hard to open my new knife :(

[sonsw87]

So.. My pipe kit is still not here but I just got my oar carver!!
Now i understand why ppl told me to reshaper my blade....haha
Anywhos I am having trouble opening and closing my knife... its very stiff also my nail bitting habit isnt helping.....does anyone have a way to fix it or suggestions to make it easier? I will post pictures of my pipe from Day1 as soon as I get them!! mean while im practicing my knife skills on the block of bass wood i got

[Dagwood]

well first thought is you could open it with your teeth...... Kidding
new knives are usually stiff and will losen up over time, to the point of having to be re tightened. a little graphite will losen it up a bit right now. i would stay away from any oils or liquid lubes as this could transfer to your carvings. hope this helps. Happy Carving

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

I used oil on a Flexcut folder, it helped but like Dwayne said it got on my hands.

Dave

[Buffalo Bif]

some knifemakers have a tool for opening folders- here's one:

Case Knife Opener | GPKNIVES.com

[Nomad]

Originally Posted by sonsw87

So.. My pipe kit is still not here but I just got my oar carver!!
Now i understand why ppl told me to reshaper my blade....haha
Anywhos I am having trouble opening and closing my knife... its very stiff also my nail bitting habit isnt helping.....does anyone have a way to fix it or suggestions to make it easier? I will post pictures of my pipe from Day1 as soon as I get them!! mean while im practicing my knife skills on the block of bass wood i got

Originally the blades were longer and the nail nicks further down the blade. The backsprings were meant for longer, heavier blades. The nail nicks were originally positioned to give you more leverage. Since they shortened the blades and reground the nail nicks, you lost some leverage.

But on the plus side, you have some strong backsprings, which make the knife safer for carving imo. Not all the Queen canoes have such strong backsprings. Consider yourself lucky eh. You might consider having the nail nicks ground just a tad deeper as the nail nicks on the Oar tend to be a tad shallow. A good slipjoint knife maker could do that for you. If you feel brave, you could do it with a dremel tool with a cut off wheel.

[Big Barn]

Agree with all above. Sometimes brand new knives may have some crap (technical term)built up at the joint & back spring from being reground, buffed, polished & needs to be cleaned out. You might try to put some oil in the joint & work the blade a number of times. Then clean out the oil, if you have a can of air or a compressor - blow out the joint. If not, you can use tooth picks & a lint free cloth. Use WD-40 to clean out any water from the condensed air & wipe that out too. f.y.i. - WD-40 is not a lubricate, WD stands for Water Displacement. Once that's clean use a fine grade oil or graphite to the joint (I perfer graphite) - this is where less is more.

[mchuray]

As the above have said a new knife will be stiff. In addition to the above get some "Breakfree CLP" at a gun store. Apply a SMALL amount to the friction points and joints. and open and close the knife a few dozen times ( I often use a pair of pliers if a knife is really stiff to get it open that often). After that clean and apply some graphite to the joints. This usually gets a new knife easier to open.
HTH,
Mark

[Robson Valley]

Possibly, you might make a plastic foam "cradle" for the open knife in some sort of a box? Don't close the knife.

[Trebor56]

My Oar Carver was fairly stiff at first but it loosened up quickly.

[rickm]

spend more time in the gym?