Flipper with or without thumb stud ?

F

Frank Niro

KNIFE MAKER
I see flippers with and without thumb studs. is there a need on some to have the thumb stud? i have not made any of these at least yet. Thanks for your reply. Frank
 
Hi Frank!

I think its a personal preference issue. I had someone on BF question why I put thumbstuds on that recent flipper I built....basically its because I wanted to. I find that its not always convenient for me to "flip" this folder open. The thumbstuds just give me another option, and I personally think it adds to the "eye appeal" of the piece.
 
If a flipper is made the way that I like it, you cant open it with a thumbstud. So, for me 100% no thumbstud.

Jamie
 
Jamie.... educate me on this one. Please explain what you mean by a flipper being built that cannot be opened with a thumbstud. This is the first one I've made, but I've examined and handled many of them, and all of them, with or without thumbstuds, had actions that could be easily opened with thumbstuds.

I'm not trying to be stand offish.....just trying to get your perspective/insight, and maybe learn something. Thanks!
 
This is just my opinion in what I like in knives: I like thumb studs. Whether it can be opened by other means or not, I like them. Along with saying that, I like them on both sides, whether it's by one stud sticking off of each side, or from the little circle stud that's on the top (don't know what it's called). I'm right handed, but sometimes I use my left.
 
Ed, I believe he means that the detents are freakin tight so that the flipper will fire hard.

Some flippers use the thumb stud as a stop pin as well.
 
AAHHHH!!! That makes sense! So I would assume that the type of detent that he's referring to for a flipper would have to be a somewhat "large" ball? I've always used 1/16" detents, and a couple of times tried 3/32", but they caused more problems for me than they solved. When I was building this one, I tried the trick of flattening the contact side of the detent ball, and found it caused more drag throughout the travel than I liked, so I knocked it out and replaced it with a new 1/16" detent and did not flatten it. I noticed that with a flattened portion, it would not "suck" the blade into the closed position like I was used to. Any tips or tricks you can offer on "Flippers" would be gladly absorbed!
 
Biggest thing about flippers is that in the closed position the flipper tab needs to be in line with the pivot screw at the very least. The further forward it is the better.

You have better leverage and are in contact (on the "power stroke") that much longer.

Does that make any seance?
 
Yep! I follow that portion. I can also see the need for a compromise in the way the "tab" is situated, because the further forward its place in the closed position, the further rearward it would be in the open postion....am I visualizing that correctly?

The main question that pops into my mind is: If your wanting the action (meaning the detent) on a "flipper" to be super tight in the closed position, doesn't that make the overall "action" pretty stiff? Am I correct in assuming that its another of the "give up something to get something" scenarios that we so often deal with as Makers?

I've talked to a lot of makers about how they make "flippers" and it seems that most of them sacrifice an overall smooth/easy action, in favor of having the detent "lock up" in the closed postion. However, aside from saying that they flatten off the contact side of the detent, or lightly countersink the detent "hole", none seem willing to discuss any other specifics of their methods/techniques.

I'm just curious if there is actually some "magic formula" to get the detent to "lock up" in the closed postion, yet have a super smooth action that I value so much in liner locks, or if Makers and owners of "Fippers" don't really care about the action as much as they do the tightness of the closed position? I read what I wrote a couple of times and hope what I'm asking makes sense.:bud:
 
It's more a matter of how the ball engages the detent than how hard it pushes into that engagement...
 
The detent being "freaking tight" might be a little overkill, as Les said it's how the detent ball engages the hole. A larger ball is not necessary, the amount of pressure that the lock tab exerts and how directly the ball engages the hole play a large part in it. I make my detent fall very nearly directly into the hole, actually it does fall all the way into the hole but with a little spring tension laterally from the lock bar.... what I just said doesn't seem to make sense but that's the only way I can explain it. A 1/16" ball can hold the blade in so tight that it's very near impossible for some people to open them.

Ed there are ways to make the flipper blend in and form a nice finger guard when the knife is open and still be even with (or slightly forward) of the pivot, by curving the inside of the flipper it forms a place for the index finger and then the tip of the flipper kind of juts forward when the blade is closed.

m9s02.jpg
 
Thanks all, and thumb stud or not that is a beauty you finished in that WIP, Ed.
It seems the detent works just a bit different possibly because of the positioning of the flipper. Looks like there is some leaway here that requires an amount of trial as is most often needed to find what is most suitable to the maker. Frank
 
Hi All,
I am basically speaking from a collectors point of view rather than a makers. I dont know all the specifics but I like a very snappy flipper. I collect mostly flippers and have found them to be very useful and fun. As a matter of fact, they are awesome pieces of art if made snappy(imo). What both Les's are saying is spot on to what I have noticed about flippers that flip. It's about flipper tab placement, detent and lock pressure and maybe some more things that I am not aware of. I also think for a flipper to function correctly it should be designed as a flipper from the jump. Bottom line for me is that I wish more knifemakes would make more flippers (hint to Mr. George) because I love em'.

Jamie (aka Flipper Whore):D
 
I don't like a thumb stud on my flippers as they take away from the overall flow of the knife.
I have a couple of Les Voorhies flippers that have a strong detent and fire like
a rocket. Just as fast as any automatic and you never have to worry about the spring breaking. To me there's nothing better than a well made flipper. You can keep your thumstuds.
 
Oromoto bumped the thread. I always thought Young Grasshopper deserved a slap for not being able to figure out what the sound of one hand clapping was!
 
I personally don't think a flipper needs thumb studs, unless
1.for the look as some makers emphasize their thumb studs.
2.stop pin.
3.second opening options.
I don't think it's necessary because it prevent the blade to go in completely. (as in stab or thrust)
 
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