Converting a Boot Knife Into a Switchblade

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JimBrown257
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Location: Michigan

Re: Converting a Boot Knife Into a Switchblade

Post by JimBrown257 »

You should just make your own blades. The only additional step you would have to do is grinding the blade. All that other stuff you did is harder than that part.

What are the other projects you mentioned?
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Killgar
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Re: Converting a Boot Knife Into a Switchblade

Post by Killgar »

sammy the blade wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 1:25 am Most impressive, like to see your next project too.
Thanks Sammy. I'll be posting more stuff in the near future :wink: .
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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Killgar
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Re: Converting a Boot Knife Into a Switchblade

Post by Killgar »

JimBrown257 wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 2:12 am You should just make your own blades. The only additional step you would have to do is grinding the blade. All that other stuff you did is harder than that part.

What are the other projects you mentioned?
I appreciate the encouragement Jim, but I don't see myself ever making blades from scratch, for a variety of reasons-

If I have a choice between doing more work, or less work, I tend to prefer less. Doing what I do is already a lot of work. I like the end result, but not so much all that it takes to get there.

I have a love/hate relationship with building switchblades. I enjoy the elation of producing a switchblade that not only works, but one that possesses what I call the trifecta- a strong opening, tight lock up, and no blade play, and I enjoy the pride of accomplishment, but I really don't enjoy the frustration and anxiety that I experience during the building process.

There's got to be at least a hundred different little things that can cause a switchblade not to work right, and I find it rather frustrating trying to nail down the problem and work the bugs out to reach my standards. I've spent countless hours taking knives apart, making a tiny adjustment, and putting it all back together to test, over and over again. And then there's the anxiety I feel when I spend all day, or days working on a single part, and it's perfect, but I still have a few steps to go before it's finished, and the thought of screwing it up and ruining all that work fills me with a sense of dread. But those are just my mental issues.

I often think to myself- If a person is adverse to frustration they shouldn't build switchblades :lol: . From 2017 through 2020 I didn't build any switchblades. But this year my interest was rekindled and I found the motivation again.

Other reasons I don't make my own blades (or springs) are my limited tools, and my living arrangements. My most advanced tools are a 20 year old benchtop drill press that has long since past it's prime, and a 12" Harbor Freight disc sander. Beyond that most of the work I do is done with hand tools, like a hacksaw and a large assortment of files. I'm just not willing to invest a lot of money in more sophisticated equipment, I'm a cheap bastard.

And then there's the fact that I live in an apartment. It comes with a garage which I use as a shop, but room is limited. And my garage shares a wall with my neighbors apartment, so I try to be a considerate neighbor and not make too much noise.

That might be more than you wanted to know about me, but hey, that's me :D .

As far as my recent switchblade projects, I'm currently finishing the third in a series that I started a few months ago. I'll create a new thread for those when it's done. This series of knives is another reason why I don't plan on making my own blades, because they already have the kind of blades I would want.
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
Mario
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Re: Converting a Boot Knife Into a Switchblade

Post by Mario »

Sweet work Killgar! Loved your Cold Steel Ti-Lite 6 conversions as well! You’re really good at this!
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Killgar
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Re: Converting a Boot Knife Into a Switchblade

Post by Killgar »

Mario wrote: Wed Dec 15, 2021 12:37 am Sweet work Killgar! Loved your Cold Steel Ti-Lite 6 conversions as well! You’re really good at this!
Thanks Mario. :)

I'll be posting my T6 conversions in the near future. I'm waiting until I finish #3.
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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JimBrown257
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Re: Converting a Boot Knife Into a Switchblade

Post by JimBrown257 »

The few things you mentioned are all you need to make knives. You certainly don't need power saws. I got a deep handle hacksaw for $25 and I have been cutting the steel with it for about 6 years. The actually sawing of the pieces is a very minor part of it.
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Killgar
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Re: Converting a Boot Knife Into a Switchblade

