weak springs

[jah]

I think I already know the answer to this, but I have several Remington's with weak springs. Can anything be done about this short of refitting them with new springs, which I would think would be cost prohibitive if it could even be done at all!

[herbva]

Most of the time when I have a knife with weak springs (i.e. no snap or weak/slow snap), when I have the knife apart for restoration I find a "divot" or depression worn in the spring where the end of the blade rubs against the spring when opening and closing. Last year I "bit the bullet" and bought a flux core welder, also known as a wire welder. It took a while to learn how to use it, and it is a bit tricky, but I frequently use it now. Most of the time all I have to do is fill in the divot worn in the spring and all is well when I reassemble the knife. Sometimes the end of the tang is also worn down a lot, and I have to replace the missing steel there with my welder. This is a lot more difficult than just filling in the divot worn on a spring, but I've gotten better at it. There are a few other things you can do short of replacing a worn spring, but usually this is the best solution. I hope this helps.

[Mumbleypeg]

Herb, do you re-temper the spring after welding it, or are these knives just for lookin’? Asking for a friend.

BTW to the OP, sometimes a used knife is so full of dirt and pocket lint the blades just don’t function as they should. I’ve restored the snap to many by cleaning and oiling them. Flush joints and springs with WD-40 or similar, or better yet give them a bath in lukewarm water with a little dish soap and an old toothbrush. Rinse well, dry thoroughly. Then apply a little Quick Release oil in the joints. If when opening a blade you can see the corresponding backspring move out from the frame/liner, it’s probably just dirty. If however you see no movement of the spring when opening the blade, the spring or the tang is worn.

For more about knufe cleaning see here: viewtopic.php?f=37&t=54157

Ken

[herbva]

Ken, these are, as you said, "just lookin" knives. At this point I've just begun to feel comfortable with adding lost the metal back onto the springs and occasionally the blade tangs. So far the ones I've done and kept in my collection have been opened and closed maybe a few dozen times and I haven't noticed any wear yet. But, the next step I need to learn will, of course, be retempering. To do it properly I probably need some special equipment. But, I wonder it I just heat a spring up to bright red hot with a propane torch and immediately drop it in a bucket of cold water, will that do the trick?

[OLDE CUTLER]

Ken, these are, as you said, "just lookin" knives. At this point I've just begun to feel comfortable with adding lost the metal back onto the springs and occasionally the blade tangs. So far the ones I've done and kept in my collection have been opened and closed maybe a few dozen times and I haven't noticed any wear yet. But, the next step I need to learn will, of course, be retempering. To do it properly I probably need some special equipment. But, I wonder it I just heat a spring up to bright red hot with a propane torch and immediately drop it in a bucket of cold water, will that do the trick?

It would be heated to the point where a magnet does not attract the blade, then quenched in oil. Repolish the black stuff off and then temper by heating slowly until a navy blue color. This is how 1095 steel was done by the old knife makers.

[jah]

For some reason I haven't figured out how to thank each one of you individually in separate replies, so for now a huge collective THANK YOU to all who came to my aid with your excellent suggestions on weak knife springs!

[Remumc]

As mentioned it is usually not a weak spring. In the case of Remingtons it is usually worn down tangs on the blades combined with some wear on springs where the two rub together. . For some reason Remingtons seem to have softer tangs that many other brands. I think it is from when they anneal that area before stamping logo and doing final finish. Also for crinking blades during assembly. If you are welding springs and tangs you should try using heat blocking paste or gel available at most welding supply stores. That way you won't take the temper out of the area of the spring that does the real work of flexing and returning to original shape between the center pin and the area being welded. Also the cutting section of your blade won't lose its temper. I have done a few repairs with some welding required to build back worn areas. Not a lot but I have learned these few helpful ideas from an old timer that repaired thousands of old knives. Clamping springs or blades to a heat sink like a brass or copper block also helps draw away excess heat and usually your welded steel won't stick to the brass. Aluminum is a great heat sink but is easier to damage and has a low melt point.
Hope some of these tricks are helpful to others.

[Kel]

Most of the time when I have a knife with weak springs (i.e. no snap or weak/slow snap), when I have the knife apart for restoration I find a "divot" or depression worn in the spring where the end of the blade rubs against the spring when opening and closing. Last year I "bit the bullet" and bought a flux core welder, also known as a wire welder. It took a while to learn how to use it, and it is a bit tricky, but I frequently use it now. Most of the time all I have to do is fill in the divot worn in the spring and all is well when I reassemble the knife. Sometimes the end of the tang is also worn down a lot, and I have to replace the missing steel there with my welder. This is a lot more difficult than just filling in the divot worn on a spring, but I've gotten better at it. There are a few other things you can do short of replacing a worn spring, but usually this is the best solution. I hope this helps.

Sorry for the delay! I have been having a lot of trouble logging in.
What you're doing to repair knives sounds really cool. I wishI had that kind of expertise, but I would be afraid to make such an attempt! Good luck with all your future repairs and thanks for sharing your information with me.