Both backsprings look broken. I don't see how a vinegar soak could cause this. Maybe they were broken before the soak and cleaning the rust loosened everything up enough, or maybe after the soak they were too pitted and broke right away.
Either way the only fix is new backsprings, which is not a simple undertaking.
It's broken man. Broken bad. The only chance you have for this guy yourself is to fab new back springs or be lucky enough to run across a parts knife with the same back springs. On either account, unless this is a very very special knife to you, it's a bit too much work vs the value of the knife on its own.
Both backsprings look broken. I don't see how a vinegar soak could cause this. Maybe they were broken before the soak and cleaning the rust loosened everything up enough, or maybe after the soak they were too pitted and broke right away. Either way the only fix is new backsprings, which is not a simple undertaking.
Send it to Case to see if they can replace the backsprings.
I sent it in and they gave me an $85 gift card. I'll mark that as a win.
It's broken man. Broken bad. The only chance you have for this guy yourself is to fab new back springs or be lucky enough to run across a parts knife with the same back springs. On either account, unless this is a very very special knife to you, it's a bit too much work vs the value of the knife on its own.
Thanks everyone, it's a bummer but I bought it at a flea market for $3. Not a huge loss. I may see what the cost of repair would run.