The knife I actually worked on was a bit more used than the one shown here. The handles were partially gone, the back spring of the can opener was broken and half was missing. The whole knife seemed flimsy to me with it’s short bolsters and the thin liners and thin handles.
I decided I would remake the knife into a proper and usable rope knife, and hopefully make it a bit prettier in the process.
I removed the broken spring and the can opener blade when I took this knife apart. I also removed the tiny bolsters because they did not give it enough strength for such a long blade. So I made new thicker & longer bolsters and soldered them on to the liners. I added water buffalo horn handles, which are mostly black with a few flecks of white in them. I put rope file work on the backspring and crowning on the nickel silver bolsters. Then I remounted the lanyard loop.
Rescue & Repair of a Camco #S702 Life Raft/Rope Knife
What do you think?
Too bad you weren't in charge there when they were putting them together the first time. They might still be in business.
Dale (or anyone else that knows), I've used and still have some of what they call "hard" silver solder. It feels more like wire, but it works. The higher temps it requires are a problem in some cases, but I was curious if you knew the difference and what applications it might be best for. Since I've been using the 4%, I haven't used the hard solder for anything.