Old DIY BLADE BLOCK for SAK; Anyone tried it?

[SgtTowser]

30 years ago, I remember a guy once who rigged his SAK knife so the blade could not close on his fingers.

It requires one SAK, one o-ring (or two if you prefer), one screw clamp for hoses, and one penny to turn the screw.

It is not without risk. Nothing is, so try only at your own risk.

I have grown comfortable with it. The blade can close part way but stops before fingers. So far, it keeps your knife a non locking knife, even when you put it on for a vigorous cut, or saw.

I saw another solution on the net that involved a bar insert that locks blade open. The police could argue it a locking knife IMHO.

This just keeps it from closing all the way.

Has anyone tried this method?

[zrxoa1]

I have not seen that method, but I recall someone doing something similar, but with a nylon wire tie.


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[Mechanickal]

Maybe one could dull and choil the lower cm / half inch of the blade to make a finger choil that acts like a lock?
Like on the Spyderco UKPK.

[SgtTowser]

Good thought especially on my GAK with a longer blade, but losing a half inch of cutting edge on an already short 7cm blade might cramp utility. This approach I have shown looks clunky, but really works well, and actually Has good ergonomics in use! It’s there, when needed and hangs on my key ring, or adds no weight to my utility bag, when not. I always have a penny. It costs at most $2.50 at ACE, doesn’t provoke law enforcement, and is on only when needed. ALSO protects with every tool I might use. And it works for millions of Dirt Cheap nonlocking SAKs a person on a budget can find for very little on EBAY or a thrift store. In tough times, I’m hoping this is an approach for persons struggling. For longer blades, I like your idea of a choil though. Thx for weighing in.

P.S.: This approach could also work on a lot of slip joint knives.

[SgtTowser]

Zrxoa1

A nylon tie is nifty In a pinch, but I trust metal and a bolt more to stop a rapidly closing blade. But it’s good to know about the zip tie if I’m without my key ring. Thanks for the suggestion.

Still hoping someone replies that has tried it and found it effective, or not.

[Aloha]

Not advocating this method but possibly use the lanyard as a mechanism to hold the blade back 

My crude example, you'll have to tighten the knot so the part near the tang would "restrict" downward movement just a bit.  You could add a bead where the lanyard met the tang?   

 

[SgtTowser]

Aloha,

You maybe onto something. Anyone make lanyard rope with a wire  in the center? I use PAC Safe shoulder and waist bags and they have straps with embedded cable to stop street thieves from using knives, razors and seat belt cutters from cutting straps and running away with your bag. A lanyard with a wire center through key ring eye and with a loops over the blade could work as a blade block—almost a lock! 

[nate j]

I dunno guys...

I may be off base here (happens sometimes  ), and it is certainly never my intention to insult anyone on this forum, but I'm afraid I might be doing a disservice to any knife neophytes who might stumble upon this thread if I didn't speak up.

Frankly, these blade blocks strike me as a lot of extra work to arrive at a solution that is extraneous, sub-optimal, and or potentially dangerous...

• In my quarter-century or so of carrying and using knives, I can't recall facing an actual, real-world task that would have been appropriate for a SAK-sized knife that couldn't have been done safely with a standard slip-joint/SAK.  But if anyone has a counter example, I would certainly be interested in hearing about it.
• If you're using any folding knife in such a way that you're relying on the locking mechanism/blade block to prevent the knife from closing on your fingers, your technique is poor and you will likely suffer an injury at some point as a result.
• If you understand all of the above but want that little bit of extra safeguard against accidental closure (and or you want OHO), get a quality knife with a factory lock.  This will be quicker, easier, and probably stronger and more reliable than a DIY solution.
• If you want the ultimate protection against accidental closure, get a fixed blade.
• If your argument against #3 and or #4 revolves around police/legality, first review #1.  Second, I'd submit that any jurisdiction in which the agenda/MO of police/prosecutors is to harass/arrest/prosecute otherwise law-abiding folks for the knives they carry would be likely to view any DIY blade blocks/locks as "evidence of intent to use the knife as a weapon" or some such nonsense.

[Thunderpants]

I have to agree with Nate. There are so many excellent locking knives to choose from, from humble Opinels, affordable 111mm Vics, all the way to titanium monsters costing several hundred bucks, that I cannot envisage a situation where I'd want to trick a small slipjoint into thinking it's a locking blade.
If you need a locking blade, get a locking blade. Or just a fixed blade. They're not particularly interesting items, as they only do one thing, but if you pick a good one it'll do its job very reliably and will never ever fold up on your fingers!

[Aloha]

All fair and valid points gents  . 

A SAK can be bought with a type of lock.  I have both 111s and Wengers with locks and they perform well.  SgtTowser does say try at your own risk which is great advice. 


 

[SgtTowser]

nate j et al,

Thanks for the responses and there is no offense taken. They are all good thoughts.

nate j specifically,

I have seen locking and slip joints close on persons fingers the last 30 years. I want finger protection, when I am making cuts and saws that put my fingers at risk. If you do not, fine.

