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I have lost count of how many times I have been asked how these knives work, so it seemed like time well spent to add this page. You push the lever foward, and the blade shoots out the front. You pull the lever back and the knife shoots back in the handle. It is basically a fairly simple idea, but not so easy to explain. The scans are not the best but hopefully good enough for you to get the idea. I am assuming that the James Bros. Diamondback works the same way, but I haven't taken mine apart yet!

The first photo shows the basic parts without the outer case. It will be helpful to study this photo. The top piece is black plastic and has the button on the side you can't see. Note the flaired shape at either end. This shape operates the liner lock type mechanisms of which there are two. There are two metal plates at each end that have two long coilsprings that are sprung between them. One of the plate hooks on the end of the blade and flings the blade out, and the other end plate hooks onto a stud attached to the blade and is used to fling the blade in. The middle of the picture is the frame and if you look carefully you can see the liner locks. At the top side toward the front is the one that holds the blade open in the lock position, and on the bottom toward the rear is the other one that holds the blade in the closed position. The blade is shown with the brass stud that the front plate hooks on to fling the blade shut.

The next photo shows the button mechanism pulled to the rear, which is the closed position and the rear liner lock is sprung in , and holds the blade shut. The front liner lock is pushed out of the way by the flaired shape, and is inactive.

In this next one, the button / spring assembly is slid forward, and the flaired shape is pushing the rear liner lock out of the way and against the frame, and the front one is sprung in and locks the blade open

Here's what happens. When you push the button forward, you are stretching the springs as the rear plate is hooked on the end of the blade. When it pushes forward enough to move the liner lock out of the way, the blade is "slingshotted" forward until the front liner lock springs in and holds it open. When you slide the button backwards, the spring is hooked on the stud on the blade and stretches until the flaired shape at the front pushes the liner lock out of the way and the blade is "slingshotted" back in the handle. There is no tension on the spring when the knife is in the open or closed position. It is only when you are moving the button that the springs are stretched, and this is cocking the knife until the blade is released. I hope this makes sense to you , it does to me!