Question??

petesknives · Post by **petesknives** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 1:09 am

Should a slipjoint be stored closed or opened?? Does it make any difference? I'm sure that autos should be stored in the open position to keep tension off the opening spring.

Thanks.........Ken

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 1:32 am

i think open or closed for display is fine. i don't think long term at half stop or in between is good.

justold52 · Post by **justold52** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 2:21 am

jonet143 ; Again he jumps in with the same thoughts I have about storeing knives.

Look at the springs with the blades in both closed and all the way open.

WHAT ever shows less stress on the spring would be best I fell.

longbeachbum · Post by **longbeachbum** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 3:41 am

I posed this question to a friend of mine who is a doctoral student in structural engineering, because I have several Schrade USA's in clam packs which I intend to keep for the long term as collectors items. They are of course sealed in the half open position. His opinion was that if dealing with good spring steel it wouldn't make much if any difference. His point was that the springs are pre-loaded with tension in order to keep the blade firmly in place in the closed and open position anyway. Therefore, even when open or closed the spring is not "at rest". So, when you take the marginal difference in stress between the closed or open position and the half open position, combined with the very high plasticity of a steel spring, he didn't think storing a knife in the half open positon would put any appreciable increased wear on the spring in any time interval we'd be concerned with.

Certainly not the last word on the subject, but his explanation put my mind at ease on the question.

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 3:48 am

that's interesting lbb. pistol mag springs used to take a "set" when left loaded for long periods of time. they don't do that with the modern steels in use today. probably the same for newer knife steels. i feel better though not leaving them in the full stress position. i pose them for pics and return to closed or full open in my displays and closed for storage.

justold52 · Post by **justold52** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 4:01 am

longbeachbum ; Thanks for you in put.

I too have some Schrade USA's in clam packs and wondered about this.
I felt best to just leave them that way and Not to open them up.

Now here is a thought for you. Please answer ok.

I have some Schrade Scrimshaw Outdoor sets. They come with liners and most of the knives are open. I have closed some of the blades and stored them. But after checking on them about 6 mo. later to clean them with Ren Wax. I find the liners shrink some because the knife is not in the hole to hold the liner firmly in place.

Any thought on this problem?

Perhaps your felling of placing them in their slots is the best.

longbeachbum · Post by **longbeachbum** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 5:57 am

Ken, I'm not sure I quite grasp exactly what you're describing. Are these knives liner locks?

Regardless, this brings up an interesting point. Liner locks and Frame locks when closed have the spring in the flexed position, and they are generally stored this way. If storing a knife with a flexed spring resulted in anything more than insignificant degradation of tension over time, these locking mechanisms would be highly problematic. Since they aren't, I think that argues that springs can be continuously flexed within a certain thresshold with no ill effects.

Ken, I'm pretty sure I didn't address your issue. Could you try describing it in more detail?

Regards,

Jim

jfarmer · Post by **jfarmer** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 2:54 pm

According to the folks at Case, storing your knives partially open does no harm to the spring.

James

justold52 · Post by **justold52** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 12:37 am

longbeachbum ; thanks for you input again.

I was not asking about a line lock knife but it was helpful to know cuz I have many of them too, and it looks like Schrade used brass line locks.
At lest they look like brass in most of the Schrade Scrimshaws sets.

I was asking about the LINNERS that hold knives in a wooden case.
Most make you keep the knives in an open position.

If this helps look at photo see the knifes in the open position. None are in the close position.

It just seens to me that if you want your knives to be in a collection for 50 years and want them in mint shape.

That I think it has to be hard in the brass or steel springs. If you do NOT close the knife and with the brass linelocks keep the blade open.

The linner did scrink on some sets so I had to place the knife back in the hole or lot to keep the linner from schrinking more.