How do I repair a loose knife?

[TripleF]

I have this beautiful Schrade Walden 832, but she's loose....
Can it be fixed?

[orvet]

Sure Scott, it can be fixed.
Ya' gotta love those Propwood handles!

[TripleF]

Good to know it can be fixed......

[conslade]

Dale, you call those scales "propwood". Is that wood from old airplane props or what. It is a good looking wood.

[FRJ]

I can't say I've heard the term "propwood" before.
Here's an old Schrade. Is this propwood?
Thanks.

[orvet]

What is the model number Joe?

[TripleF]

Hello.......knock, knock......hello McFly, can we answer the question: HOW?

[orvet]

Hello.......knock, knock......hello McFly, can we answer the question: HOW?

But you didn't ask that question.

I have this beautiful Schrade Walden 832, but she's loose....
Can it be fixed?

The answer is "Yes."

To address the question 'How'; Kaleb did a great video on repairing a Swinden knife. He takes you through the process step by step.
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kni ... 38&t=30562

[TripleF]

Hello.......knock, knock......hello McFly, can we answer the question: HOW?

But you didn't ask that question.

I have this beautiful Schrade Walden 832, but she's loose....
Can it be fixed?

The answer is "Yes."

To address the question 'How'; Kaleb did a great video on repairing a Swinden knife. He takes you through the process step by step.
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kni ... 38&t=30562

Please look at the title of this thread.....

Apology accepted.

[Mumbleypeg]

Scott, I seem to recall Junebug posted a recipe for that fix a while back. Something about placing the bolster against a hard surface (like an anvil or similar), tap gently with light weight hammer, turn the knife over, repeat. Check often for desired tightness, don't hit too hard, be patient, etc. Was gonna look at his posts to see if I could find it for you. Then I see he has over 5000 posts, so you're on your own!
Disclaimer: Never tried this myself. Your mileage may vary. Not responsible for accidents. And so on.

Ken

[orvet]

Dale, you call those scales "propwood". Is that wood from old airplane props or what. It is a good looking wood.

The answer to your question is, “I have absolutely no idea if PropWood is wood from old airplane propellers.”

In the 1953 Schrade Walden catalog pages they list four types of wood used on their knife handles:

Hardwood- The model number 170, a grafting knife, is listed in the 1953 catalog as having hardwood handles.

Strata-wood- The following models are listed in the 1953 catalog as having Strata-wood handles: model number 243 and 805 which are both folders. The following fixed blade patterns are also listed as having Strata-wood handles: models 140, 145, 146, 147 and 148.

Cocobolo- Model numbers 163, 173, 174, 136 and 204, the electricians knife.

PropWood- The following numbers were listed as having PropWood handles in the 1953 catalog pages: 250, 820, 821, 822, 823 as well as the 832. All of the PropWood handle patterns, (250, 820, 821, 822, 823) were discontinued by 1958. The 832 was continued on until 1977 but the handle material was changed to WondaWood in 1957. The 204, the electricians knife is also listed as having WondaWood handles in 1958.


I have often said, “Schrade made knives, not catalogs.” Their priority was making knives. In studying their catalogs over the years I think they really didn’t place a great priority on their catalogs and their descriptons. If you started 1953 and work forward in time you can see the wood handles being thinned out rather quickly from 4 different wood handles listed in the catalog in 1953, two half that number in 1958. The only wood handles listed in the 1958 short line catalog are WondaWood and hardwood. Schrade was clearly trying to streamline their production process.

Now, back to PropWood: this is purely speculation on my part but, it may be that there was a surplus of airplane props after World War II and the Korean War and with the switch from reciprocating engines and propeller driven airplanes to jet airplanes. It may have been that someone at Schrade Walden felt making knife handles out of beautiful PropWood and using that name would sell knives to the public that was becoming increasingly aware of aviation. Commercial airlines were still relatively new in the early 1950s and public awareness of aviation was on the rise. It may have been that the folks at Schrade Walden thought the name PropWood would sell knives. As I said, this is purely speculation on my part.

Strata-wood – I am not sure what strata-wood is, but the general consensus among some collectors is that it is early form of stabilized wood.

