Rescaled and file-worked a cheapo Milano stiletto!

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Mario
Posts: 284
Joined: Thu Jun 18, 2020 4:59 am

Rescaled and file-worked a cheapo Milano stiletto!

Post by Mario »

This was the first Chinese Milano stiletto I ever bought. Paid only $15 for it. It originally had dark blue/purple swirl acrylic looking plastic scales. It for some reason had blade peak even though I got it new and the sear hole wasn’t really worn. I started looking into how you fix blade peak and I took the knife apart. Unfortunately this required me having to file down all the pins and the scales ended up getting damaged in the process. Once the knife was completely apart, I started thinking about making new handle scales for it with my own materials. I recently got a resin/mold making kit with different colored dyes. I went ahead and mixed up the resin with some red dye. It ended up coming out looking like a pink pearl color. After letting the resin mold dry and harden for a couple days, I busted it out with a screw driver and proceeded to mark measurements for my handle scales on it. I got my Dremel and cutting wheel and cut out the shapes I needed. I ground them down to fit the liners (I had to wear my mask and goggles while doing this because that resin material kicks up a ton of powdery dust you don’t want to be breathing in). Next was a matter of lining up the liners with the scales to mark where the pin holes needed to go. I made some new pins out of some brass nails I had. Once everything was lined up and in place, I drilled out the holes for the pins and ground out a spot for the button and rocker arm for the top scale. I took one of my smaller grinding bits and did some amateur file work on the back of the blade and backspring. Not the best, but I’m fairly new to this. I then pinned everything together. I think it came out really nice. I got rid of the peaking just a little bit, so it looks somewhat better. Not perfect but it was a cheap knife so it’s not that big a deal. The reflection in the pictures below kind of makes the scales look orangey, but they are actually pink. I still need to do a little touch up grinding work on them just to smooth it out and I got to finish work on the bottom pin and hammer down the pivot a little more. I’ll take care of that tomorrow. I didn’t bother cutting out a slot for the safety because I’ve seen some rescaled knives without the safety and wanted to see how this would look without one. Since it’s not a knife I carry, it really doesn’t matter. Overall, I’m pretty pleased with how this turned out!
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rock-n-roll$$$$$$
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Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2016 9:04 pm

Re: Rescaled and file-worked a cheapo Milano stiletto!

Post by rock-n-roll$$$$$$ »

nice work Mario, looks way better then the 1st time I worked on a switchblade.
sammy the blade
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Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2016 7:18 pm
Location: Indiana

Re: Rescaled and file-worked a cheapo Milano stiletto!

Post by sammy the blade »

Looks good, especially for your first knife. Keep at and you will learn more and your skills will improve as you do more of them.
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john
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Re: Rescaled and file-worked a cheapo Milano stiletto!

Post by john »

Great first attempt at a rescale. You’ll need to learn how to cut the safety slot. You can rescale the same inexpensive Chinese knife until you’re comfortable enough to rescale an Italian stiletto or other type of knife. Keep practicing and check out eastcoastsniper’s tutorials. Feel free to ask for help.
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NorthCarolinaDude
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Joined: Thu May 13, 2021 2:22 am
Location: The South

Re: Rescaled and file-worked a cheapo Milano stiletto!

Post by NorthCarolinaDude »

Consensus, nice work. I have a handful of cheapies here that I intend to experiment with some day when I have a little more time. I have ideas and have worked with metal (mostly motorcycle stuff) so I believe I'm dangerous enough to give it a shot somewhere down the line. One thing I know, as with anything, no matter of your opinion with your work the first time, if you continue to produce, one day you'll surprise yourself how you didn't notice when you got so good at it. It's like playing a guitar. As long as it's fun, keep practicing! Peace. Scott.
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