First Rebuild Imperial Scout

This forum is for those who like to repair and restore knives, and for those who would like to learn.
Post Reply
User avatar
whitebuffalo58
Posts: 2743
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 2:35 am
Location: SW MO Heart of the Ozarks

First Rebuild Imperial Scout

Post by whitebuffalo58 »

Well, I figured out what the first lesson in repairing knives is...they aren't made to come apart easy! Me and this ol' Imperial Scout had quite a tussel, but I did finally prevail.
The handles were missing and the primary pivot pin had worn a groove to the point of the blades not locking up tight in the open position. All blades were heavily corroded and slow and it looked like it had been dropped in a bucket of tar and never thoroughly cleaned.
I missed getting before pictures of the knife assembled, but did start taking them after getting it apart and all the parts semi-cleaned up. Here's how it turned out.
First Rebuild 1.jpg
First Rebuild 2.jpg
First Rebuild 3.jpg
I did a bit more cleaning on the parts after I took the first pic, but tried to keep atleast some of the patina on the blades and backsprings. The bone handles are my own creation. I made 'em from cow shinbone that my bro.-in-law gave me a few years back. Overall I think it turned out pretty good. Blades are tight and it walks and talks smooth as silk. Hope ya'll like it. WB
User avatar
FRJ
Posts: 15173
Joined: Fri May 14, 2010 1:43 pm
Location: Ct.

Re: First Rebuild Imperial Scout

Post by FRJ »

Sheeeehit, pard, looks like that thing could whistle Dixie.
Joe
User avatar
whitebuffalo58
Posts: 2743
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 2:35 am
Location: SW MO Heart of the Ozarks

Re: First Rebuild Imperial Scout

Post by whitebuffalo58 »

Thanks Joe! Dale's tutorial really helped. I don't have all the equipment he does, but found a way to pull it off with what I did have. I can't wait to start my next one! ::nod::
User avatar
orvet
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 19336
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 6:23 am
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon

Re: First Rebuild Imperial Scout

Post by orvet »

Nice job WB! ::tu:: ::tu:: ::tu::
I am glad the tutorial helped!

From the looks of that knife, I must be a better teacher than I thought. :lol: :lol:

You did an outstanding job!
Dale
AAPK Administrator

Please visit my AAPK store: www.allaboutpocketknives.com/orvet

Job 13:15

"Buy more ammo!" - Johnnie Fain
“Evil is Powerless If The Good are Unafraid.” – Ronald Reagan
User avatar
glennbad
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 7353
Joined: Mon May 15, 2006 11:13 am
Location: NH

Re: First Rebuild Imperial Scout

Post by glennbad »

Looks like you brought it back from the dead! Nice work with the bone.

She'll make a solid user for sure.

Glenn
PigSticker
Posts: 1296
Joined: Thu Jun 24, 2010 3:37 pm
Location: Burton,Michigan

Re: First Rebuild Imperial Scout

Post by PigSticker »

That looks like a good first try to me! I keep tellin myself I'm gonna do one--I gotta get off my ass and give it a try.
NEVER DOUBT YOUR DAWG
User avatar
whitebuffalo58
Posts: 2743
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 2:35 am
Location: SW MO Heart of the Ozarks

Re: First Rebuild Imperial Scout

Post by whitebuffalo58 »

Thank you guys! Dale, you are an excellent teacher. The tutorial has pointers, that if you tried doing this without 'em, you'd have a miserable time of it. I have to get one of those spring loaded punches. A standard center punch worked, but locating it dead center on the pins was kinda tough. (and drilling off center is not an option!)
Glenn, thanks for the comment on the bone. I was hoping for a dramatic red, but the appaloosa bone look will do. Not sure how they get the dye to go deep into the bone, gonna have to do a bit more experimenting with that.
PigSticker, you really should give it a try. Print off a copy of Dale's tutorial and keep it handy. It was the best tool I had!
Not exactly sure what my next project will be. I've got a Norvell-Shapleigh D-E Jack that would be in very good condition if not for a busted pen blade. I could turn it into a single blade Jack, but i'd really like to find a good replacement blade to keep it closer to original. Uh Oh, I feel a new addiction coming on! :?
User avatar
TripleF
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 18499
Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:42 pm
Location: West Central FL
Contact:

