Imperial candy stripe with broken spring

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Mario
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Re: Imperial candy stripe with broken spring

Post by Mario »

Bill DeShivs wrote: Sat Sep 10, 2022 7:32 am There was no need at all to bend the rear tabs. You just bend the front tabs up, gently lift the handle from the front, and push it backwards.
Those handles are ruined.
Totally forgot you said bend out the front tabs, not the back. Oh well. Live and learn.
sammy the blade
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Re: Imperial candy stripe with broken spring

Post by sammy the blade »

Don't give up on it, it may look bad but it should still work when you get it back together. As you said, live and learn.
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whippersnapper
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Re: Imperial candy stripe with broken spring

Post by whippersnapper »

Just try a hair bobby pin for a spring. You can get a bunch cheap at the dollar store to prctice with. A little hard cold bending the pin (spring) to go under the pin but nothing to lose now.
Mario
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Re: Imperial candy stripe with broken spring

Post by Mario »

Good news! I got a hair pin, bent it up a little, took a torch lighter to it a few times and dipped it in canola. I have a nail right now in place where the spring pin should be. I need to get something a little more robust. I’ve opened and closed the knife a few times with my hair pin spring and it’s slowly but surely getting enough spring power to open all the way! Now I just got to figure out what to do about the handles I’ve destroyed. Maybe I’ll hammer the bends out a little and JB the bottoms on. I don’t know yet. But I’m about 95% with the spring which is good! Thanks for all the tips and support!
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whippersnapper
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Re: Imperial candy stripe with broken spring

Post by whippersnapper »

Those bobby pins are already springy. By heating it up you may have taken the spring out of it...If i'm understanding what you are saying.
Mario
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Re: Imperial candy stripe with broken spring

Post by Mario »

whippersnapper wrote: Sat Sep 10, 2022 7:33 pm Those bobby pins are already springy. By heating it up you may have taken the spring out of it...If i'm understanding what you are saying.
I have a whole box full of them. I’ll just get another one. Thanks for the tip bro!
Mario
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Re: Imperial candy stripe with broken spring

Post by Mario »

Okay, I got to set this project aside for now. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong but now I can’t get the spring to line up with the blade and it keeps slipping out of place. I also don’t have the work space where I live to hammer in the pin properly and this grinding of nails with a Dremel is leaving a bunch of ground metallic particles everywhere which I shouldn’t be breathing.

I think it will be cheaper for me to just look and buy another knife that works. I just don’t have the patience or the skill for this.
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whippersnapper
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Re: Imperial candy stripe with broken spring

Post by whippersnapper »

Don't get discouraged. Just come back to it later.

patience - I still struggle with that. As a kid I was the guy who would try to put the model car together in a half hour. I usually ended up with a big glob of Testers glue and a runny paint job...lol
Mario
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Re: Imperial candy stripe with broken spring

Post by Mario »

Appreciate the words of encouragement. At this point I think I’ve done all I can do. I may just send this one off to a friend who has the skill to restore it. Maybe I can get him to make new handle scales for it as well. They’re pretty much FUBAR at this point.
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Killgar
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Re: Imperial candy stripe with broken spring

Post by Killgar »

I think the knife was a lost cause to begin with, at least with those handles.

I'm assuming the handle wraps are celluloid, and it looks like they've been "gassing" for awhile now (the celluloid breaking down and releasing nitric acid fumes). That in turn corrodes any surrounding metal.

So even if the metal handle scales were still useable, you'd have to ditch the colored wraps.

Between the condition of the blade, the broken spring, all the corroded metal, and having to ditch the wraps, I don't think there's anything there to be saved.

So look on the bright side, if you're going to damage a knife trying to restore it, better to make that mistake on a knife that's not really worth restoring. Now, if you get a shell wrap knife that's actually worth restoring, you'll know what not to do.
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Mario
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Re: Imperial candy stripe with broken spring

Post by Mario »

Killgar wrote: Mon Sep 12, 2022 5:51 am I think the knife was a lost cause to begin with, at least with those handles.

I'm assuming the handle wraps are celluloid, and it looks like they've been "gassing" for awhile now (the celluloid breaking down and releasing nitric acid fumes). That in turn corrodes any surrounding metal.

