Colonial WW2 Pilot's Survival Knife Saw Replacement

[herbva]

It seems like at least half of these pilot's survival knives that I see have a broken saw blade. Other than the saw, these are among the sturdiest, heaviest, folding knives that I have ever worked on and are truly "built like a tank". So I've never been able to understand why they put such a thin, fragile saw blade in them. Anyway, I'm sure that I'm not the first person who has contemplated replacing a broken saw blade in one of these. I think I may have even seen a post about doing this some time ago, but I haven't been able to find it. I've had a nicer one of these knives with a broken saw sitting in my collection for a long time and I've been itching to give it a try for quite a while. But, I was concerned about possibly messing up a WW2 artifact, so I bought a cheap, heavily used "beater" to work on as an experiment, and here it is. I went with a thicker, stronger saw blade as an improvement, but when I get around to replacing the saw on my good one, I've got an old keyhole saw with a nicely rusted, thinner blade in mind for a blade donor.

Sorry, as I frequently do, I forgot to take a picture before I got started, so the first picture is with the patient already disassembled and I had already removed the tang spacers from the broken saw blade. I found a 3-pack of Rigid D-692 keyhole saw blades that looked about right on the bay for $16 plus shipping. They are actually a bit thicker than I wanted, so I had to shave down the tang of the new blade before I transplanted the spacers from the old saw blade. Before I reassembled everything, I gave both blades an overnight "magic patina" treatment with white vinegar. The steel pivot pins in these things are massive (about .148" or close to 5/32). So I drilled out the center of the old pins as much as I could (I wound up eventually using a 7/64 bit) and then was able to cut the pins in the normal way. For replacement pivot pins I used 10d steel nails, that turned out to be perfect, and 8d for the rocker pin, which was also perfect.

I wish that I could find suitable black composite material to use to replace the black composite handle scales, which you can see have shrunk on the ends. (Maybe I'll just fill in the gaps until I find the right material.) Now that I'm looking at the pictures, maybe I'll darken up the blades a bit more. This was a fun project.

[jerryd6818]

IMO the shrunken handles didn't hurt the finished product one iota. In fact (again IMO) they give the knife a vintage look. Excellent job. Looks original.

[Beavertail]

What a great old knife!
I've wanted one for some time but haven't found one yet.
Great save on the saw blade.

[doglegg]

Great save on that one Herb.

[eveled]

Very nicely done! I’ve wondered about these blades too. They are usually broken. And the stub rarely shows any use at all. I think they were too hard and snapped pretty quickly.

[#goldpan]

I like it . Nice work. I did one many years ago. You can see it here: https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kn ... 37&t=47789

[Rdubya21]

Beautiful job makin that saw blade !

[zed6309]

Awesome job

[glennbad]

Looks great! I have thought of doing what you did, but with a sawzall blade. I never got around to it, but seeing yours encourages me to give it a go!

[Reverand]

Herb, ya did great!
I have two of these waiting for me to repair them. I had been concerned about getting the correct length saw blade. I did not think about getting a longer blade and cutting it the correct length!

I also went back to Goldpan's mod and saw his approach. One of mine has broken handles, so I may try rehandling it after seeing that project.

You gentlemen are inspiring!

[1967redrider]

Excellent job once again, Herb!!!

[rustyoldknife]

Great Job The knife looks original

[Jeffinn]

Nice save! It looks great.
Jeff

[herbva]

Herb, ya did great!
I have two of these waiting for me to repair them. I had been concerned about getting the correct length saw blade. I did not think about getting a longer blade and cutting it the correct length!

I also went back to Goldpan's mod and saw his approach. One of mine has broken handles, so I may try rehandling it after seeing that project.

You gentlemen are inspiring!

Thanks Reverand, and everyone else. Reverand, your comment about cutting the saw blade to the correct length just reminded me about one little modification I made, and will probably continue make on any of these saw blades I replace in the future. If you look at the right side of my last picture, the very right end, you can just see the rounded end of the saw blade sticking out a tiny bit. The saw blades on these do not have a pull (nail nick) and the only way to open them is by slipping a finger nail under the end of the saw blade. I find that to be a nuisance, particularly on stiff blades. So, I cut the saw blade 1/8" longer than the original. I know that doesn't sound like much, but I can easily grab onto the end of the saw blade to open it now.

[1967redrider]

If you're looking for a belt sheath, from another thread on these knives-

Just as an FYI. I found that Beretta made a magazine pouch for their model 92fs pistol. The pouch is black leather and is made like a Buck 110 sheath. Anyway it fits the survival knife like it was made for it. Incase anyone wants to edc the Giant Jack.

[Meridian_Mike]

GREAT work Herb!
I have one with the (as usual) broken saw blade and I just removed the saw blade.

I like your solution MUCH better!

