All About Pocket Knives

Greetings folks: I feel like I have been asking a lot of questions lately, so feel free to ignore this one if there are more pressing matters. Yesterday I took apart my first TL-29, using the razorblade and rubber mallet method Dale pointed me to. So far so good. The pocket knife came apart without much fuss and I have polished the first spring using 1000 grit sandpaper. So far so good. There is some light "crud" on all the spring surfaces that comes up with a bit of elbow grease. I also have some pin stock on order that should be here this week. My question relates to my measurements of the existing pins and treatment of pieces before putting the knife back together.

1) I measured the cut pins with a Stauer caliper (dial, not digital. . . my workshop is not heated and the cold makes digital calipers go a bit wonky). I took several measurements to be sure, but the pin running through the bail measured 0.083 inches wide, as did the middle pin. The bolster pin is a bit thicker, measuring about 0.095 or 0.099 inches in width.

The pin stock that I have been able to find is:

.0625 (1/16 inch)
.098 (2.5mm)
.081 inch

I will no doubt have to figure this out for myself, but I am interested in what you experienced knife workers do when your standard sizes of pin are off by a couple of mills from what you remove from a knife. Does the stock expand at all when you peen the ends?

2) It occurs to me that the springs and other internal parts could be treated with a corrosion inhibitor like Eezox before I put the knife back together. Is there any common wisdom on this? My preference would be for Eezox, which works well on firearms and dries smooth rather than Bosheild T9, which is a bit greasy. Another alternative could be Renaissance wax, which I have also used on firearms as a rust inhibitor. . .shoot, you could use beeswax if you wanted. The idea would be something that would inhibit corrosion, but wouldn't migrate too much (these are pocket knives, after all, with the emphasis on "pocket").

The TL-29, if it turns out well, is destined as a gift to a fellow vol. fire dept. member. His day job is as an electrician and I thought he'd appreciate a bit of history in his kit.

Thanks in advance for any advice. I am taking pix along the way and if the end result is good, I'll post the whole thing.

Your 1/6” pins will work fine for the handle pins. The .081” should work just fine for the .083” pin.
If the .098” is too large in diameter, I would put it in a drill and spin it against a belt sander until it is small enough. It may take a couple tries but it works once you get the touch.

I use Eezox on knives when I think they may be at risk for rusting, knives included.
Eezox is great stuff!

what dale said

Thanks folks. Very helpful as usual. I am still playing around with what works for the innards of this knife. You know: hand sand the springs, or buff them on a wheel? Polish the blade or leave the patina in place? Time to play around and try some stuff.

I actually took this one apart because Dale suggested (offline) that it would not be a bad pattern to start out with. I know the TL-29's are common and pretty inexpensive, but I really like the heft of it. The blade is a good compromise size too: a little longer than a Swiss Army, but a useful spear pattern that looks like it will stand up to some use (and already has). This is going to be a polish, clean and buff operation with the original knife going back together. I think I mentioned that this will go to a buddy on the fire department; if it works out well, I think the next one will be a "blade only" conversion for myself.

flangster

An alternative to turning down the pin stock is to re-drill the holes to fit the pins you have. More often than not this requires carbide bits and you'll need to go a couple of thousandths over the pin size for it to work properly, but this solution has served me well.

Thanks, Elvis. I may have to go there. The nickel pins have proved pretty tenacious. I actually bent a steel punch trying to back one out. Operator error.

So it may be drill-and-repin . . .

Please don't forget to drill your holes while the knife is apart. If you drill the hole for the center pin with the backspring in place, but not compressed, you'll lose all the snap from the knife. Those 2 fluted carbide bits work great for drilling backsprings and even blades if you want to install a thumbstud on a knife that doesn't have one. Just prepare yourself for the sticker shock.

Roger that. Thanks, Elvis. None of the local hardware stores has a carbide bit in the right size. Actually three of the four had no carbide bits at all. Have to give it some thought. In the meantime, the inner surfaces of the knife have polished up nicely with some 1000 grit wet/dry paper. Holds a lot of promise.

I was laughing at the number of ways there are to mess up this first knife. But, hey, you don't try, you don't learn. Plus, I started on the knife that was a) least expensive and b) in the roughest shape. If the whole project goes south, I have the feeling that another TL-29 will not be hard to find. Thanks for all the help.

I think an electrician's knife is an excellent choice for learning. As you have said, it's cheap and easily replaceable. And as the knife mechanics here on AAPK have shown it can be turned from a sows ear into a silk purse.

When searching for solid carbide drill bits, if your local sources turn up dry, don't forget the Internet. What a great resource for just about everything. Home improvement centers like Lowes and Home Depot might have what you need.

Carbide Drill Bits -- http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywor ... wsynwkqh_b

I have found the carbide drills on ebay are inexpensive and great quality, even if they have been resharpened. And at $2 to $4 each I don't cry if I break one.