Very stiff tools on Vic Mountaineer - any tips how to loosen them?

[z1913]

I bough a used Vic Mountaineer. The knife looks good - no sign of extensive use or abuse. The problem is that implements on one side of the knife remain very, very stiff - almost impossible to open.
I tried all the usual treatments that I succesfuly used on different used knives before - warm dish soap bath, WD-40, oil but to no avail - scissors, file, small blade, bottle opener are almost impossible to open, I have to exercise very significant force to move them.
The tools on the other side - large blade and can opener - loosened much better - not yet standard, smooth opening, but no excesissive power is needed.
Would you have any other tips what do? And what might be the reason for such stiffness? Thank you.

[Vidar]

Open the tools half way up so the spring is maximally deflected. Then give it some time. It is very unlikely that the springs are dimensioned to keep the stiffness over time at that position as that is meant to be just a very temporary passing by. (If they were they would be heavier than needed for normal use, and I'm sure Victorinox have all the experience in the world and simulations to minimize the weight).

Remember to check on them, or they will just end up sad and soggy.
 

[IMR4198]

    Check the liners on the sticky side and see if they are oxidized.  Best wishes.  G

[AzteCypher]

Here's what I've done that has helped me most times but do be careful as too much deflection can break the implement.

Open the tool so it's at a 90 degree angle to the rest of the SAK.  I grab two rags, hold the SAK with one and the open tool with the other and flex it perpendicular to the scales.  A gentle back and forth a few times.  Test it, then a few more times and so on and so forth.  This has helped most times.

I've also done repeated oiling and warm ultrasonic baths (provided you have access to one) with some success.  I oil the implement, work the oil into the joint, then give it a warm ultrasonic bath with a few drops of dish soap.  This has helped out two really stubborn ones.  Turns out there was more debris in the joint that I couldn't reach but the combination of the oiling and warm soapy bath helped dislodge it.

Hope this helps.

[Huntsman]

Yep - Given the problem is only on one side - It is unlikely that the pins are over peened/tightened.
So I agree w IMR - Possibly the liners around that layer are oxidised

I had that on one SAK I bought on the Bay - and I literally could only open the tools with pliers and massive force!
I tried everything that you tried but to no avail

Only solution here was to take it apart and use it for parts

[IMR4198]

   I would ship the thing back to Victorinox for service.  Let them worry about it.  I ran into this issue when I lost a SAK on a hunting trip.  It took several days to find it, and the liners had corroded from being on the damp ground.  I oiled it and worked the tools until it finally loosened up.  The tools started having a mottled appearance in my case and probably would have started rusting from lying in the leaves with a few more days.  I cleaned the tools with Simichrome.   
   One of our European members said he had problems with the liners oxidizing from storage in the factory box.  I think he had mostly cosmetic difficulties.  Best wishes.  G
 

[z1913]

Thank you all for the comments and suggestions!
The liners were indeed oxidised. I tried the perpendicular flex per AzteCypher and it helped! I do not have ultrasonic cleaner so after the flexing I used the usual warm soapy bath followed by some oil and lot of whitish gunk started to come out.
There is not yet a nice snap, but now I can open all the implements by hand without major effort which is a huge, huge progress compared to yesterday when I had to use pliers to move them by a tiny bit - probably one or two more rounds will be needed.
So thanks again!