knife rehabilitation

[blindhari]

Lets see, I like pocket knives, I like pocket knives, I like pocket knives.

The pocket knives I like are the multiblades, jacks, stockman, congress, whittler etc. I have picked up a bunch over the years in poor or unusable condition. I am looking forward to rebuilding some so I can give them away. I also need to learn to take apart what I believe is a PAULS BROS that my father carried fro about 1956 until he died in 1994. Dads knife is still working condition but needs to be cleaned up. What I am looking for is a reference, book preferred, on repair and rebuild of slipjoint , lockback, framelock pocket knives. Any advice appreciated. Only thing I have found so far is on amazon and seems to be simplistic instead of through.

Thanks in advance,

blindhari

ps for a single blade I have a few Buck 175 lockbacks

 

[rcmodel]

This is the best one I have seen.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0873413873/ref=rdr_ext_tmb

But it still leaves out a lot you only learn by hands-on experience.

Best to start out with a box full of junk knives that don't matter if you screw up.

rc

 

[Valkman]

Wow that book cost at least $45? Must be a good one. I saw another under it for $10, I might try that one first.

I have taken slipjoints apart but always destroy the handles and liners. I only wanted the blades to try and make my own but finness and delicacy are not attributes I have.

 

[blindhari]

I may be a little retentive (a hoarder), since I retired I have amassed almost 12 Costco soap buckets of pocket knives in lousy condition and given away quite a few that only needed lube and cleaning. I have also made and given away over 200 slingshots and almost 120 canes and walking sticks to Vets as I live near a VA hospital. I have never taken a pocket knife apart since I was about 10 and never got it back to together again. A guy down the street has a granddaughter who wants to learn how to take them apart and put them in working order. I am trying to learn all I can to stay ahead of her. I am looking for assembly/reassembly tech help. I have grinders, buffers, sharpeners, and decent hand tools up the wazoo. Last of all I am a carver and have found that I can put a no- bevel edge on a knife using cerium ? oxide on a gem polisher leather bull wheel. Right now a 12 year old girl has already learned to put on an even better edge than I do and I didn't think that was possible.
Help !!!

blindhari
GEEZER

 

[rcmodel]

Well, again, there is no way to learn that I know of short of destroying a few junk knives trying to figure out the punches and drilled you need to make or buy to get them apart and back together without destroying them.

Maybe your best bet would be to buy a couple of slip-joint kits and put them together?

That will teach you quite a bit about what it takes to make them work.

http://www.knifekits.com/vcom/index.php?cPath=1_270

These are cool gifts for the girl too.

http://www.knifekits.com/vcom/index.php?cPath=1_364


rc

 

[blindhari]

Thanks RC. She is the oldest of 5 sisters with one older brother. I had some knives I found here and there. He picked a gerber Paraframe half serrated, she looked everything over I set out and picked up a mint Alox swiss mountain knife and asked if I could help her get a better edge on it. The girl thinks before taking action.

blindhari

 

[rcmodel]

Is that the one with the scissors, nail file, and one blade on it??

She is thinking ahead!!

Girls need all that stuff to stay well groomed!

rc

 

[Valkman]

I'd do what RC said - if you have that many knives I'd take the worst and dig in. Can't hurt 'em too bad and you'll learn tons.

 

[bikerdoc]

Blindhari

I stock reduce fixed blades, make canes and whittle.
Take RC's advice. Play with them. Hands on is enlightening.
I too wanted to play with folders so I took some cheap soft Pakistani copies of a buck 110 apart.
Learned a lot, mainly that my arthritic, nerve damaged hand cant do the peciision stuff.
The biggest problem I found was getting the backstrap tension right and doing a decent job on peening the pins.
Me first love is rescaling. Or making first time scales. I have used wood,(quarter hewn for a rich vertical grain) bone, horn, micarta, and some homemade epoxy/denim micarta that was more trouble/work than it was worth.
One of the tricks I found was to use brass machine screws for pins. Line up your holes, epoxy the scales on coat the screws with epoxy, screw in, cut of both sides and file smooth then polish.
Internal pins a fun to do, and lend a clean look, just get it right the first time.
mothers mag polish from the auto parts store is another great tool for polishing blades,edges and bolsters.
Good luck, have fun, and post some pics of some sucessful restorations.

 

[MikeJackmin]

Don't underestimate the value of YouTube when learning new skills. Here's a nice little video on how to peen a blade pivot pin that I thought was quite good:

https://youtu.be/8jtTNOrmUeQ

 

[blindhari]

RC,
Young lady looked at every knife including around a half dozen Swiss. Then found out what fit her hand closed, then checked each blade on each knife. After asking purpose of each blade she checked hand fit again and picked a Alox Pioneer for camping and what she could do with it at home. After they got home she climbed on the computer and is now looking for a flash drive Swiss small enough to take to school and get away with it. She sure thinks better than I did at that age.
I like using a pocket knife for stock preparation but trigger finger reflex has had me using Ramelson palm carvers the last few years for almost all serious work.

blindhari