All About Pocket Knives

I have two old German switchblade knives with the lever you fold down and press to open them, and both of them jump out with pretty good force, but stall out about 3/4 of the way. I put a little graphite on one and it shot all the way out about 3 times and then fell back into it'sold habit. I've heard not to use oil on them because it will gum up with time. What is the best way of getting them to snap open all the way. thanks. ____Dave

Any premium knife or gun oil will work well on a side opening switchblade , you may want to wash out/degrease the old gunk first so its nice and clean before oiling....... pictures are always cool

Dave,
I don't know squat about autos but I feel wiseguy has given good advice. One of the biggest problems in the public schools where I worked was gummed up locks. Lots of class room doors opened to the outside, teachers always seemed to squirt the keyways full of graphite or 3-n-1 oil, the lock then collected dust and dirt from the outside and finally malfunctions. Kinda' like a knife in the pocket catching lent and dirt, probably more so with an auto. Thus a good bath and proper lube till next time !
Treefarmer

If I recall correctly Bill DeShivs recommended using lithium grease to lubricate knives.

spray the joints with pb blaster and all mechanical parts, after that scrub the the knife with dawn dish soap. When cleaned drop a few drops of gun oil or a good synthetic oil should bring the knife back to life.

Good luck

Lever lock knives usually benefit from applying a small amount of lithium grease to the blade tang/backspring area.
You also should oil the spring. Yep! Most leaf springs ride against one of the liners. A little oil there can liven things up!

I use Burchwood Casey's Gun Scrubber to blow the gunk, oil, grease & crud out of old knives & then blow it out with compressed air.
Then I use Quick Release Oil on the joints. Quick Release works wonders on auto and slip joints alike.
I believe it was engineered for Latama switchblades and is sold by Latama.
I have used Quick Release on slip joints with no snap. After working the quick release into the joints a few times the knives have gotten a lot of snap back. Doesn't work on every knife with a worn end of the tang, but it works on enough that it is about the only knife oil I use anymore.

Thanks guys. I'll dig the bone one out of my safe clean and oil it and then prop it up next to my wood one I just got and get a picture. ____Dave

Pictures of my "lubricated" autos. Wood one I just bought marked Hubertus, bone marked E. Christians, and horn fishtail marked B.V.& F.

[quote="orvet"]I use Burchwood Casey's Gun Scrubber to blow the gunk, oil, grease & crud out of old knives & then blow it out with compressed air.
Then I use Quick Release Oil on the joints. Quick Release works wonders on auto and slip joints alike.
I believe it was engineered for Latama switchblades and is sold by Latama.
I have used Quick Release on slip joints with no snap. After working the quick release into the joints a few times the knives have gotten a lot of snap back. Doesn't work on every knife with a worn end of the tang, but it works on enough that it is about the only knife oil I use anymore.[/quoted

Dale, where can I find quick release or should I say who sells it?

0078 wrote: Dale, where can I find quick release or should I say who sells it?

You can get the small oiler from Tank at his AAPK store:
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kni ... ry_id=3181

Here is the Quick Release website: http://quickreleaseoil.com/
I usually get the 1 oz. bottle & the precision oiler. The precision oiler is great for taking to shows, I also keep one on my desk and one in my shop along with a 1 oz. bottle.

It is great stuff IMO!

Quick Release works very well on most knives. I endorse it.
There are still some lever locks that prefer grease.

As far as blades not opening all the way, I have switches that open completely if I push the lever or button in a certain way. Pushing a lever slowly causes the blade to come out slower & open about halfway. Pushing down quickly releases the blade completely and it opens fully.

The button style will vary by the direction you press the button. Some require straight in movement, others a little angle helps.

Each knife is unique and requires a little testing to see what works best.