Blade Runner 7
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I've noticed this with a couple Hinderers I purchased new. I assumed it was just the carbodized Ti. It always seems to wear off with a little use.
Hinderer XM-18 3.5 Wharn...BLUE!
- Thread starter Liquid Cobra
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I've noticed this with a couple Hinderers I purchased new. I assumed it was just the carbodized Ti. It always seems to wear off with a little use.
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- Feb 17, 2013
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Today I received the filler tab from the ranch as well as brass standoffs and a brass LBS. I took everything apart and lubed it up again with ballistol. All of a sudden the lock got very very sticky. I took it apart, cleaned it up and used grease instead. Lock stick was still there. Took it apart, removed the grease and put it back together dry as a bone. It is flipping very well dry, which surprised me but the lock stick is still there. Do you guys think it will just work itself out? I really like the combination of the blue g10 and the brass. I'm loving this knife more and more each day.
You got oil or grease on the lock face / tang. Clean it off with some alcohol. If you still have a sticky lock, coat the lock face with pencil lead or a sharpie and work it.
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- Feb 17, 2013
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I used alcohol. I'll try the sharpie trick. Thanks!
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- Feb 17, 2013
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So the sharpie trick worked for a little while. However, the lock is stickier now than ever. It's takes a huge amount of force to release the lock. When I disengage the lock it really feels like it's grinding. Pretty much the stickiest lock I've ever encountered. I would say it's gone beyond sticky. Any suggestions?
Coat the lock face with pencil lead or a sharpie and work it.
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- Feb 17, 2013
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Sharpie trick didn't work. I've applied some pencil to it and am locking unlocking it. My thumb is killing me lol. So far no change.
Did it work for a while or not? If it worked for a while, do it again. You might have to do it a few times until the lock face wears in and mates to the tang.
Give your thumb a rest, you don't have to sit there and just repeatedly lock and unlock. Coat the face of the lock with a sharpie and go about your normal use. When it starts to stick again, coat the face again. Eventually it will break in.
Make sure you aren't getting oil on the lock face.
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- Feb 17, 2013
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Ok. Disassembled, cleaned, added sharpie and reassembled. The lock is certainly less sticky but still stickier than any knife I own. I'll keep an eye on it. Thanks again fellas for helping a hinderer noob. 
Honestly, your experience with an XM having a sticky lock is incredibly rare, the lock geometry on these knives is quite good and sticky locks and lock rock are very rare. But, they do carbidize the lock faces by hand so there can be some variation and therefore it might take longer for one to break in.
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- Apr 5, 2015
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How do you assemble your knife? Do u tighten your frame (handle) screws first or the pivot first?
Try this, take it apart, put it back loosely especially the ones on the frame, once everything lined up, tighten the pivot first to your desire tightness. Then tighten the mid section or the first standoff and work your way down. Use locktite! Do not over tighten anything.
Then precision manufacturing is there with very tight tolerance so even if the frame is misaligned by a hair bit it will make a difference.
Another thing is the new bling standoffs, have you measured them to be the same length as what came off the originals? If it's shorter by a hair or being compressed by over tightening.... You will end up with an ever so slightly less distance between the 2 scales..... the lock travel is the same so it will try to engage a little more and give you the stickiness until it is wear down.
The reverse is true when you add washers to the pivot and increase the distant between the scales, now your lockbar will engage less to the tang.
Make sense?
Try this, take it apart, put it back loosely especially the ones on the frame, once everything lined up, tighten the pivot first to your desire tightness. Then tighten the mid section or the first standoff and work your way down. Use locktite! Do not over tighten anything.
Then precision manufacturing is there with very tight tolerance so even if the frame is misaligned by a hair bit it will make a difference.
Another thing is the new bling standoffs, have you measured them to be the same length as what came off the originals? If it's shorter by a hair or being compressed by over tightening.... You will end up with an ever so slightly less distance between the 2 scales..... the lock travel is the same so it will try to engage a little more and give you the stickiness until it is wear down.
The reverse is true when you add washers to the pivot and increase the distant between the scales, now your lockbar will engage less to the tang.
Make sense?
DON'T USE LOCTITE ON THE SCALE SCREWS (and yes, I was yelling that).
You believe you are going to compress the standoffs by over-tightening?
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- Apr 5, 2015
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Why do you think he has the sticky problem?
It wasn't there before he took it apart and reassembled, so either he is not putting everything back properly or his new parts are off spec to the original. I use blue locktite on all screws and never had problem or loose any screws for the last 15 years.
The tension on the lockbar and its travel is the same, the only way it will make a difference is the distance between the 2 scales- too much gap between the scales will give you less engagement and too little gap will give you the over engagement (sticky). There is NO other ways to produce sticky lockup. Unless he change his blade stop to a smaller one
Have you ever used loctite on an XM scale screw?
If the lock was not sticky at all previously and became sticky after disassembly/lubricating/reassembly, I believe he likely contaminated the lock face with lubricant. I don't believe you can tighten the screws enough to ever compress the standoffs (regardless of which material used) and I don't believe you can change the geometry if you have it assembled correctly.
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That's agreeable on compressing standoffs and yes I use blue not the red locktite on my xm scales
Don't use red or blue loctite on XM scale screw.
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- Feb 17, 2013
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Have since taken the knife apart, re-applied sharpie and it was still sticky. Yesterday I received a blue titanium pivot screw. Took it apart, applied some newly acquired nano-oil installed the screw with some fresh sharpie applied and the lock seems a lot better. Well, it's way better. It's still a little sticky, but before it was so sticky it was basically stuck every time I opened it. 
I've had a couple start smooth then get a bit sticky then get really smooth again. One specifically my 3" spanto did it pretty noticeably. Didn't do anything but use it to break down some cardboard, thick stuff and a lot of it. Smooth as glass now.
Also I agree about the spyderco bug. I almost bought the rubicon, but just couldn't get over the recessed liner lock. Really liked everything else about it. Welcome to the herd. There's also two herd groups on FB. Good pees there.
Best,
Also I agree about the spyderco bug. I almost bought the rubicon, but just couldn't get over the recessed liner lock. Really liked everything else about it. Welcome to the herd. There's also two herd groups on FB. Good pees there.
Best,
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- Feb 17, 2013
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Thanks rnbtexas. I think I found both of the Facebook groups. Pretty awesome pictures and people. I am enjoying this knife a lot more than I thought I would. I think my favourite part is replacing parts on it, making it kinda my own. I can't stop searching the Internet for blue 3.5 screws!