how to close a pocket knife
Although your pocket knife offers the advantages of portability and versatility, you can still injure yourself if you don’t know how to securely close the knife. The good news is, learning to close your pocket knife safely is easy enough that even Boy and Girl Scouts regularly learn this essential skill at a very young age. Once you have learned this skill, you will never be in danger of cutting yourself when handling your pocket knife.
Instructions
• Hold the open razor firmly in your left hand, palm up and thumb to the left, edge up and pointed end toward your body.
• Grasp the bottom, blunt edge of the blade with your right hand so that your right index finger is on the side of the blade farthest from your body and your right thumb is on the side closest to your body. The bottom of the blade should be resting on your right hand, palm inward and thumb on top, with your index finger and thumb gripping the sides of the blade on the bottom.
• Depress the blade safety lever with your left thumb.
• Raise the blade up and down with your right hand until the knife is fully closed.
Tips and Warnings
- Remember, your hands and fingers must remain on the bottom of the razor as you close it. By strictly observing this safety precaution, never cut yourself.
- You can reverse directions for right and left hands if you’re left-handed or ambidextrous.
How to close a locked pocket knife
Pocket knives commonly feature a locking mechanism that engages once the blade is opened to prevent it from accidentally closing. The two most frequently observed lock mechanisms are dial locks and lock backs.
Instructions
liner lock
- Hold the knife open and locked by the handle with the sharp edge of the blade facing up.
- Place your thumb on the dial lock and move it sideways toward the liner to disengage it from the blade’s pivot point. The liner lock is the length of metal that extends from the inside of the blade to the round pivot point of the blade.
- Grab the back of the sheet and fold it towards the inside of the liner.
- Release the dial lock and move your thumb the way you withdraw the blade.
- lock again
- Hold the knife edge down. It will have a narrow, elongated lock release located on the edge of the blade.
- Hold the back of the blade with the opposite hand to prevent the blade from folding down quickly and causing injury.
- Hold the handle of the knife by the sides or scales with your fingers out of the way and to the side. Press down on the locking mechanism to release the blade.
- Guide the knife blade down as it folds into the knife. Release the mechanism that folds the blade into the handle.
