All About Pocket Knives

My good,talented,machinist friend press fit and Tig welded a new locking pin on this beautiful “false switch blade”. You can’t even tell it was worked on! The other pic is my next project. It might have real MOP scale? Tested with hot needle. No smoke,no penetration of needle.

The handle is acrylic, not pearl.

Bill DeShivs wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 5:58 pm The handle is acrylic, not pearl.

I didn’t think it was pearl but I’ve never stuck a hot needle in something that didn’t melt and smell. It’s the best fake pearl I’ve seen!

I believe the official name of that stuff is "Pearlex" Smitty, but I have no idea what it's made of, acrylic I guess.

It’s different! I used a needle on a black scale Romo recently and it PLUNGED in,smoked,and you could smell plastic.i had a whales tooth I was not sure of and the same result. This stuff stopped the hot needle and did not smell,smoke,and no mark. It looks different from the side than the top though. Top is spectacular!

So this is a false button manual that was converted into an auto? Cool!

Real pearl doesn't have bubbles in it.
Hot pins damage materials. It's a bad way to check stuff. Just ask.

Hey JW, I think I'm seeing something rather interesting about the release mechanism on that switchblade. There isn't a typical leaf spring pinned to the liner and sticking under the button/rocker from below or at an angle that I normally see with that type of rocker, and I don't see a pin hole for one. If I'm seeing it right, it looks like there is something running along the side of the rocker and I'm wondering if that's some sort of spring. If it is, I've never seen one like that.

If that thing running along the rocker is the spring, would it be possible for you to post a close-up pic of it. I've always had a fascination with release mechanisms, and like I said, I've never seen one like that.

Here's the pic of your knife, I added the arrow to point to what I'm referring to. Thanks .

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This knife is a later transitional type. They use a wire spring for the button. It's fitted alongside the mechanism.

Thanks for the info Bill. JW provided me with some close-up pics in a private message (pics below). I find the mechanism very interesting, I've never seen one like it before.

So, is it that little spring that causes the rocking/lifting action for the arm when the button is pressed, instead of a standard rocker arm's natural/built-in action? Thx!

Yes it is.

Cool, thanks!