I have a liner lock prototype that I built two years ago, this is my cary knife, used for every thing no coddleing it is a good knife but for one thing, it is getting sloppy, dosen't lock up tight, blade has side to side wobble. I tuned it up one year ago and now it needs it agen. Is this normal. The construction is 440C blade 410 SS liners and bolsters G10 scales, washers are teflon. Any ideas, when new lock up was good and tight I thought just right. Thanks Gib

Hi Gib,
It sounds to me that either the pivot pin hole has worn or the stop pin is worn. Check to see whether the stop pin has developed a little flat spot, this will cause the the blade to go past the liner and effect the lock up. If the blade has side to side wobble try tightening the pivot screws and check to see if new washers are needed.

Regards from Australia.

Hey Gib... My carry knife gets loose as well, but I put it through plenty of abuse. I'm about once a year on toghtening it up. I feel it is due to #1, the abuse, #2, the G10. My pivot screws rest on the G10 scales and through the pressure, I'm convinced it wears and gives. I don't have the problem on my knives with pivots resting on Ti or damascus. Take care.

I think these things are always going to have to be tuned up. I consider custom knives to be like custom cars or motorcycles or anything else handmade or modified. They are going to require periodic tweeking and twiddling.

Your problem could be as Neil and Jason suggest but I would make another guess. I have noticed recently on one of my framelocks that what I thought was a solid lockup was actually not that solid. In my case, the lock was not cut at enough of an angle to match the tang. So what was happening was that even though I thought I was getting good contact, in reality only the edge of the lock was touching and so after a bit of wear it started to loosen.

I'm convinced that these problems plague all makers. I just saw today a knife by a very famous maker that had a serious lockup flaw. That same maker sent a knife to me last year that had a similar flaw. I sent it back and he fixed it. But that experience leads me to believe that it will be some time before I dare to sell my folders. And even then, I will probably end up having to get them back for repair from time to time.

Keep us updated as to your success at fixing it.

Peter

Thanks for the info sounds like this is par for the course. Will take it apart tomarow if it is warm enough little screws and cold wind don'd mix Gib

Some of the problem that you are experienced has probably been created by compression of the teflon washers. Having seen a lot of teflon used in industrial applications I just cannot see why it is used in a situation where it is expected to maintain full thickness. It does compress quite easily.Nylatron is a very compressed material as well as being one that is very smooth. Brass or stainless washers are firm but do not quite as slippery as nylatron. If side play of the blade is allowed to happen good lock up will be difficult to achieve. I don't believe getting a well made liner lock and using it means having to get it "tuned" every couple of years. Frank Niro.

Hi Gib,
I forgot to mention that your pivot barrel could be worn also, it might be a combination of all these things.

Regards from Australia.

I have a liner lock that I have been using for 3 years. It was my first liner lock and I had not done much research on the favoured methods of construction. I used no washers, just scraped a round pedestal for the tang cheeks on both the fixed and sprung liners as though it was just a normal lock back. I riveted it together and that is that. It has no ball detent but stays shut okay.
I think I'll stick to no washers as plastic is always going to be susceptible to pressure , and rivets don't work loose. Just my humble thoughts on take down liner locks.

Hello Gib, more than likley, the pivot pin has backed out and/or the teflon washers are compressed.
I use Nylatron washers on the majority of my folders. After the knife is ready to ship, I clean out
the pivot pin and the threads with a solvent. I then use the med. lock-tite on the threads.

Stay Safe,
A.T.