Next, if I thought locking folders with +7 cm blades were going to continue to be widely legal and so “carry-able” in USA, where I live, I would not have mentioned this.

I expect the USA will have knife and gun laws quite comparable to Canada, EU and however UK categorizes itself now that they have voted to leave (Brexit), but are not really allowed to fully disengage.

Next: I know we in USA added an additional 6 million to poverty the last 3 months, so I know these folks will NOT be buying Swiss Champs on line for awhile anyway. They will be trying to feed themselves. But they still need pocket knives for cutting, not killing. They still deserve finger protection—not a locking knife that may be shortly made illegal to pocket carry.

I am not about knives as weapons. If I need a knife as a weapon, it is too late.

I am about fingers needing protection from sharp edges in awkward, or forceful cuts. Yes, I could get my fixed blade, but I rarely carry it. And I don’t want to start.

I am about finding cheap ways for increasing numbers of poor persons to afford finger protection for cutting with old slip joints, not locking knives that may soon become illegal to carry.

Its that simple.

I hope this makes more clear why I started the thread.

I am thinking ahead.

[SgtTowser]

Thunderpants,

I like and use fixed blades around the house frequently. I own and abuse a surplus Camillus combat knife for everything but combat.  It is the best spade I own. It has no fear of roots or rocks. Its got a nice protector to keep my fingers off the blade. It sharpens on almost anything. It wont close on my pinkies.  But I am just NOT going to carry it in my glove box, or on my person in a grocery store, or what have you. Nor am I going to carry a Mora in this NWO climate. I just want a slippy that I can occasionally make safe, awkward cuts, where ever I happen to be. I really don’t think this is this unprecedented. The knife companies would not make knives with locks, if no one cared about their fingers and if there were no risk of unexpected closure. Right? In a perfect world, knives with good locks would continue to be available, affordable, and legal to carry anywhere. But as folks in the EU have learned, this is NOT a perfect world. Plebes get a 7cm of unlocked cutting in their pockets; that’s all. I guess Canada has moved down this path also. With my boyhood experiences in the woods of Canadian border waters, the idea that one cannot carry a locking Buck knife in a 16 foot aluminum fishing boat is astonishing. But I am not here to make the laws. Just find ways to live functionally, affordably and peacefully within them.

[SgtTowser]

Let me know if anyone has tried or seen any other workarounds.

To be totally explicit, I am looking for legal adaptations for finger protection—not locking blade modifications that could be misconstrued as weaponization. The suggestion I showed above specially does not lock the blade open. It merely keeps a blade from closing on one fingers.

[McStitchy]

What about a pair of cut proof gloves as an alternative? 

[SgtTowser]

Pro: works, good for glove box storage in car

Con: A little cumbersome carried on car key ring.

Comment: going to get a pair. Will they stop a light saber?

[McStitchy]

Ok, so what about this?
Drill a hole through the liners to be able to push a pin through and over the spring, so it cannot move up, hence the blade is locked from movement?

On a modern SAK you could drill completely through to the other side maybe.
My sample pic attached is from a late 70s one where no hook existed.

[Thunderpants]

The reason I mention the Opinel is your hosepipe arrangement kind of reminds me of that. I wonder how easy or tricky it would be to make a rectangular ring of metal which you could pull over an SAK (like a napkin ring) so that friction holds it in place just far enough to prevent the blade from folding.
Most 91mm Saks widen away from the blade pivot, so this should be possible. This might be a more convenient way of locking the knife without fiddling about with screws and stuff.

I like McStitchy's idea and it's probably better, in terms of really locking the blade. If you don't mind the drilling part, it looks like a winner!

[SgtTowser]

Thunder pants,

If locking the blade were ok with Orwell’s Oceania, then you moved into 1st place. The sleeve cap/thimble with a blade slot on top is super and could be cast from aluminum with a $500 home forge kit, and then marketed to millions! And it rides on the end of the knife in pocket. 

I suppose the top slot could be cut wider so the blade closes part way and avoids being a lock knife.

So: yours is the winner so far IMHO.

[SgtTowser]

McStitchy,

I like your idea in Oceania if blades can lock, but my point is Big Brother may not allow full lock.

Liong Mah used this idea for his design for a CRKT single blade  knife last year. I liked it and I like your use of this approach even better on SAK.

But can you think of a way for it to not be full lock open?

[Thunderpants]

Big problem with mine is you'd need a different collar for each kind of SAK... a Spartan being a lot narrower than a Swisschamp, for instance!

[McStitchy]

McStitchy,

I like your idea in Oceania if blades can lock, but my point is Big Brother may not allow full lock.

Liong Mah used this idea for his design for a CRKT single blade  knife last year. I liked it and I like your use of this approach even better on SAK.

But can you think of a way for it to not be full lock open?

