Left handed sear help

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ILikeStilettos
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Re: Left handed sear help

Post by ILikeStilettos »

Bill DeShivs wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 7:57 pm Incorrect, Dave.
There has to be an angle on the sear to clear the spring and blade.
That angle is exactly the opposite on a left-handed knife.
You're speaking of the angle that he!ps the sear climbing the ricasso so that drop into the hole. Sometime the holes are ramped as well. This angle also tends to depress the fire button when closing because the kicker catches it and so does the ricasso. I had forgotten that part. The sears are rarely blunt, they come to a point. You could just as easily bevel the underside of the kicker and the ricasso. If you are in the habit of depressing the fire button when closing to save sear wear you could leave it blunt. You are right, angled on top side, square on the bottom. Braze a small piece of steel to the sear, then bevel the opposite way.
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bunkyz52
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Re: Left handed sear help

Post by bunkyz52 »

They break at the point of being flat. Bending the opposite way was never an option. I also tried what Bill described, filing the bevel and milling a little groove in the liner. Either the blade didn't catch closed or if you even breathed on the firing button it popped open. I don't know what they're made of but it's extremely brittle.
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bunkyz52
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Re: Left handed sear help

Post by bunkyz52 »

They broke at the point of being flat. Whatever they're made of is extremely brittle
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bunkyz52
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Re: Left handed sear help

Post by bunkyz52 »

Hello everyone. I tried altering another sear and again the same issue, hair trigger. I've been through $50 worth of sears and way too much aggravation. At this point I think my best option is to just separate the knife and build two right hand knives, one ebony and one ivory. The gift for my wife idea was a good one but not worth the trouble and expense. Obviously the double wasn't meant to be. Thanks again for listening, happy building
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: Left handed sear help

Post by Bill DeShivs »

The source of your parts is probably to blame. He sells Chinese parts and is a crook.
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bunkyz52
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Re: Left handed sear help

Post by bunkyz52 »

Hello Bill, you're probably right about that but I don't know of any other sources for parts. If there's another place to get parts I haven't found it. I'd really like to finish this knife but making a sear from scratch myself isn't an option anymore. I'd gladly pay to have one made but I haven't had any luck with that either so far. I may be wrong but I think the only thing needed to make a LH sear if you already have a blank is turn it over in the bending dies. I would think they'd sell pretty well and for a slightly higher price.
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JimBrown257
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Re: Left handed sear help

Post by JimBrown257 »

I forgot to get back to you about this. I tried heating and reversing a sear piece but that was a lost cause. I did have some luck bending the sear down farther which gives you the room on the sear to reverse it. But if you do that, the button will be moved forward. Is the hole on the scale already drilled?

As for buying the button pieces, just find $10 Asian stilettos and take the parts out of those.
sammy the blade
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Re: Left handed sear help

Post by sammy the blade »

It's a really good looking knife but two of them wouldn't be bad either.
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bunkyz52
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Re: Left handed sear help

Post by bunkyz52 »

Hi guys, thanks for your response. In answer to JB's question yes the hole's already drilled. How much do you think it would be off? I might be able to use an oval button if it's not off a lot. Just a thought. I really don't wanna split the knife into two separate knives if I can avoid it. Again, thanks for your trouble
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JimBrown257
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Re: Left handed sear help

Post by JimBrown257 »

Actually, I wasn't thinking when I posted that last comment. If you bend the sear down a little to make it longer and can still fit the button piece in there then the button will still be in the same place. You should try to bend the sear down a little farther.
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bunkyz52
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Re: Left handed sear help

Post by bunkyz52 »

Hello again JB257. I made a quick sketch to make sure I understood your suggestion. Easier than trying to type it out. Is this what you mean?
Attachments
20190910_234329_compress27.jpg
20190910_234329_compress27.jpg (139.12 KiB) Viewed 5651 times
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JimBrown257
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Re: Left handed sear help

Post by JimBrown257 »

Yes, just like that. Be sure to just give it a small amount of extra length or it will mess up how well the piece functions. Just a little bit and your button should still fit under there and work correctly.

One other thing: you said you messed up some sear piece. Does that mean you have a bunch of extra buttons? I have a bunch of extra sear pieces with no buttons so if you want to trade a few of them let me know.
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bunkyz52
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Re: Left handed sear help

Post by bunkyz52 »

The sear pieces I messed up were the USA made and they don't come with buttons but I do have one from an old project that I'd be glad to give you. Send me some info and I'll get it in the mail to you. I'm assuming you mean the standard silver one that's on an Italian.
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JimBrown257
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Re: Left handed sear help

Post by JimBrown257 »

I don't need the button; I just had some extra sears so I thought if you had extra buttons then we could at least organize some usable sets. But if you just have the one button keep that as you might need it someday.
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