Re: First Rebuild Imperial Scout

Post by TripleF »

Very, very knice ::tu::
SCOTT
HOME OF THE BRAVE! (not the scarety cats)

Colonial Knife Company History ebook:
https://gumroad.com/l/ZLDb
User avatar
whitebuffalo58
Posts: 2743
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 2:35 am
Location: SW MO Heart of the Ozarks

Re: First Rebuild Imperial Scout

Post by whitebuffalo58 »

Hey Dale, I meant to ask about something. One problem I have with this knife, is that the punch blade, while tight in the open position, has enough play in the closed position, that it tends to move over in the way of the primary blade closing properly. (all other blades are tight in both positions) There's enough snap in the primary to get past it, but it's actually so strong that it recoils. If the punch blade gets slid over far enough to wedge between the liner and primary, the primary sticks partially open on the recoil. (does any of that make sense) I'm 99.9% sure that I got the knife back together as it originally was and it's probably too late to do anything for this one, but wondered if you might have any advise for the future.
Thanks TripleF, mechanicin' opens a whole new door into the world of knife collecting. Everyone should try atleast one. It'll teach ya alot about the inner workings of a folding knife. And it's fun! ::groove:: WB
gringo
Posts: 2033
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:17 pm

Re: First Rebuild Imperial Scout

Post by gringo »

nice job...how'dya get the scales all pink like that?
User avatar
orvet
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 19336
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 6:23 am
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon

Re: First Rebuild Imperial Scout

Post by orvet »

WB,
Did you clean the bone before dying?
They suggest boiling it in water with TSP to remove any fat residue.
(I would do this outdoors) ::nod::

As to the blades hitting…… ::hmm::
Maybe there was a spacer or liner that you missed or got in the wrong place.
It is hard to tell without having the knife in my hand.


Ya’ gotta’ watch this knife fixin’ stuff, I is more addictive than collecting!
Dale
AAPK Administrator

Please visit my AAPK store: www.allaboutpocketknives.com/orvet

Job 13:15

"Buy more ammo!" - Johnnie Fain
“Evil is Powerless If The Good are Unafraid.” – Ronald Reagan
User avatar
whitebuffalo58
Posts: 2743
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 2:35 am
Location: SW MO Heart of the Ozarks

Re: First Rebuild Imperial Scout

Post by whitebuffalo58 »

Hi Gringo, thanks! I started with the front shinbone of a domestic cow. My brother and sister-in-laws raise cattle and I had them save me a few over the years. Only the front shinbones have enough thickness to use for slabbing. The ones they gave me weren't fresh, but they weren't thoroughly dried either. So, I built a cage from wire mesh and put the bones under the cage on the roof of one of my outbuildings to finish drying. The cage keeps the critters from gettin' to them.
After a good, long, hot summer, they were dry enough to slab up. To slab them, I started by cutting the center section into 4-5" long pieces. Discarding the knuckles. Next I used a large belt sander to flatten one edge of each piece, 'till I had a flat surface about an inch wide. I used this flat surface to run against a fence on my bandsaw. I had several pieces, so I made a variety of thicknesses from about an 1/8" to 1/4". After slabbing, I let the slabs dry for another month or so. I actually stickered them, kinda like you would do for drying green wood. During this drying process, most of the slabs developed small cracks, but the majority were surface cracks and only added character imho. Surprisingly, none of the slabs warped or twisted too awfully much.
Next, I used a Dremmel tool and tried doing a variety of jigging on a few sets. Results were, so-so. That's another area that will require a bit more practice. ::facepalm::
I set back a few sets to leave natural. The others, I decided to do in 2 different colors. (blue & red)
I started by putting the slabs in a 175 degree oven. (as low as our oven will go) My thought was to open the pores of the bone, thinking this would allow the dye to penetrate deeper. In the meantime, I mixed up the 2 color batches using RIT fabric dye. I can't remember if the directions on the box called for it, but I heated the dissolved dye in a pan on the stove. This seemed like a good idea and I hoped this heat would also help the dye penetrate deeper.
Out of the oven and into the dye. I steeped the slabs for about 30 minutes and then shut down the burners and allowed them to cool slowly to room temp. Again, my theory was that this would lock the dye in and achieve maximum effect. I took the slabs out, rinsed them under cold water and allowed them to air dry for about 2 weeks.
All together I ended up with around 10 sets of each color (natural, red and blue) and roughly about 3 or 4 of each were in the jigged versions.
My brother is a fairly well established knife maker down in Ft. Smith, so I shipped the majority of the sets down to him. The rest i've used on a few stick blades i've custom built, but have sold or given away most all of those. I'm down to the last pair or two and it's about time to give it another try. I'm not sure what to do different, but as you can see, what started as a deep rich red, ends up more of a pink when shaped down to handles. The blue was pretty much the same way.
I'll try looking through my archives and see if I have pics of some of the other sets I had from this last batch. If I do, i'll post them. The jigged versions actually look pretty cool. The jigging stays dark, while the rest ends up the pale red and blue. I probably should have jigged more of them, but will practice my jigging technic before getting too carried away. :)
Anyway, that's the long winded version of how I did it. I liked the results, but it really wasn't what I was hoping for. WB
User avatar
whitebuffalo58
Posts: 2743
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 2:35 am
Location: SW MO Heart of the Ozarks