NICE save!!

[Ridgegrass]

Helluva job Herb! By the way, next year's first show at the Winery is set for April 30th. Should be good weather and we're going to start early recruiting and publicizing. J.O'.

[eveled]

Fixing those knives could be a full time job. There must be 10,000 of them out there that needs saw blades.

[1967redrider]

Helluva job Herb! By the way, next year's first show at the Winery is set for April 30th. Should be good weather and we're going to start early recruiting and publicizing. J.O'.

I hope to make it next year, along with Shenandoah and Mason/Dixon.

[cody6268]

Awesome job! Been meaning to get one myself, but I'm always broke when I find a cheap one.

I've seen some people use Sawzall blades, but I like those keyhole saw blades better. The teeth are a closer match to what is on the original knife. While a blade for wood is more suited towards my real use--these knives were built to make quick work out of aluminum and plexiglass. And, not to mention, a metal cutting blade that long makes the Gerber and Leatherman models that take a short (to the point I've had to cut some wood cutting jigsaw blades down on a bench grinder just so that they would be able to fold into the handle) jigsaw blade look like a bad joke. Some of the big Swiss Army Models (esp. the big RangerGrip line) have some serious saws on them, but the saws aren't that great. There is a metal file on some 111mm knives, but the saw is too thick to properly cut anything. The only "knives" that have big saws other than these are folding saws that take a reciprocating saw blade, but also have a utility knife and/or clip point blade that folds out the other end.

[herbva]

Helluva job Herb! By the way, next year's first show at the Winery is set for April 30th. Should be good weather and we're going to start early recruiting and publicizing. J.O'.

I hope to make it next year, along with Shenandoah and Mason/Dixon.

I'm all in! I'll even spring for lodging at the winery show!

[herbva]

Helluva job Herb! By the way, next year's first show at the Winery is set for April 30th. Should be good weather and we're going to start early recruiting and publicizing. J.O'.

Thanks J.O. ! By the way, I took my wife back to the winery the next day and we had a great time outside. The brisket sandwiches from their food truck are terrific! Redrider is coming to the next one.

[1967redrider]

Helluva job Herb! By the way, next year's first show at the Winery is set for April 30th. Should be good weather and we're going to start early recruiting and publicizing. J.O'.

Thanks J.O. ! By the way, I took my wife back to the winery the next day and we had a great time outside. The brisket sandwiches from their food truck are terrific! Redrider is coming to the next one.

Yes, I'm down for knives and wine.

[Ridgegrass]

Good deal! J.o'.

[CarMan]

It seems like at least half of these pilot's survival knives that I see have a broken saw blade. Other than the saw, these are among the sturdiest, heaviest, folding knives that I have ever worked on and are truly "built like a tank". So I've never been able to understand why they put such a thin, fragile saw blade in them. Anyway, I'm sure that I'm not the first person who has contemplated replacing a broken saw blade in one of these. I think I may have even seen a post about doing this some time ago, but I haven't been able to find it. I've had a nicer one of these knives with a broken saw sitting in my collection for a long time and I've been itching to give it a try for quite a while. But, I was concerned about possibly messing up a WW2 artifact, so I bought a cheap, heavily used "beater" to work on as an experiment, and here it is. I went with a thicker, stronger saw blade as an improvement, but when I get around to replacing the saw on my good one, I've got an old keyhole saw with a nicely rusted, thinner blade in mind for a blade donor.

Sorry, as I frequently do, I forgot to take a picture before I got started, so the first picture is with the patient already disassembled and I had already removed the tang spacers from the broken saw blade. I found a 3-pack of Rigid D-692 keyhole saw blades that looked about right on the bay for $16 plus shipping. They are actually a bit thicker than I wanted, so I had to shave down the tang of the new blade before I transplanted the spacers from the old saw blade. Before I reassembled everything, I gave both blades an overnight "magic patina" treatment with white vinegar. The steel pivot pins in these things are massive (about .148" or close to 5/32). So I drilled out the center of the old pins as much as I could (I wound up eventually using a 7/64 bit) and then was able to cut the pins in the normal way. For replacement pivot pins I used 10d steel nails, that turned out to be perfect, and 8d for the rocker pin, which was also perfect.

I wish that I could find suitable black composite material to use to replace the black composite handle scales, which you can see have shrunk on the ends. (Maybe I'll just fill in the gaps until I find the right material.) Now that I'm looking at the pictures, maybe I'll darken up the blades a bit more. This was a fun project.

Sir, unfortunately I have to try the same thing on a Colonial. I’ve been trying to convince myself I can do it for quite a while, but I see these knives on eBay and it’s easy to tell which ones have been taken apart. Would you mind telling me how you got the pins out so neatly, and did you reuse the original ones? Thank you sir, John

Colossians 3:17