Liner Lock material

[Ray Rogers]

Wow! That is an excellent series of answers guys! One of the most useful discussions on that particular topic that we've had to date.

It's cogent, collected, and detailed answers like that which make the Search feature really pay off in the future ............

[Don Robinson]

Originally posted by Ray Rogers
Just to show you how very correct you are about what people will say, I offer this advice:

Use TITANIUM, only TITANIUM, nothing but TITANIUM ever!!!

But, that's my opinion If you must suffer through learning this lesson the hard way then 416 or 440C will do just fine. Yes, you have to heat treat it if you want it to be anywhere near as strong as TITANIUM. It must be tempered to spring hardness which is somewhere around Rc 50 give or take a couple of points. Some experimentation will be required before you achieve the best results but almost anything you do will make a spring that functions. It will be more trouble and not work as well as .......... anyway, you get the idea......

Good on you, Ray.

[HermanKnives]

You guys have trouble with ti sticking to the blade and hard to unlock? I've tried different angles, spring strenghts, finishes on the blade ramp and some knives still just STICK!!! Maddening! HEP ME! lol

[Frank Niro]

I buy all my titanium from Chuck Bybee . Thats Alpha Knife Supply url is of course alphaknifesupply.com Great guy and great people would do everything they can to give the best of service with quality materials at reasonable competative prices. Frank

[Frank Niro]

If I was doing the super fine, super beautiful work with the engraving and all perhaps the stainless that I started with might be what I would continue using.I used a lot of I believe it was 302 1/2 hard(?) Titanium is great because of the strenghth, it is light, it is flexible and the fact that it can be coloredI have heard of this galling thing many times but just don't run into that problem. Perhaps the 6242 type titanium has something to do with that. I can bring the back of theopen blade down with a snap on the edge of my work bench and it neither releases nor does it jam. I cut an flat angle of 10 degrees with a 120 grit belt on a 2' X 72" belt grinder. I establish the angle with a piece of 1/8" material taped to the table with a strip of masking tape overtop. The edge of the 1/8" bar is about 7/8" from the belt. It works so darn good you know it was made to do the job. sorry, I can't send you pictures. Those of mine that are in the CKD Custom Resource were done by a friend who is my agent. Frank

[Don Robinson]

Originally posted by HermanKnives
You guys have trouble with ti sticking to the blade and hard to unlock? I've tried different angles, spring strenghts, finishes on the blade ramp and some knives still just STICK!!! Maddening! HEP ME! lol

I don't normally have a problem with galling or sticking, but I think one reason for that happening may be when the angle on the blade matches the angle on the end of the lock bar.

The lock bar in the liner should be square on the end, so that the only thing that contacts the blade is the very edge of the bar, the corner, not the whole end.

Also, if the bar moves too far over on the blade, that might contribute to sticking, since it swings over in an arc, and that means the square end is at an angle to the blade contact area, causing a closer match.

[Ray Rogers]

Tim,

Like Don, I leave the end of my lockbar square and I cut the ramp at 10 degrees. In addition to these things, if I'm having a sticking problem or a rocking problem, I will relieve the top of the lockbar where it meets the ramp so that only the lower half of the bar is making contact.

If there is still some sticking, snap the knife open so that the blade locks solidly. Then, turn the knife over and whack the back of the blade (as near the tip as possible) very sharply against the edge of your workbench. This forces the lockface and the bar to work out their differences It's a trick I learned from a gunsmith who used the technique to help smooth out trigger action. It's amazing how well it can work sometimes ........

[HermanKnives]

Thanks all, I do grind the lockface square and use an 8 1/2 degree ramp on the blade. Maybe the higher degree will help.

[Frank Niro]

Well to add on the liner. I cut an angle of about 10 degrees but the reverse of the blade one. If you try to go with other than an angle set up that allows for, in other words has a built in compensation, for changes in the liner leaf spring lenghth and even the small amount of difference there may be on the amount it enters the blade cut out the angles it may work on one folder but not on another or you will have lock failures as well as frustration in trying to make the thing work to begin with. Frank

[Messinger]

Do any of you mill a radiused lock interface on the tang like Mr. Terzuola shows in the back of his book? Or is everyone using a straight angled interface? Just wondering.

-Ben M.