Armory Sponsor
Posted: 4/1/2010 12:37:46 PM EDT
| I recently saw this site linked in a earlier thread. Now I'm very interested in putting a few together for my self and my father. I was wondering though how tough is it to do. I was looking at doing a on or two fixed blades and folders. I'm I going to need anything special other than maybe a light hammer and a allen wrench set? Also how is the quailty of the knives and service? |
|
Quoted:
Cool to hear guy, though is there anyone who has built the the folders? I've built about 8 of their folders.....including the autos. They are pretty easy to put together, and leave a lot room for customising. Like I said in the other thread, just be careful of the handle material.....ie carbon fibre and G-10. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Cool to hear guy, though is there anyone who has built the the folders? The first part of my post was regarding the folders, I should have been more clear. I've put together 4 folders, 3 liner locks and 1 lockback. As I said before, easy-peasy. What tools were necessary to build the kit? What additional tools make it easier to do or improve the fit and finish of the final product? |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Cool to hear guy, though is there anyone who has built the the folders? I've built about 8 of their folders.....including the autos. They are pretty easy to put together, and leave a lot room for customising. Like I said in the other thread, just be careful of the handle material.....ie carbon fibre and G-10. I have been thinking about buying their g10 for a knife handle. what should i know about it beforehand? |
|
The liner locks required a Torx screw bit set (sizes 6 and 8 I believe) and nothing else for the kit itself. The handle slabs required some woodworking tools, sandpaper, and of course sealant and finish.
The lockback was a bit more complicated, though how much of that was due to my inexperience (it was my first liner lock build) I can't be sure. Hacksaw for the pins, a hammer for peening, um... Same woodworking toos for the handles, sandpaper and all the rest. I might be missing a few things, but it's still fairly simple. Major things that will improve fit and finish are: Drill press Bench sander Common sense when working (don't, for instance, shape the handles on the bench grinder and then attempt to drill holes for screws!  )
Cosmetic things like handle finish will depend on the material you're working with and how you want it to feel. I also decided to do a little filework on the lockback, so I went to Ace and got a couple of files (don't know what they're called) which worked out pretty well on the locking bar. I wouldn't try it on the blade itself in a kit knife without diamond files, since the blades are already hardened. I'm going to attempt to attach some pictures of the knives I built and I'll do some 'splaining. I'm somewhat embarrassed to be showing these pictures, as there are some very obvious mistakes that you'll see without much effort. I'll make note of them below. Apologies for the poor picture quality, I'm no photographer. These are knifekits.com kits with Zebrawood scales. I used boiled Linseed Oil to seal the wood, and a couple of coats of clear poly for the finish. It was still kind of tacky after it had dried completely, but after some use and a little hand rubbing I'm very pleased with the finish. If you look closely at the big knife on the right, you'll see that there is a little space between the bolster and the handle. This is a result of shaping the handles before drilling the holes. The contoured handle surface cause the drill press to drill in at a slight angle and so the handle was moved a bit when i put in the screws. Just a reminder to think it through when you don't have much experience. http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff170/cmdrpoppinfresh/IMG_0181.jpg This one has Desert Ironwood scales. I'd read in several different places that Ironwood is so dense that it doesn't require sealant or finish (it sinks in water! Try it!). This handle is sanded up to 1500 grit and lightly buffed without compound. Could have been better, but like I said, it was my first try. I tapped the bolster on the belt sander while I was shaping the handles after epoxying them down, and was unable to remove some of the deeper scratches and now unfortunately they show up well in the pictures. Also, make absolutely sure that the epoxy has spread evenly between the handle scales and the liner. One more thing. Figure out what "peening" is before you try and put a lockback knife together. This one is fairly loose because I didn't chamfer the holes correctly. Chalk another one up to inexperience, I guess. http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff170/cmdrpoppinfresh/IMG_0191.jpg http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff170/cmdrpoppinfresh/IMG_0189.jpg Hope this helps! |
|
Thanks!
I found a cheap little lockback lying around so I broke it apart and used its locking bar to practice on beforehand. By the time I ran out of space I figured I had it, but boy was I sweating when I started cutting into this one. I've been trying to find online tutorials for other filework patterns but have had limited success. |
|
Quoted:
Thanks! I found a cheap little lockback lying around so I broke it apart and used its locking bar to practice on beforehand. By the time I ran out of space I figured I had it, but boy was I sweating when I started cutting into this one. I've been trying to find online tutorials for other filework patterns but have had limited success. I think most of us that do file work learned by trial and error. Duane Dushane has taken file work to extreems and has a 2 hour DVD on how he does his file work. File Work By Duane Dushane |
Armory Sponsor