Taiwanese rehab

[Twobit]

JerryK, I have a stainless pop rivet that I think will fit both ways, I'll just have to trim some of the length off of it. The hollow might be a touch larger than original but I can open up the bolsters holes. I'm reluctant to use brass because of wear. I'm thinking the stainless will hold up better. Thanks for your input, Luke

[whippersnapper]

Not to discourage anyone. I know how it is when you first get the bug and want to fix everything that opens with a button. It can be done if you have the skills. I have always had more time than money so have tackled a few things that didn't make much sense...

But some turds are just not worth polishing, although it does feel good accomplishing something when it works out.

In my case I usually ended up failing...lol

[Twobit]

I'm so aware of how very poorly this thing is made. I just wanted to start somewhere and it kinda came to me. I'll end up with something utterly shitcan worthy or something one of a kind and an accomplishment. Either way is okay, of course I'd rather it go the latter direction.

[Twobit]

On the issue of the flimsy liners, it occurs to me that maybe the problem isn't so much that they aren't heavy enough , but other knives have the scales pinned to the liners, which stiffens them considerably. The scales on this one were fitted under the bolsters and pinned through with the bail pin with nothing in between except maybe some sort of adhesive. What do you guys think about scales pinned at a few points down the length, maybe without the bolsters being put back on - just full length scales? I'm not sure what to use for scales. I have a piece of antler but I hate to use that. Has anyone ever used walnut? I've got a bit of that in my firewood stack. I just don't know if it's dense enough at the size I'll be working with. I've made grip panels for a 1911 pistol out of pallet oak that turned out pretty well with a faux stag look burnt in with a soldering iron. I'm just thinking out loud here. Any ideas are welcome and appreciated even if I don't end up putting them into use. Thanks!

[Bill DeShivs]

Walnut is not dense enough for your purpose.You need something strong. Laminated wood -Pakkawood, etc.

[Twobit]

Thanks, Bill. I was thinking that was the case. I'd like to find a junk piano and get a couple of ebony keys off of it.

[Twobit]

So we're completely disassembled(at least as far as I'm taking it)and I've decided that I really hate the shape of that blade. I think I'm going to find an old kitchen knife and cut a new blade out of it. Gonna go with the pen shape like on my shell puller. So basically it's going to be using the original liners, the back spring, and the switch/spring assembly which I think is both incredibly simple and ingenious at the same time. I might sand the top ends of the scales and put the bolsters over them but I'm very on the fence.

[Twobit]

I'm also wondering about doubling up the liners as whippersnapper is kindly sending me a parts knife. I can cut a rectangular opening for the switch/spring assembly on the extra top liner and just TIG weld the edges. If my hand and eyes are still up to it it might even be pretty enough to leave un-touched-up.

[Twobit]

Question - does the back spring have to be "springy"? I'm looking at making a new blade and thinking I might go thicker. This would involve a thicker back spring as well, so I have a piece of stainless that I can cut one from but I don't know its grade or anything. It's a piece of hinge with no markings on it. Would I need to do anything special to it or would it be okay as is?

[Bill DeShivs]

Here's some very good advice- don't try to make a new blade, at least until you have the existing blade working. Cutting the sear holes has to be exact and I can guarantee that no matter how accurate you are, the blade will take a lot of fitting-probably more than you will be willing to do.
And the pivot needs to fit the blade hole (and liner holes) exactly, or the blade tip will peek.
A backspring will need to be springy.
A piece of random stainless is not blade material.
If you make the liners thicker, you have to make sure the sear protrudes through a sufficient amount.

[Twobit]

Bill, I wasn't planning on using the random piece of SS for the blade, just for the back spring as it doesn't seem to be mobile. I know some back springs act as locks for the opened blade but this one only appears to act as a spacer and to secure the kick spring. I was thinking of using the blade from an old, unused kitchen knife to cut my new blade from. The second liner, I was going to cut an opening for it to go on the outside of the original, over top of the sear, so that depth would remain the same. Anyway, I have a new plan to see if I can get two functional knives out of this one and the one whippersnapper has sent me. I do have questions about annealing a blade that is already tempered and hardened so I can work it and drill holes, etc, and then re- heat treating after the fitting and grinding is done.

[Twobit]

So maybe I'll just re- profile the blade to a standard flat grind. I think that's doable and I'll just close up the "open" sear a little on the bottom edge to get rid of the play. And I'm trying to think of how to put some kind of guard on it. I think a guard sets a switchblade off, somehow. The ones I like best all have them. By the way, no progress today because I was super busy at work AND I'm trying to figure out what to use for scales. That's probably my next move. I'm also going to have to make a new safety slide for the one whippersnapper sent me if I'm to get it functional too. We've got some Delrin (high density plastic) at work. I'd use it for scales as well but it's only 1/2"square sticks

[Twobit]

Update:
So I effed the bail up drilling the pin out of knife #2 (the one whippersnapper sent me). I'm pretty sure there's enough flat to drill new holes and just have the bail a little shorter, IF I decide to have bails on them. I'm also having to make a new lever because this one was bent too much towards straight and I broke it trying to re-bend it to the correct "dog-leg" angles. This is getting interesting. Nobody's going to recognize these as the same knives when I'm done.

[Twobit]

One of these levers is original. I made the other one. Can you guess which is which?

[gravknife]

Luke

Never owned one of these but id say yours is the one on the left .Just a guess mind .

Good luck with your project aswell ,keep us in the loop .You picked a hard knife to work on but it will be worth it in the end .

Ian