All About Pocket Knives

My second attempt at a full rebuid. It was a learning experience! Don't use stainless steel for a pivot pin and I need a pin spinner to improve the finished knife. I'm thinking of breaking it down and replacing the stainless pin with carbon steel. What do you all think?

Looks real nice to me ... I've had a crack at spinning pins even bought the real deal spinner from Jantz but in the end decided that the risk of damaging the scales after all that hard work was too high. There is a definite art to it - that I haven't got.

I try and use a pin of the same material as the bolsters. If they are steel go that way or nickel silver try and use nickel silver.

But the rebuild still looks mighty fine!

I think the knife looks real good. Personally, I would leave it and improve on the next knife.
You can always come back to it when you have more experience.
Good job on that knife.

Appreciate it Brumby! The bolsters are carbon and I realized that after I carry it for a while that stainless pin will glare at me!

I like that Byrd. It looks good. If that pin bothers you a lot then send it to me as it would not bother me at all.
I actually bet you will enjoy carrying it.

Perhaps I'm being too hard on myself? This is only the second one I've done and there's a definite learning curve!

FRJ wrote:I think the knife looks real good. Personally, I would leave it and improve on the next knife.
You can always come back to it when you have more experience.
Good job on that knife.

I agree with the comments above! Nice job.

I recently put nickel-silver pins in an older steel knife...it bugged me...but not enough to redo it. My wife said she likes the look of seeing the pins ...ha! I think sometimes...we may get a little too picky. I think it looks good...and would put it in my pocket!

Very nice. I have a TL-29 and want to fix it up also.

Good work. I, too, would leave as is. That pin will ever be a reminder that we, too, have inconsistencies but work just fine.

Well I'll leave it and use it. It does work fine. Strong spring and good snap. I'm learning and having fun and that's what this is all about anyway! I appreciate your input! I'm a novice and enjoy learning the tricks of rebuilding a worn out old knife.

I think it looks fine. Don't redo it. Keep it as a reminder, and look back on it as you get better. It will keep you humble.

Nice knife. I agree with above comments - I would leave it as is and move on to a new project. I have a whole box full of "learning knives" that I rotate carrying and using without any fear of loss or damage. On the rocker pin spinning, I finally learned through trial and error to to cut the rocker pin a bit longer and not peen it down as far, and certainly not flush with the scale. That way you have more of the pin head for the spinner to shape and you don't damage the handle scale. Just my 2 cents worth.

Very nice. I have several of the TL29s I am restoring for my sons. Klein,camillus,and others. I am just learning, and yours looks way better than mine.
Great job.

Thanks Tom. That was my second...and believe me it's a learning process. Fun though! Post pictures of yours!

I will when I get home. I'm ashamed of them though, but ya'all are a great bunch of guys..

No need to be ashamed! I've only done 2 and have appreciated the advice given in this forum. There's a learning curve in working on knives and the pro's here are happy to help as well as being enablers!
Something I've realized is that I can point out every flaw, but others can't. When you recognize a flaw just remember it on the next one you do.
By the way, I saw the pic of the 110 you posted with the horn scales and you did an excellent job of mating the handles with the angles of the frame. Whoda known the epoxy wouldn't hold them?

Here are a few I been working on. Let’s see, materials are buffalo horn, cocobola,Hawaiian Koa. And an original to show what they look like (some worse) when I start on them. I’m just learning too, but it’s fun figuring it out.

Those look good! Have fun working on them, you learn with each one so keep at it.

Byrd and Tom I think both of you are doing great, keep it up.

Nice job!