly and safely it doesn't bother me all that much.

For example, my Shirogorov F95 has a very early lockup (typical of Shirogorov.) Yet it locks solidly and securely, even when I open it slowly and gently.

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I would say, whatever it takes to make sure it does not accidentally disengage. 50% should be plenty, I would think.
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Re: Linerlock early lockup?

#15

Post by Josh Crutchley »

Evil D wrote:
Thu Jan 13, 2022 3:48 am
I would loosen up all of the screws and flex the knife around a bit, see if it has a stop pin like a Para 2 uses and if it does then rotate it around 180 degrees, then snug all the screws back down and see if it changes the lock up any.
I gave this a try and it seems to be working so far. Thanks!
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