Cocobolo – Cocobolo is a hardwood and a member of rosewood family. Technically you could call Cocobolo by its name or call it hardwood and either term would be correct.

Hardwood – This term can fit a very broad range of different woods from oak, ash, and beech in the temperate zones of the US, to a very large number of hardwood species that grow in the tropics. Rosewood, the Dalbergia family, is a large family of tropical hardwoods that include Cocobolo, African Blackwood, Tulipwood, as well as Mexican rosewood, Indian rosewood, Brazilian rosewood, Thai rosewood, etc. There are many other members of hardwood family apart from the rosewood family. Ebony is another hardwood and used historically for knife handles.


This may be more than you wanted to know about the woods used for knife handles by Schrade Walden, if so my apologies. I find with answers like this that 80% of the people are bored with the answer or don't even read them. The other 20% love all the details and information.

[orvet]

Scott, I seem to recall Junebug posted a recipe for that fix a while back. Something about placing the bolster against a hard surface (like an anvil or similar), tap gently with light weight hammer, turn the knife over, repeat. Check often for desired tightness, don't hit too hard, be patient, etc. Was gonna look at his posts to see if I could find it for you. Then I see he has over 5000 posts, so you're on your own!
Disclaimer: Never tried this myself. Your mileage may vary. Not responsible for accidents. And so on.

Ken

That process only works with knives made with pin through bolster construction, (which is most knives).
If you use that method with a Swinden knife you will only have the bolsters mashed flat and the blade will still be loose.

[TripleF]

Scott, I seem to recall Junebug posted a recipe for that fix a while back. Something about placing the bolster against a hard surface (like an anvil or similar), tap gently with light weight hammer, turn the knife over, repeat. Check often for desired tightness, don't hit too hard, be patient, etc. Was gonna look at his posts to see if I could find it for you. Then I see he has over 5000 posts, so you're on your own!
Disclaimer: Never tried this myself. Your mileage may vary. Not responsible for accidents. And so on.

Ken

Thanks Ken!
I already banged it a few times with a rubber mallet between 2 pieces of belt leather - nahdah!
Guess we'll just keep 'er like she is.

[FRJ]

Thank you, Dale. Count me as one of the 20%. I'm happy to have that information. I didn't know anything about Schrades classification of wood handles, and it's great to have it here.

My whittler has no model number on it, but I'm going with cocobolo until I learn differently.

I appreciate your effort with all this information. Thanks again.

[Mumbleypeg]

I have this beautiful Schrade Walden 832, but she's loose....
Can it be fixed?

The answer is "Yes."

To address the question 'How'; Kaleb did a great video on repairing a Swinden knife. He takes you through the process step by step.
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kni ... 38&t=30562

Dale, a big THANK YOU for pointing out Kaleb's video. Very educational. I have to admit, not being much of a Schrade guy, that I didn't know what a "Swinden knife" is. But now I do.
And Kaleb, if you should happen to see this, thanks to you also for doing the video, and sharing your knowledge and skill.

Ken

[glennbad]

I have seen others mentioning the tapping of the bolsters to try to tighten up the brass "keyhole" on the inside of the hollow bolster. The problem I see with that method, other than what Dale mentioned about mashing the hollow bolsters, lies within the fact that knife was loose to begin with.

On Swinden construction knives that I have taken apart for repining, in addition to the brass keyhole area being warped/twisted out of shape, I also find that the part where the swinden rivet pulls against gets worn and rounded from whatever force made the knife get loose in the first place. Even if that brass area is flattened, the knife will almost never be tight again due to that play.

For that reason, through-pinning seems to be the best repair method. (for me anyway)

Glenn

[orvet]

I have experimented a little bit with loose Swinden key knives, trying to tighten the key so that it will hold the knife together and still have the blades tight. It seems to me that the tolerances for the Swinden key are so precise that a couple thousands of an inch too tight on the Swinden key and the halves of the knife fit together, and a couple thousands to loose and the blade will wobble.

Once the original key is loose I doubt they can be tightened effectively. They seem to work like small cutlery rivets, with a male and a female side. If you tighten them enough to where they won’t pull apart again, the heads of the rivets will be too close together to get both halves of the knife reassembled. At least that is been my experience. That’s why I opt for the pen through bolster method of reassembling them.