All About Pocket Knives

ok...i did it this time...most of the knives i have worked on were fixed blades...or swords...handles, polish, sharpen....me an my big mouth...i had been showing off that candy stripe i carry...i like to think anyone would...i live in a rural area outside flagstaff...this morning, when i go to grab a cup of coffee at the country store...an old fella i have been gabbing with about knives in general, and THIS forum..." yep..i am going to learn how to rebuild knives"....paint me stupid....so this old guy comes in this morning ..." hey, you like case knives don'tya?" yes...i find my mouth responding before i am awake....well lookie here....he pulls out this kabar trapper...and a big old fat end caseXX....ok..good thing so far...
then he goes...if you can fix this kabar(his favorite) i get the case...damn...i have not replaced pins on anything outside the kingpins on my old 52 chevie....damn...
so now i am in a fix...no pun intended...
i ran around flag all day looking for pinstock..finally found two pieces..one too loose on the blade...the other a nice fit, but too large for the pin holes...when will i learn...
so now...i either learn how to replace the pivot pin without disassembling the entire knife..or what? drill the pivot out? dissemble the whole thing and replace three pins? (triple the trouble?)
HELP....this is a lesson i did want to tackle, but not on some old guys knife...but...here is what i plan...build a form to cuddle the knife while i push the pin out?
i have access to a complete shop, plus my jewelery studio..."if i only had a brain"
( i really want that big ol'fattie case: motivation)
thanks, donald

After seeing the "how it's made" for Case knives, I realized it is possible to replace a blade pivot with everything else still assembled. I actually tried it on the little CutCO I just posted, as my pivot pin wasn't seating right after I got everything assembled and flushed down.

What I ended up doing was securing the non blade end in my vise, with the blades open and taped up (cutting edge towards me). I used the flat tip of a file and inserted it between the liners up against the backspring just behind the blade. As it was positioned on the edge of my counter, a little body weight on the file handle pushed the backspring off the blade just slightly. Spring pressure relieved, I used my punch to pop out the pin (I had a small block for the bolster to rest on so I wasn't torquing the whole frame when I was punching out the pin). I repeated the body pressure, and slotted i a new pivot, and away we go.

Basically, because I didn't want to replace my rocker pin and was being lazy, I created twice as much work, but hey, if it can help you out, it was worth it When I get home from work tonight I'll see about maybe getting some pictures to better illustrate, unless someone else bails ya out before

I have taken a pin that was too large, chucked it in my drill press and gradually reduced its size with a file pressed flat against the stock. Stop and check diameter often. Worked for me. The part of the pin in the quill was then reversed, grabbing onto the newly created dimension and then reduced the part that was in the quill. I've made pins that were as much as 3/4 in long this way.

What specifically are all the things wrong with the Trapper?

You can replace the pivot pin without taking the whole knife apart.

Pmike's method to the right pin diameter is exactly how I do it, but I don;t bother about the end chucked in the drill. I let that stay full diameter and use it as a nice tapered pin

J

the exact problem is the main blade has eaten away the pivot pin...removed all the material of the pin on the main blade side of the knife...blade fell out.
so i need to remove the remains of the pin. and replace.

Oh good, that's an easy fix. Let us know how it works out....

J

Diligence wrote:Oh good, that's an easy fix. Let us know how it works out....

J

well..twenty or so knives down the road i may say the same thing....as it was...i drilled out a grab hole in the remains of the old pin. i was really careful since i did not wish to make scales...that can be the next project...pulled the remains out..no problem...tiny punch pushed the short piece left in opposite bolster...wow...it was easy...'cept for the pucker factor...
cleaned up a pin to size using the drill press...great idea, thank you.
depressed the springs...who else has three hands? pushed the pin in ....snipped the pin off an inch in lenght...tap tap tap for a while on one end...good fit into the bolster...snipped the pin off to about 1/16th...tap tap tap... thank god for that jewelers hammer.
when it appeared that both bolster holes were full, i opened the blades a few times..nice and tight...got out the file and set to the mushroomed heads on the pin...cleaned up nice..
took the finished photos, now the computer will not recognize the drive...duh...'taint one thing it's another."
i will try to post the photos later...showed the knife to a few of the guys down at the store...no complaints...cept...why didn't you replace those old worn out blades...

You can't replace the blades,they are the history and the very soul of the knife, they are what makes the knife unique! Put new blades in and its just another knife!

thanks zorro...the guy loves that old knife...his daughter is chasing me around trying to pay me, but he gave me a case trapper #6254 for the job...blades worn, nice old scales. i am one happy camper...learned something new, and recieved a great gift in return.
thanks again, donald

I have several old pruning knives, they have been sharpened till they hardly have any blade left, the handles have been worn smooth through years of use but for me they are priceless. I am old enough now to truly apreciate the affection that developes over the years for old tools etc. that give a lifetime of service and seem to take on a character of their own.

i have a couple of old hammers i hope someone puts in my coffin....
here is the prize for the simple repair on the kabar....i guess i should change my sn in here to bandit.

