Help with building my first kit

A growing number of collectors customize their automatic knives by changing scales, bolsters, blades, doing fileworks, ... Wether you're a guru or just a wannabe knife modder, this is the place to discuss it!

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young cutlery
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Joined: Sun Mar 31, 2013 7:00 pm

Help with building my first kit

Post by young cutlery »

Hello,
I'm looking to assemble my first kit,
https://www.switchbladekits.com/index.p ... ail&p=1350
If someone could look at it and see what else I would need to assemble it, I have these scales
https://www.switchbladekits.com/index.p ... tail&p=286
I tried to contact the seller and the response was "it is what it is" so any helpful response would be apreciated
Last edited by young cutlery on Sun Mar 12, 2017 11:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Luke_of_Mass
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Re: Help with building my first kit

Post by Luke_of_Mass »

hate to tell you this but the guy who runs all those sites (switchbladekits, assistedknife.com, 24-7knives.com, roadsideimports) is a sociopath and has been punking people in the knife community for over a decade, hope your kit works out, even if it does, i strongly recommend not buying from him again...

you will need to sand those scales to size and possibly drill holes for the pins. I bet there's someone on here who can walk you through it more accurately/thoroughly
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young cutlery
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Re: Help with building my first kit

Post by young cutlery »

Yup, I'm familiar with JB... and although he's never been a very curtious person I really do want this specific kit and I can't find it anywhere else. Looking at it do you think it comes with pins, fulcrums etc? What else would I need. I have a fairly good tool set up, so I think I should be good
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big_slim
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Re: Help with building my first kit

Post by big_slim »

"it is what it is"...LOL, you still want to deal with somebody after that kind of response? I've never dealt with the guy but that's some lousy customer service. Both of your links above are just for stag scales, not sure what kit you're referring to.
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young cutlery
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Re: Help with building my first kit

Post by young cutlery »

Oops... thanks for pointing that out, I'll get the right one real quick,
I know, I was pretty unhappy with the response, but like I said I just really want this specific kit and can't seem to find it anywhere else, if anyone knows where I could get it elsewhere please let me know!
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ILikeStilettos
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Re: Help with building my first kit

Post by ILikeStilettos »

young cutlery wrote:Oops... thanks for pointing that out, I'll get the right one real quick,
I know, I was pretty unhappy with the response, but like I said I just really want this specific kit and can't seem to find it anywhere else, if anyone knows where I could get it elsewhere please let me know!
To my knowledge there really aren't many kits around. So what's the goal? To own a specific knife or to successfully build that knife?
Most guys start with an existing, working knife and modify it - new bolsters, new scales, shine it up, filework it, etc. This is called mangling. You start with a working knife and try to end with a somewhat different working knife, and learn a lot along the way. You establish that you have the techniques and equipment. Next step is to take a broken knife and see if you can fix it. This is actually easier than taking a manual knife and making it an automatic, because in the latter case there isn't always room to add a kick spring and a firing mechanism.

Once you have that under your belt, then you should try building one. At this point you make decisions about everything and then try to turn those decisions into a working knife. Why would someone sell you finished pieces when he could just put them together and sell the product? I have had a couple of the kits put together by experienced builders and manglers, and they hated it every inch of the way. The blades were incorrectly ground and so hard, that it was nearly impossible to correct. If pins were provided, they were the wrong size. They looked like working parts, but they took a hell of a lot of effort to turn into working parts, and the end result was marginal because they had to make do along the way.

I'm really not trying to rain on your parade, but you are setting yourself up for failure and disillusionment. This is largely due to the person you bought from, and who is a superlatively terrible businessman. Right now you need to stop and think about the answer to my original question and let us know what you are trying to do. Then and only then can we give your realistic and appropriate guidance.
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TRYKER
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Re: Help with building my first kit

Post by TRYKER »

looks like the pins are missing, you may find them at a local craft store or knife building supply bizz.
TRYKER



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young cutlery
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Re: Help with building my first kit

Post by young cutlery »

Well I would say my goal is to do a mixture of both, I would like to build something as well as I would like a shell puller.
Thank you tryker, what about the place the blade pivots around? Would that be something else to buy or do you think it is in the kit?
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JimBrown257
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Re: Help with building my first kit

Post by JimBrown257 »

If you are looking for the pins for the scales and pivot, you can make your own with hangers or nails. Be sure the pivot pin fits perfectly in the pivot (able to turn but no wiggle room).

But I really need to stress what others have said: dealing with that person is something you really want to avoid. If you've started any transaction, just walk away from it right now.

Also, if you are just looking for a knife to put together as a way of getting started on working on knives, I can take apart some old stiletto and send it to you. That is a great way to get started; it is how I started a few years ago and I make knives from scratch now.
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: Help with building my first kit

Post by Bill DeShivs »

Those knife "kits" are pieces of Chinese crap.
He sells them as "Massaro." They most certainly are not-they are counterfeit, just like about half the stuff on his site.
As stated, the owner is certifiably, criminally, sociopathically insane. Just read some of the insane crap on his first page-"Hand made in Italy," "No Stupid People," "Switchblade," "Open Position," etc. He will also tell you "how to behave" and that you are a pussy or an idiot.

If you want a shell-puller, there are Italian versions being sold. If you want a real shell-puller, buy an 11CM Hubertus and send it to me and I'll build you one.
Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler
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Factory authorized repairs for:
Latama, Mauro Mario, LePre, Colonial, Kabar, Flylock, Schrade Cut Co., Presto, Press Button, Hubertus, Grafrath, Kuno Ritter knives, Puma, Burrell Cutlery.
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: Help with building my first kit

Post by Bill DeShivs »

Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler
http://www.billdeshivs.com
Factory authorized repairs for:
Latama, Mauro Mario, LePre, Colonial, Kabar, Flylock, Schrade Cut Co., Presto, Press Button, Hubertus, Grafrath, Kuno Ritter knives, Puma, Burrell Cutlery.
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young cutlery
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Re: Help with building my first kit

Post by young cutlery »

Okay! Thank you all so much! I'll step back and think about other options, thanks for everything!
Hell yeah brother
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Luke_of_Mass
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Re: Help with building my first kit

Post by Luke_of_Mass »

On the bright-side, that "massaro" from jb will make a good beater so you can get your "click-fix" or "click-therapy" without messing up your good knives. I do that with rip-offs all the time. :)

Bill, it looks like our friend jb has a special place in his heart for you! Image
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sammy the blade
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Re: Help with building my first kit

Post by sammy the blade »

Luke_of_Mass wrote:On the bright-side, that "massaro" from jb will make a good beater so you can get your "click-fix" or "click-therapy" without messing up your good knives. I do that with rip-offs all the time. :)

Bill, it looks like our friend jb has a special place in his heart for you! Image

Wow, can't believe everything you read on the net. Bill has never seemed like that from what I've seen.
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tequiza
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Re: Help with building my first kit

Post by tequiza »

Just wondering here, is this Rubens blades/roadsideimports guy the old zipman from blade auction days, sure sounds like him?
Polish a knife, cook a pig, drink several beers
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