Hey again folks,
Detent Balls; What are they? Where do they go? Why would I use them? How do they work? Have I annoyed you yet?
Maybe someone could point me to a diagram or drawing. I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks once again in advance,
Jace

The detent ball is a small ball bearing that is placed at the end of the lock bar in a liner lock knife. When the blade is closed, the ball falls into a tiny dent (the 'detent') in the side of the blade and holds the blade in the closed position. Generally speaking, it is very likely that any liner lock style knife built without a detent ball would be classified as illegal no matter where you live since it would then likely be a gravity knife and those are illegal pretty much every where.

Read through my tutorial (or any good book on liner lock folder making) to see a diagram of the detent, how it works, and how build one properly....

http://www.rayrogers.com/ftutorial.htm

Ray,
Thank you so much. I can honestly say that your website is the most informative and entertaining I've seen. Anyone who hasn't visited it is missing quite a bit.
Thanks for your time and info,
Jace

A big second to your praise of Ray Rogers tutorials. I purchased several learners books and after reading and studying them was enlightened to some degree. But then I stumbled on Ray's website and bingo the lights went on! Not one book revealed how to place the detent or stop pin in a locking liner or how to adjust things so it worked nicely. But Ray's does. I have since made a dozen locking liners that work very nicely altho still learning how to clean things up and grind better. Good stuff!!

Aw, gosh golly :o ..........