How do you feel about overtravel?

C

Carboniferous

Joined
Jul 15, 2015
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I just received a knife that I find to be completely wonderful except for the overtravel it exhibits if the blade is allowed to snap closed. The backspring is stout but not overly so (I'd give it a good 7), but apparently it's enough to carry the blade into the backspring if not carefully closed.

I'm kind of torn with this knife. I generally don't hold the blade to guide it as it closes when using a slipjoint, but it's nice enough otherwise that I might just force myself into a new habit to avoid damaging the edge. It's definitely a point against the knife, but I'm kind of debating with myself as to how big a point it is.

What do you think? Does overtravel in a pattern/particular knife bother you, and to what extent? Is it acceptable or a sign of poor design/execution?
 
It would really bother me, but that's me. My opinion is my opinion doesn't matter. If you have the intention to just use the knife and not care about value, and you can take the attitude that it is something you know about and you can deal with it, then doesn't matter what others think. If it bothers you and you can return it or get an exchange, then do that.
 
aih said:
It would really bother me, but that's me. My opinion is my opinion doesn't matter. If you have the intention to just use the knife and not care about value, and you can take the attitude that it is something you know about and you can deal with it, then doesn't matter what others think. If it bothers you and you can return it or get an exchange, then do that.
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I agree! I'm not asking for advice in particular, just wondering what other opinions people have on the topic. As for me, I sharpened out the flat spot and can't see any damage to the blade after opening/closing it ~a dozen times, so I think I'm just going to give the knife a week in the pocket and see what I think at the end of it.
 
I literally just got a Case Sodbuster in the mail yesterday with the same problem. There was about a 1/32” chip near the heel of the blade where it was hitting the spring. I bought this knife with hard use in mind, so I wasn’t too concerned about it, and figured it would sharpen out eventually. That said, though, I set about to lower the edge angle last night, and by the time I got ‘er all sharpened up and slicing newsprint, the chip was almost completely gone. I really didn’t take much steel off the edge at all, mostly just lowered the angle, but it sharpened right out just the same. I even let it slam closed several times to see what would happen, but there was no further damage.

You might try giving the knife a good sharpening. If it’s otherwise we’ll-made, you might not need to remove much steel at all in order to mitigate the problem. I know some folks had the same problem with the last run of the #71 Bullnose. Some folks will also use some type of thin material in the blade well to shim the kick until the nick sharpens out.

With all that said, it is certainly your prerogative to send the knife back, as that definitely qualifies as a factory defect.
 
Carboniferous said:
I agree! I'm not asking for advice in particular, just wondering what other opinions people have on the topic. As for me, I sharpened out the flat spot and can't see any damage to the blade after opening/closing it ~a dozen times, so I think I'm just going to give the knife a week in the pocket and see what I think at the end of it.
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Ha, I think we posted at exactly the same time.
 
Some patterns are more prone to that behavior, due to fit placement of blades/springs. The CSC forum (2015?) knife, which I felt was an awesome knife, had this issue on some of the examples that people got. I don't see it on older used knives, but who knows, maybe they had the same problem but were sharpened out over time.

My opinion? A new knife should be able to have it's blades be snapped closed without fear of the blade hitting the backspring.
 
glennbad said:
My opinion? A new knife should be able to have it's blades be snapped closed without fear of the blade hitting the backspring.
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^^^Well said. The problem is somewhat predictable and therefore I consider it a design flaw. I had this on some GEC knives, e.g. the two bladed Northwood #42 barlow and the #13 whittler on the secondaries. I send the barlow in and GEC fixed it. Not sure how. When they put a knife together they got to make sure this doesn’t happen. Just my 2 cents.
 
Carboniferous said:
I just received a knife that I find to be completely wonderful except for the overtravel it exhibits if the blade is allowed to snap closed. The backspring is stout but not overly so (I'd give it a good 7), but apparently it's enough to carry the blade into the backspring if not carefully closed.

I'm kind of torn with this knife. I generally don't hold the blade to guide it as it closes when using a slipjoint, but it's nice enough otherwise that I might just force myself into a new habit to avoid damaging the edge. It's definitely a point against the knife, but I'm kind of debating with myself as to how big a point it is.

What do you think? Does overtravel in a pattern/particular knife bother you, and to what extent? Is it acceptable or a sign of poor design/execution?
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You didn't tell us what knife so here's my experience. I have had this issue with a few knives, a GEC 85 two blade with clip main, blade would strike back spring at belly of blade, this went away with sharpening. The other was a Schatt & Morgan sowbelly trapper two blade, one of which would strike the back spring. That knife I used a cut off wheel to make a relief in the spring, which fixed it. Both of those I would consider either poor fit at assembly / over seating of the kick, or poor design.