So even if the metal handle scales were still useable, you'd have to ditch the colored wraps.

Between the condition of the blade, the broken spring, all the corroded metal, and having to ditch the wraps, I don't think there's anything there to be saved.

So look on the bright side, if you're going to damage a knife trying to restore it, better to make that mistake on a knife that's not really worth restoring. Now, if you get a shell wrap knife that's actually worth restoring, you'll know what not to do.
It’s all learning experiences. Some can be restored, some can’t. Thankfully, I happen to know someone who has extra handle scales for these. So there is still that sliver of hope. As for me, I’ve done all I could possibly do. I always have trouble re-pinning knives that are pin constructed. As I’ve said before, I just don’t have the workshop set up for that kind of heavy duty work. I’m kind of like you, Killgar. I prefer to work on knives that are screwed together. I’ve had much more success with those.
RobbP
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Re: Imperial candy stripe with broken spring

Post by RobbP »

Mario, here is my way of doing it, pretty much Like Mickey described. I learn better by viewing so hope the pics help.
I haven't been doing this long, just started working on old crappy condition knives until I got enough confidence to work on better ones. I screwed my share of parts up - it happens.
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on upper bolster (scale/tin/handle) whatever you want to call it, very gently use a very small tool to pry up the tabs on both front and rear bolster. Inspect this because if the knife had already been worked on then maybe a good idea to just leave it alone, the tabs will likely break off leaving nothing to fix the scales back onto the liners. (Have a couple bandaids at the ready, your thumbs will get poked by the tool)
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Remove scales/handles by gently rocking them back and forth so the bottom bolster tabs work out of the liner pockets, no need to bend these.
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check rest of knife out fix any other issues that may exist.
Have new spring at the ready, here is the factory broken spring and my crude, home manufactured spring-not pretty but they work.
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Some of these knives have a pin holding the spring in place, others have a piece(tab) of the brass liner bent over securing the spring. Remove said pin or tab to remove old spring remnants.
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Re-pin new spring in place, ensure the spring is "tuned/cut to length/not over/under strength" to work the knife before you re-assemble.

Once the knife is back in working order and you are finished cleaning, reassemble the scales/tins one at a time by slipping the bottom bolster tabs back in place (without bending the tabs) then (double check your safety is in place for front scale/tin) gently begin bending the top tab back over in the liner. Look close you will see the indent in the brass liner that the tabs recess into. Make sure the tabs are in these recesses otherwise you will have opening issues!
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Hope this helps,
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whippersnapper
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Re: Imperial candy stripe with broken spring

Post by whippersnapper »

Nice job on the tutorial Robb!
Mario
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Re: Imperial candy stripe with broken spring

Post by Mario »

Thanks for the tutorial and pics, Robb! This will be very helpful should I give this another shot in the future.

I’m thinking about at least getting an anvil. That may help with hammering pins. I do have an old broken slip joint knife from Japan that has similarly shaped handles to the Imperial candy stripe. Maybe I could somehow commandeer those if they’re the same size and drill holes for the button and safety.

[EDIT: Scratch that. I checked it and they’re not the same size and the scales attach to the handle entirely different.]
button_man
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Re: Imperial candy stripe with broken spring

Post by button_man »

.
button_man wrote: Mon Apr 11, 2022 12:52 pm On a somewhat related note: a flea contact of mine informed me yesterday that he has recently prurchased 60 (!!!) switchblades
specifically because he knows that I am a serious collector and would be very interested.
That was posted on April 11th..... since then, the guy sold me exactly ONE transitional and promised many more nice knives to come.
Weeks passed and nothing happened. Then he had a story about how somebody stole all the knives, but action was being taken to get them back.
More weeks passed. I ran into the guy about three weeks ago and he said that the knives are gone for good and nothing can be done about it.

Somebody who knows this guy quite well has since informed me that he has been known to engage in questionable dealings, and to
fabricate narratives that suit his purposes. I have no firsthand experience that bears out these statements; but I am keeping them
in mind for the future. Unfortunately, the promise of sixty vintage switchblades has now evaporated. Pretty disappointing.
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