Way to hard to open S&M put together

[treefarmer]

I got this knife a few months back and we all agreed it was not a factory made S&M.
viewtopic.php?f=61&t=65674
The clip blade is way too hard to open so I put in with drawer and left it there. I got to thinking, since it is way too difficult to open with the thumb nail, it is of little value even as an EDC, so why not figure out how to loosen the pull a bit and carry it?
I scrolled through maybe 15 pages of the 64 here on AAPK and didn't run across even a mention of the problem. Googling "breaking in a new folding knife", I found no real suggestions other than wash, rinse, dry and lube. So I poured a drop or two of 3-IN-ONE and started opening and closing the blade. It produced some nasty black junk and it seems to have loosened a tiny bit. I've done this on several brand new Case knives and flushed out a bunch of grit and it cleared them up but not for one with an overpowering pull. (I ran out of Quick Release Oil sometime ago. )
Is there any other suggestion as to how to tame this knife where it could be opened comfortably?
Treefarmer

[herbva]

If someone pinned it too tightly when reassembling it, the best bet is to disassemble and repin properly. However, if the problem is just the "black gunk" you observed or some corrosion between the tang and the liner causing unneeded friction, I use WD-40. Open the blades and with the knife on its back, fill the blade well with WD-40 and let it sit for a while (with a wad of newspaper under it to absorb the WD-40 as it seeps out). Then clean it out with paper towel and something to push it around inside of the knife until it comes out clean. Kroil works well for this also. Then lube it with one of the "super" lubricants. I have also loosened overpinned blades by gently tapping a single side utility razor blade between the tang and the liner on each side. This works, but then you tend to get the "sunken pin head look", which of course is not desirable. Good luck!

[glennbad]

If you're saying that the spring tension is so stiff that it is a nail breaker, then this is what I do...

I take a jewelers file to this corner of the blade tang. I just round it off slightly, you don't always need a lot to affect the opening pull. If you take too much off, you can affect closing snap, so just a bit at a time. Oh, and tape off the blade while doing this!

Make sure to flush or blow out the filings, oil generously, and work the blade a bunch.

[Jeffinn]

If you're saying that the spring tension is so stiff that it is a nail breaker, then this is what I do...

inner tang.jpg


I take a jewelers file to this corner of the blade tang. I just round it off slightly, you don't always need a lot to affect the opening pull. If you take too much off, you can affect closing snap, so just a bit at a time. Oh, and tape off the blade while doing this!

Make sure to flush or blow out the filings, oil generously, and work the blade a bunch.

That’s a cool tip, thanks for sharing it!
Jeff

[herbva]

If you're saying that the spring tension is so stiff that it is a nail breaker, then this is what I do...

inner tang.jpg


I take a jewelers file to this corner of the blade tang. I just round it off slightly, you don't always need a lot to affect the opening pull. If you take too much off, you can affect closing snap, so just a bit at a time. Oh, and tape off the blade while doing this!

Make sure to flush or blow out the filings, oil generously, and work the blade a bunch.

After reading your post, I remembered a very special knife in my collection that I acquired with a broken blade and fortunately, and after a long search, I was able to get a replacement blade. But, after that, the problem has always been getting the new blade to start opening. I tried everything I knew, busted both thumbnails several times, used many different lubricants, and only got slight improvement. Glennbad, after I read your post, I tried your suggestion, and bingo, a few file strokes and it worked like magic! The closing snap is a just a touch weaker now, but that really doesn't bother me at all. Thanks for posting that suggestion!

[glennbad]

I'm glad to help you (and your nails!)