Hmmmm.... the amount of movement available for the blade is limited by the movement available for the spring 

[McStitchy]

The reason I mention the Opinel is your hosepipe arrangement kind of reminds me of that. I wonder how easy or tricky it would be to make a rectangular ring of metal which you could pull over an SAK (like a napkin ring) so that friction holds it in place just far enough to prevent the blade from folding.
Most 91mm Saks widen away from the blade pivot, so this should be possible. This might be a more convenient way of locking the knife without fiddling about with screws and stuff.
...

Uh... that's a cool idea too 

What about a piece of thick leather for this?

[SgtTowser]

MacStitchy,

I get concept but I am fuzzy on where exactly do u drill the hole for cotter pin insert without having to drill through the tools themselves. Not doubting you. Just having trouble visualizing.

[McStitchy]

MacStitchy,

I get concept but I am fuzzy on where exactly do u drill the hole for cotter pin insert without having to drill through the tools themselves. Not doubting you. Just having trouble visualizing.

I've tried to illustrate it on the picture attached in my initial reply. Do you see the orange line?

Have a look at the spring when you open/close the main blade and watch its movements.
You should be able to see what I meant I hope.

[SgtTowser]

So sorry, MacStitchy,

I was looking at the other end and missed the orange line at the other end. 

Seems feasible. 

[McStitchy]

 

[nate j]

I want finger protection, when I am making cuts and saws that put my fingers at risk.

Are you referring to the baseline, inherent risk that is present every time one uses a knife, or to specific situations that you feel pose an elevated risk?  If the latter, can you provide some examples?

I expect the USA will have knife and gun laws quite comparable to Canada, EU and however UK categorizes itself now that they have voted to leave (Brexit), but are not really allowed to fully disengage.

I certainly hope not.  On the contrary, I'm encouraged by the victories that Knife Rights ( https://kniferights.org/about/accomplishments/ ) and other organizations have had over the last decade or so, and optimistic that we may be moving toward an era of less regulation of knives overall.  Of course, there will always be localities (e.g. NYC) that are downright hostile toward the carry of pretty much any knife, but I don't believe that is representative of a nation-wide trend.

[SgtTowser]

Nate j

I had a blade close on my finger opening an oyster. Should I have been using an oyster knife instead of a SAK? Yes. Would the accident have been avoided with a fixed blade, or a locking SAK? I would guess so. Would my finger have been protected by my DIY finger protector pictured above? I would guess so.

I saw someone have one close field cleaning and de-boning small game. A rabbit to be specific on the ground behind a car parked in a pasture, along with some quail. Should he have been using a locking folding knife, or  a fixed blade? In retrospect, yes. But I have seen persons cut themselves with fillet knives, so they have their risks too. And they are a pain to carry in your pocket. And I more often find myself with my SAK, than a fillet knife. I would thus like my SAK to be able to be used with a blade block  my non locking SAK reducing risk of the blade reaching my fingers in case of accidental closing,

A saw got pinched in a branch. I was sawing around the circumference of a branch with a diameter longer than my saw blade.. Happened near the end of a cut. I was frustrated. I got it going again, cut far enough through; then the branch disconnected and fell down out of my grasp and knocked the blade closed on my index finger in my other hand. Didn’t kill me. If I had had gloves on I probably wouldn’t have been scratched. But I often work without gloves, and rarely carry gloves on my person, when not doing yard work. Maybe I should start, but I like my blade block on my key ring, so I don’t have to carry gloves on my key ring.

In all three cases the knife user lived. The knife user could have made more careful choices in knife selection. In all three cases, using a fixed blade, or a locking knife, would likely have avoided the problem.

But in all three cases an effective blade block would have worked, also.

I like my DIY blade “block,” but I am unconvinced of how effective it would be. That is why I would like to learn more from others.

I like a blade block instead of a blade lock  for two reasons.

1. I care about being protected when any means of keeping a blade fully open (slip joint spring, or lock) fails. No means of keeping a blade fully open is claimed by any manufacturer’s advertising that I recall to be 100% effective in keeping the blade locked open under all conditions. Hence, I might even use my blade “block” in certain instances with a locking SAK, as well as a non locking SAK.

2. Locking blades are IMHO increasingly at risk of being outlawed in USA as they were in EU and UK. If locking blades are outlawed, I will still have finger protection from my blade block, which does not lock the blade open.

At the same time,  I am happy for you not to need, or want finger protection, because of your long experience.

But based on my long experience, I am on the look out for finger protection, when I can find it as an affordable trade off to existing levels of slip joint protection.  Why not look for possible solutions?

As a result of this post, I have already learned there are gloves that protect fingers from knife blades. After I study up on them, I will probably soon buy some. If I were a police officer, I might want an entire uniform made out of such material.

My problem is I am not an expert. I am not an engineer. I am just a layman SAK user looking to see if there are any feasible, sensible options in this regard. No one should construe anything I am saying here as expert opinion, or reliable opining. I am just searching for solutions, not advocating any particular one, nor advocating others use any. I do think they should try to become knowledgeable about the issue, so they can make informed decisions about non tactical knife use.