Re: First Rebuild Imperial Scout

Post by whitebuffalo58 »

Hi, Dale. See above for how I did it. The TSP may be the answer i'm looking for. Thanks!
If I missed or misplaced anything in the knife, it was put together different then the other one I have. I used it as a schematic to make sure I put this one back together right. The only possibility would be a part that was worn away or missing from this knife before I took it apart, and/or isn't visible in the second fully assembled knife.
Don't get me wrong, i'm fully capable of making mistakes, but was pretty careful to keep track of the parts during the disassemly process. I don't think I lost anything. I figured it was more in technic during reassembly then a parts issue.
One other thing that just came to mind was a worbled out hole in the punch blade. Something I never thought to check, but would account for it being loose when the others are tight. ::hmm::
Anyway, thanks for the input and I can see whatcha mean about being yet another addiction. No quality brand flea market find is safe from the wrath of the KNIFE MECHANIC! ::paranoid::
User avatar
Toejammer
Posts: 878
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2010 10:09 pm
Location: Tryon, NE

Re: First Rebuild Imperial Scout

Post by Toejammer »

Great work, good to see someone else works primarily with a Dremel too ! (someday I'll have all the fancy shop tools, but for now...) You picked a tough first project too, I steer clear of anything with more than two blades, kudos to you. ::tu::
A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.
Bruce Lee
User avatar
glennbad
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 7353
Joined: Mon May 15, 2006 11:13 am
Location: NH

Re: First Rebuild Imperial Scout

Post by glennbad »

orvet wrote:WB,


As to the blades hitting…… ::hmm::
Maybe there was a spacer or liner that you missed or got in the wrong place.
It is hard to tell without having the knife in my hand.
^^This. On those utility patterns, there is a usually a small brass shim that is used on the punch side. The punch blades I have worked with tend to have a thinner tang than the main blade opposite, so the shim is used to even out things.

Glenn
User avatar
whitebuffalo58
Posts: 2743
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 2:35 am
Location: SW MO Heart of the Ozarks

Re: First Rebuild Imperial Scout

Post by whitebuffalo58 »

Thanks Jammer, the thought had occured to me that I was being a little over ambitious taking on a 4-blader. But then I figured what the heck, if I can tackle this one, the rest should come easier. Nothin' like the thrill of divin' head first into unknown waters. ::facepalm::
Glenn, you and Dale are probably right, I must have lost or missed somethin' or it was worn away before I took the knife apart. I didn't take notice of it being a problem before I disassembled it, so I can't say for sure. I could probably fix it, if I could get the punch blade bent towards the liner, but that sounds like a risky proposition. I'll most likely just leave it and chalk it up to a learnin' experience. I do have a problem in that area though, I can't never seem to leave well enough alone. It's hard to have had everything else work out so well and to have this one little problem. It's kinda like finding a loose thread on a sweater, you know you shouldn't pull on it, but... ::dang::
Post Reply

Return to “Knife Repair and Restoration”