If talking about, say, a Lagiuole, well then it's a different story, as those type knives are well known to have over travel at closing when letting the blades just snap shut. Silent closing gives longer life ;) when I carry a Lagiuole, I always guide the blade to full close, and I don't allow anyone else to ever handle those knives either...
 
I've had a few knives like that over the years. I sharpened the problem away too. I do have the habit of holding the blade until the knife is closed, which usually minimizes or avoids the problem. I don't know why I started doing that, but it was years ago.
I don't think a new knife should have that problem. That's a manufacturing defect in my estimation.
 
The Buck 703 Colt that I bought in 1989 had that issue with the clip blade. It was annoying but I liked the knife so much I lived with it by holding the blade as I closed it. Sharpening eventually eliminated the problem. I guess my answer to the OP would be yes, it bothers me, but if I like the knife otherwise I'd try to live with it.
 
I've disavowed my old, previous willingness to let a blade snap shut hard, deliberately. Sometimes it happens by accident, if I lose hold of the blade while closing it. Most of my knives can tolerate letting go of the blade in the last 20-30 degrees of travel when closing; but even then, I'm generally not inclined to do it deliberately.

I have a custom lockback folder that I paid something in excess of $300 for, when I bought it years ago. ATS-34 blade at ~60-ish HRC, and it had the coolest-sounding 'ring' to it, when letting the blade snap shut. Only when I noticed the divot in the edge and realized the 'ring' was the sound of the thinly hollow-ground blade's edge smacking the inside of the locking bar on closing, did I suddenly start feeling like it wasn't so cool, and the thought of it makes me cringe now. That's how I got over my previous fondness for doing it.

I feel, if the contact is just TOO EASY, and touches even when being gentle about it, that's where it becomes a 'defect' in design or workmanship. Or worse, if I can actually feel (or HEAR) the edge grinding on the inside of the spring while it's closed, that's inexcusable and should never have made it past factory QC (I have one like this as well).
 
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I would not want less blade. There's a balance between full blades, the height of the kick, and burying the tip of the blade. I've had new knives with tips that were above the handle. I've had new knives that hit the spring. And I've had knives with blades that are less full than they could have been. Personally, I'd rather have full blades and close the knife with two hands. I'd much rather have that than to have more of the blade steel left on the manufacturer's shop floor. I will sharpen any knife that I use, so I'd prefer as much blade as possible.

Iirc, a dealer has said many times that if you send the knfe to GEC, they will fix the issue by sharpening it down.
 
Ive only had a couple do what your explaining, and like many have already said, the issue went away after a couple rounds of sharpening. Either sharpen it up till it quits or just close it easy till it quits!

Matt
 
One of my biggest issues with a new knife is blade lost from over grinding before it leaves the factory, so I will deal with gentle closing if it means I am getting the most steel possible. With a couple of exceptions, any knife that I have gotten with this issue has been an easy fix by sharpening:)
 
I don’t like when it happens, but usually after a couple sharpenings it doesn’t happen anymore. I’ve got two knives that it continues to happen on however, my Northwoods Madison and and old knife given to me by my great uncle. For both I cut a tiny piece of rubber and inserted it to stop the blade. On the Madison it’s at the point where the blade hits and dulls it. On the old knife it’s at the the kick.
 
I had this issue with my single blade 85 saber grind Bullet End Jack. Looked worse than it was, as it went away with the first sharpening, and hasn't rapped since at the times when I've forgotten and let it slam shut on occasion.

On my traditional slipjoints that have the stronger springs, I try to let them down easy (when I'm remembering! :p), mostly because I don't want the kick to mushroom itself - or cause a corresponding divot in the backspring - and thus possibly change blade height or spring flushness unintentionally.
 
Hearing so many people resolve the problem with sharpening does give me a bit of hope that it will resolve itself. I've sharpened the dull spot out three times now and it still strikes, but I've been removing as little metal each time as I can so maybe it just needs a bit more.

The knife is a Queen teardrop, I don't know if it's typical for the pattern or if I just got unlucky. Can't return the knife now since I've messed with the edge, and if the solution is to grind away at the edge then I'd honestly rather not let Queen do it (not that it's an option either way at this point).
 
It is a fairly common occurrence with the Queen teardrop. One of the great features of the pattern is the low-lying blade, so it seems to be a tradeoff. Sharpening has always corrected the situation for me, with little noticeable blade loss. One of mine sits so low in the frame that I put a little notch in the cover to access the nick.

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Idk if this was already said specifically, but I’ve read here of folks using the tiniest, thin strip of leather, similarly to the rubber mentioned above, to cushion the blade. Where does it rap?(hit the spring?).
Thanks, Neal
 
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