Post by Killgar »

JimBrown257 wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 1:00 pm The few things you mentioned are all you need to make knives. You certainly don't need power saws. I got a deep handle hacksaw for $25 and I have been cutting the steel with it for about 6 years. The actually sawing of the pieces is a very minor part of it.
I'm confident I could make blades, but for the reasons I mentioned I just don't have the motivation to do that much work. For me, finding the motivation, and getting myself going, is my biggest obstacle. Someone might look at the knives I've built in this thread, and others from around the same time and find it hard to believe that I would have trouble motivating myself to do more, but there's a big difference between ability and motivation.

I started building switchblades at a very bad time in my life. My father was in the last year of his life. It was a long, slow, and very ugly death from Alzheimer's. Building switchblades was a way of distracting myself for a few hours a day from that constant horror (he spent the last years of his life at home with me). After he passed at the end of 2016 my motivation to build switchblades pretty much evaporated. That's why I didn't build any from 2017 through 2020. Sometimes I would look at the knives I built and truly wonder "How the hell did I find the motivation to do all that work?", then I remember how. I don't drink or use drugs, building switchblades was my way of escaping reality when I needed escape the most.

Then this year I got the itch to build again. I started by re-building a few of my previous builds just to change things up. Then I started on an idea I had been wanting to do, and been thinking about for 5 years- converting a Cold Steel Ti-Lite 6 into a switchblade. Doing the re-builds gave me the motivational momentum I needed to finally start the Ti-Lite 6 project.

It turned out that converting a T6 was simpler than I had thought, and the end result was better than I ever imagined. For many years I dreamed of owning a big, heavy-duty stiletto switchblade, one that fired hard, locked up tight with a really strong lock, and had zero blade play, a knife that was tough enough to handle extreme stress, and my first T6 conversion is that knife.

I'm not a collector, or even an accumulator of knives/switchblades, I'm not interested in owning quantity or variety. The type of stiletto switchblade I described was my ultimate "grail", and now I have it (3 now actually). As a result, I have no interest in building, or even owning any other types of switchblades. And this year I started doing something that I would have previously regarded as unthinkable- I started selling my previous switchblade builds (the two featured in this thread are now in private collections). I used to regard those knives as some of my most prize possessions, but once I completed my first T6 conversion, to my surprise, those other knives just didn't mean nearly as much to me anymore, and so I had no difficulty parting with them.

I'll describe my feelings with this analogy- Imagine your single and dating several different women. They're awesome, they make you happy, and you love spending time with them. But then you meet THE ONE, a woman who makes you completely lose interest in all other women, and you live happily ever after together.

That's how I feel about my Ti-Lite 6 conversions. They've ruined me for all other switchblades, and I'm good with that :D .

Again, that might be more than you wanted to know about me, but like I said in my "New Member" thread, I like the vibe here, I get the impression that I'm among likeminded people, so I don't mind sharing a little :) .
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
sammy the blade
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Re: Converting a Boot Knife Into a Switchblade

Post by sammy the blade »

Sure would like to see the T6 conversion!
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Killgar
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Re: Converting a Boot Knife Into a Switchblade

Post by Killgar »

sammy the blade wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 9:10 pm Sure would like to see the T6 conversion!
They're coming. I was waiting until I finished the one I'm currently working on (#3). The third one is a little extra special. I just have one handle scale left to make, but at this point in my life I don't do anything in a hurry :) .
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
Hombre
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Re: Converting a Boot Knife Into a Switchblade

Post by Hombre »

I am superimpressed!
Wow! Double Wow!!
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Killgar
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Re: Converting a Boot Knife Into a Switchblade

Post by Killgar »

Hombre wrote: Sat Jan 15, 2022 4:51 pm I am superimpressed!
Wow! Double Wow!!
Thanks Hombre! :D
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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TRYKER
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Re: Converting a Boot Knife Into a Switchblade

Post by TRYKER »

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
TRYKER



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