Auto-Lites. My 2nd Generation Ti-Lite 6 Auto Conversions

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LD57
Posts: 132
Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2004 2:08 pm

Re: Auto-Lites. My 2nd Generation Ti-Lite 6 Auto Conversions

Post by LD57 »

Killgar:
Regarding the safety, did you consider a pivoting post extending up through that small central hole just behind the first two larger holes? A small tab/sear on the post would be moved into position under the button as the post was rotated, keeping the button from being pressed.
It would mean putting some kind of low profile toggle/switch at the top of the post for the user to activate the safety.
But, you would lose the clean appearance that you have now. 🤨
I’m glad you were able to keep the original scales. Just my opinion, but the appeal of a converted Ti-lite is that it still looks like a Ti-lite, but now with awesome switchblade super powers. 😎
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Killgar
Posts: 298
Joined: Fri Nov 19, 2021 6:52 am

Re: Auto-Lites. My 2nd Generation Ti-Lite 6 Auto Conversions

Post by Killgar »

jerryk25 wrote: Fri Aug 26, 2022 8:17 pm Impressive. . . .Clean design. . . well executed. . . .
Thanks for the construction photos.
Thanks Jerry. It's always good to hear from a fellow mangler. :)

LD57 wrote: Sat Aug 27, 2022 12:30 am Killgar:
Regarding the safety, did you consider a pivoting post extending up through that small central hole just behind the first two larger holes? A small tab/sear on the post would be moved into position under the button as the post was rotated, keeping the button from being pressed.
It would mean putting some kind of low profile toggle/switch at the top of the post for the user to activate the safety.
But, you would lose the clean appearance that you have now. 🤨
I’m glad you were able to keep the original scales. Just my opinion, but the appeal of a converted Ti-lite is that it still looks like a Ti-lite, but now with awesome switchblade super powers. 😎

That's an idea I had not considered. One of the requirements I had for the safety was that it be ergonomic and fit entirely inside the stock handle (with the exception of the actuator of course). I wanted the actuator to be easy to access, but not highly prone to snagging on clothes. I wanted to produce a knife that someone could actually carry in their back pocket, which is part of the reason why it was so important to me that the safety be held securely in the "on/safe" position.

The design/creation of the safety was a complicated and difficult process. One of the first ideas I considered was a rotating "disc" type of safety with the knob moving diagonally across the handle hole. I don't remember why I discarded that idea, but there must have been a good reason. I had considered and discarded several ideas.

Normally when I make something, including building a switchblade, I do all the designing in my head. But I knew right off that designing a safety was going to be way too complicated to do that. So I got out a pencil and some paper and started drawing. At some point I settled on a safety slide that moved up and down (the small holes going down the center of the handle were a big reason), but I hadn't figured out exactly how to make it work.

With the first few designs I could see pretty fast that they wouldn't work. Then it would go like this- I'd come up with an idea, I'd think it was going to work, I was happy, and then a few hours later I'd be eating dinner or brushing my teeth, and it would just hit me- "Aww crap! It's not gonna work". Either some part was going to hit some other part, or there wasn't going to be enough room, etc, etc.

Then I finally came up with a design, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't come up with a reason why it wouldn't work. But I knew better than to start celebrating. I've learned that when I come up with an idea to make something that I should give it a day or two to let the idea simmer a bit, just in case there was something I missed, or in case I come up with something better (happened more times than I can remember). So I waited 24 hours, mulling the design over, and the next day when I couldn't come up with any reason why it wouldn't work I decided to get to work and start making one. What you see in the pics and video is the result.

To give an idea of how much work the safety is, it takes me about 3 days to just do the conversion (turning the stock Ti-Lite into a fully functional switchblade). It then takes me an additional 5 or 6 days to finish the safety. The safety requires a lot of very detailed custom fitting, especially because it's important to me that the slide not have any more slack/movement than is necessary. Most of the work is done by hand, the slide is cut out with a hacksaw, shaped with files (final shaping with a disc sander), and after I drill a hole at each end for the guide post slots, I use files to connect the holes, then finish with fine grit sandpaper (up to 2000 grit) wrapped around drill bits to remove the smallest amount of steel possible a little at a time to get the best fit and a smooth action.

And then it takes 2-3 more days of "finish work", sanding the flats of the blade, filling the thumb stud hole, a few other things, and then the final fine-tuning of everything.

In other words, the whole thing is a lot of work :D .

I could get it all done faster, but I don't like to rush things, and I don't want to spend morning till night in my shop sitting in the same spot hunched over my work bench. I'm not as young as I used to be, and the work takes a toll on my back, hands and fingers (not to mention my ass). Although I am producing these for sale, and although I need to receive what I consider to be fair compensation for my time and effort, I don't do this for the money. I'm not using the sales proceeds to pay my bills, I do this because I mostly enjoy it, and because I want to put badass switchblades into other peoples hands. I say "mostly" because there's a certain amount of stress involved.

If I ever feel that it's becoming a "job" I'll stop. As it is, I've done 5 in a row over the past 2 months, and I need a break. I'm a little burned-out, but I'm sure the mood will hit me before too long and I'll start building again :) .
Avatar- Ti-Lite Auto Conversion. Video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q79nia-_DzU

My youtube knife channel- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjSYCK ... 3s5HNcsL5A
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