There's one to treasure

Bandit indeed! Good job! and as for the 3 hands thing, I'd pay good money for a third hand at this point

well...my first attempt at replacing scales turned out to be a spectacular failure...
i have a colonial fishknife looking thing with sunbaked plastic scales...so...no problem. tear into it...came apart real easy....sigh...
so i go crazie...run outside and grab some copper sheet...snip out new plates...rather flimsy..so i meld the old steel plate with the copper...purty. then i grab that old elk horn out in the yard...single point had dropped it a couple of years ago..so no great loss?

mix in a belt grinder...drill press...band saw...boy, did i stink up the shop.... it all looked great untill i put it back together...made a pin spinner..hey, it worked. hit the band saw and trimmed the horn down to size... opened and closed it a few times...hey...it warped?????
now i have a colonial knife...that looks ok sitting still...fills the hand ok..but duh? gaps in the plates? even though i sanded everything flat?
i am embarassd to post the pic's.
but, every bad example is a good lesson? at least the horn was split prior to my frankinstein project.

Looks OK to me as far as liner gaps, that's why I usually flat sand, then use some kind of epoxy or glue prior to pinning (what kind of glue always boils down to personal preference, there's soooooo many out there. This is where I bring up the infamous "glue thread" from knifenetwork forums). keeps everything nice and tight. However, I know alot of antler and horn can warp if it gets to warm while your working it. might have been the case with yours there.

So now that you've got the bug, I expect we'll see quite a few more customized jobs

Gringo.

That's not a failure.....you just taught yourself a WHOLE bunch about working with knives. Personally, I kind of like the "unique" look - it looks like a great EDC.

If you wanted to try to fix the gap, you could always smear some 5 ton epoxy into the gap between the horn and the liner, clamp it for 24hrs and see if it stays in place.

If you wanted the scales to seem more regular, you could always mix some more epoxy and smear it into all the cracks, fill her right up, then sand and polish it down...might look cool?

Don't feel bad. The other night I was using my belt sander to take a shield down to the level of the scales....really going at it. Thought it would be a good idea to run both index fingers over the sheild to see if it "felt right'.....well, let me tell you, two blisters later (on two different fingers) - that shield was darn hot....won't do that again.

J

you mean a blister like this one?
the cracks in the horn were there from the time i picked the piece up in the yard...we have a burn pile, clean up the pine leavings 100 ft around the house so in case of forest fire...boy does the wind blow up here...anyway..i was out in the yard and found that horn on the burn pile...since it was scrap, i used it for a training tool.
i have a small pile of elk horn...and will go wandering the forest this season to find some more...most of the deer live down hill..so i am stuck with elk.

HAHA - almost exactly like that, but in the shape of my latest shield....LOL

Sounds like you live in nice country...I wish I could still roam out in my backyard...without having to drive for 30 miles.

j

boy, does word travel fast in a rural area....today at the store someone handed me this knife...'hey, you fix knives?' well i am learning...so here is another k-bar training tool...lets see if i can do this one without a burn blister.
pins are bogus on both ends...plastic scales are warped and shrunk...arizona heat does that...
duh..forgot the photo...great start huh?

Oh oH ----now it's official. You will be the designated "knife guy" until you die...better get used to it. Maybe you can swap some good firewood for a knife repair?

j

Fantastic! I love seeing what everyone does, I get excited every time someone new joins our little cult down here at the bottom of the forum Make sure we get some finished product pics!

well...i am not happy with the result...i should have replaced the bolsters...if i carve any more material off them to get rid of the old scars...i won't have bolsters...
plus, i cut two scales...got one to fit..of course it was the backside...duh....i am at the belt sander...dumdeedum...sand, fit, sand, fit...well... a friend arrives, i get distracted for a second...SNAP...blade end of the scale just explodes... nice piece of elk...so i pick up the center cut off the material i was working...the shield side now has second cut..the back side first cut...sheesh...
also...i used brass for the pins...i ran all over town looking for nickle-silver material...not a piece in northern arizona...i am not pleased with a brass happy face looking out at me from the bolsters and center pin...i used sterling wire to make scale pins...egged out the holes...melted little balls on the end of the wire with my jewelers torch...made little nails. , peened the inner end to the liners...i like how that worked out...
since i need the practice, i think i will redo the whole thing...

It's not to bad!
I'll tell ya, nothing is worse than not having the right pin there with you. I finally broke down and ordered a few of each of the common sizes (1/16 3/32 and surprisingly 2mm works well in alot of weird situations) in NS and brass. I was sick of having to compromise

Dunno that I've ever had a handle blow up on me (I seem to remember seeing a post of Kaleb's where he had a celluloid handle burst into flames though) but I have ground them short before. Occasionally I start over, sometimes I decide that the handle would look good with a nice spacer

Gringo - keep at it man...you're doing good.

Just wait until you have carefully fit some scales, have painstakingly reprofiled the hawkbill to shape, delicately shaped the bolsters and completed some kickass file work on the spring...........then decide to "tweak" the spring and then break the darn thing ------then shorten the spring, shorten the blade, shorten the scales----tweak the spring and break it again!!! (this is a real life story). This particular knife is locked away in my "bad knife" drawer cuz it was misbehavin - I'll let it out after it has finished soaking in it's evil juices

I would suggest you buy yourself some pinstock material. I've bought a bunch from this fellow near Calgary. Fast service and down home attitude.

http://www.knifemaker.ca/comersus/store ... _index.asp

Jaye

thanks for the link jaye...lol...i think that knife you have locked up has family living in arizona.