The sharpened edge of the blade should face upwards. As soon as the frame moves past the locked-in tang, use your finger, gravity, or a flick, to move the blade. If you learn the right closing technique, you will be able to close the knife in a safe way so that you will not be injured in this process. It’s replaced by the frame (usually the inner-side frame). This type of lockup on a pocket knife uses a gear-like piece with pronounced teeth. Keep your fingers firmly help on the blade so you don't slip and cut yourself. New Punch Dagger Knife or Fixed Blade. Once the knife is closed, the blade should not open on its own. You can get manual ones though – and you’ll need to use a flick of the wrist or gravity to get the blade moving. How to properly close a lockback knife. You don’t need to do the same finger gymnastics to reach the release button – and the lockup is extremely strong. These knives are usually assisted-opening knives and they’re incredibly quick. The Knife You See Here: A relatively subdued design from the tactical-heavy brand, the SOG Spec Arc boasts a 4″ high-end VG-10 steel drop point blade, glass-reinforced handle scales, and (of course) the brand’s signature Arc lock. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. You then press the level down (in its flipped position) to shoot the assisted blade out. We’re going to focus on the lock types and how they’re found on today’s most common pocket knives. There’s a single locking piece than runs down the spine of the handle. We’ll deal with the most common one here. Advertisement. Some folding knives use lock release button. One piece of advice; these lockups often have an assisted closing. If that's the case, again, make very sure no fingers are in the way, because it will close much smoother than you may be used to, putting your fingers at risk. They work the same as a linear lockup. Check the manual for your blade to determine if the lock holds the knife in its casing. When you close a folding knife, you should hold the blade and the handle should be closed. The back of the blade should be grasped and it should be folded towards the inner liner. This lever is to be flipped over to unlock the blade. Bar lock is too hard to depress on my Barlow pocket knife, making if impossible to close the blade by hand only. Use your fingers or a flick to start the blade on its way back into the handle. Use your thumb (from your hand holding the handle) to push on the linear lock. UniFlame WAD820SP 34 inch Slate & Marble Fire pit with Copper Accents Review, Spyderco Junior By Alexandru Dionescue G-10 Plain Edge Knife, Top 5 of the Most Expensive Pocket Knives, Some Throwing Knife Targets to Choose From, Winter Tent Camping – What You Need To Know, Best Coleman Instant Tent For Family Camping: Buying Guide. After you feel confident handling the knife, you can practice closing your knife with 1 hand. To close a linear lock, hold the pocket knife in your hand as you usually would. The pocket knife should be opened and closed in an appropriate way so that you will not get injured. Mid-Locked Pocket Knives As you press it, the blade is released and you’ll need to push or flick it manually to its assisted closing point. Also Read: Best Folding Knife Reviews And Buying Guide. Mid lock pocket knives have an almost identical locking style to the back lock pocket knife. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. As you press it, the blade is released and you’ll need to push or flick it manually to its assisted closing point. Use your thumb to press the release button and pull the blade down with your hand. That way if your hand slips, the blade will fall away from you. These, along with the ring/twist lock styles are the least common in this list. This leads to the pull/twist ring that holds the locking piece in place. % of people told us that this article helped them. References As you open the blade, the locking piece catches the gear’s teeth and locks the blade in place. Related Videos. Blow it away with your breath or use a small wire to clear the debris from the inside. The pocket knife should be opened and closed in an appropriate way so that you will not get injured. Let’s jump in! The frame lock is also frequently used. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. As you open the blade the frame slips under the tang – locking it in place. You should hold the knife handle by the sides or scales. As you open the blade, this piece slips under the tang and clicks into place – securing the blade in its open position. 0:25. They have a shorter locking piece and the release switch is near the middle of the handle. As you push this linear piece past the tang, use your finger to nudge the blade toward its closed position. They can be quite tough to press. Sometimes, as the gear wears or collects dirt, little pieces of sand/grit can make it slip. Once the blade is out, you need to pull the handle down to its original position to lock the blade in place. Handling knives the right way can be incredibly fun and rewarding – but disastrous when done carelessly. The back-lockup is incredibly sturdy. If you hold the body in a firm way, the blade can be closed in an efficient manner. Work with 2 hands until you're comfortable opening and closing your knife. This takes a fair bit of muscle memory but isn’t too hard to get. This lockup is probably the slowest in this guide to open – and even slower to close. Benchmade. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Liner locks use a portion of the interior lining to keep the blade in place while frame locks use a portion of the knife's outer casing. Your email address will not be published. This article has been viewed 42,710 times. Pocket knives are getting more complicated and intricate as time goes on. Start slow and work your way up as your muscle memory. Watch your fingers so they aren't in the blade's path when you close the knife. They’re made up of a center locking piece with a scale on each side. It might be tempting to wrap your finger around the handle – but you should avoid this. If you have trouble pressing the button, look at the inside of the locking mechanism to see if there's any buildup. We’ve taken a look at some of the most popular lockups on pocket knives. The fingers should be out of the way or to the side. Make sure your thumb is out the way before the blade reaches the handle. What is the Best Knife Sharpener for a Folding Knife? To close the blade, flip open the level again. Once it’s clipped into place behind the blade, you’ll have one of the strongest lockups of any pocket knife. There’s often a thumb-pad (squared teeth) to give you grip. Any ideas? By using our site, you agree to our. Work with 2 hands until you're comfortable opening and closing your knife. There will be a locking mechanism in pocket knives. You should hold with the back of the knife and it should face towards you. When you close a folding knife, you should hold the blade and the handle should be closed. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Perhaps the knife just needs some oiling. Keep your fingers on the dull side of the blade while working with the knife. Get familiar with where the lock-release is without having to look at your knife. This piece is never on the locking side and will always be fixed. The center locking piece rises as you open the blade, clicking down into place as the notch in the tang passes. You should hold the knife safely in your hands. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/2f\/Close-a-Pocket-Knife-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Close-a-Pocket-Knife-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/2f\/Close-a-Pocket-Knife-Step-1.jpg\/aid10118076-v4-728px-Close-a-Pocket-Knife-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":259,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"410","licensing":"