Making an SOG folder more thumb friendly

[Clark]

My son does not own any guns, but he will play with a folder knife while playing video games.
I try to give him knives he will play with.
He has worn out few assisted opening knives.
He operates the folder knife with his left hand while operating the mouse with his right.
He lives and works in Seattle, where this knife is too long to carry, anyway. It will not be required to fit in a pocket, just sit on a desk.

I sought to make the thumb pin higher, wider, and smoother.
I went from 2-64 screws to 2-56 screws. That puts a .085" major diameter screw through a .081" go .082" no-go hole. But the screw springs back to .0825".

I made the buttons from 1/2" round stock 6061 T6 Aluminium alloy.

Next I think that I will work on the arc lock buttons.

 

[CHALK22]

So, wait. He plays with a knife WHILE concentrating on playing video games? Sounds safe. But I do admire your problem solving and machining skills.

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2

 

[hso]

but he will play with a folder knife while playing video games

Since he lives and works in Seattle he's old enough to be on his own, but you really shouldn't be encouraging that unsafe behavior.

 

[rcmodel]

He has worn out few assisted opening knives. I try to give him knives he will play with.

While playing video games??

That whole thing sounds a little over-the-edge weird to me.

I play with knives and guns, all the time.

But not to the extent they keep wearing out on me faster then my late father could have bought me more!

As a father of two 30-something sons myself, Just Say'n!

rc

 

[Clark]

These pics are are of the Kershaw knives he can wear out in a week.
Since then I have put in his hands and he has not worn out:
a) SOG trident 3.75" blade folder
b) SOG twitch 3" blade folder

I think the difference between the SOG and the Kershaw is the torsion bar spring will not stand up to video game level playing.

 

[hso]

Is there an estimate of how many cycles it takes to break the spring available?

 

[Clark]

Maybe 1,000

 

[Clark]

Things are not going well.

I made some more buttons, but things are not going well.
The blade pin I could do with a 2-56 screw, but the arc lock hole is a couple thou tighter.

The hole in the arc lock is too hard to enlarge.

I ordered some 2-64 screws and 2-64 taps.
I will start over with the threaded arc lock button.

 

[rcmodel]

You can open the hole up easily with a Dremel & a carbide dental bur.

rc

 

[Clark]

RC, yes I suppose I could have tried that. Years ago a Buck 442 did not have a blade stud so I drilled a hole with a carbide drill and put in a 4-40 screw and nuts.
I tried to open the arc lock hole with a little round diamond file, but I did not get anywhere.

The 2-64 tap and the 2-64 stainless screws finally arrived.
I made a new arc lock button on the lathe and tapped it.
It all went together and worked... after I got the return springs to stop pulling on the screws and pull on the .138" base of the buttons.

I made a 32 second video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTUtmqKlvWg&list=UUI7A79xr_gcNBZ-MpnTuWAw&index=1

 

[zhyla]

This thread confuses me. There are some things SOG doesn't do so well at but everything about the arc lock is done very well. I have no idea why you'd want to swap out the arc stud for something larger.

 

[rcmodel]

Wearing out a Kershaw a week while playing video games confuses me too.

But I am pretty easily confused by things like that.

rc

 

[lobo9er]

maybe if you quit buying him new ones he would quit breaking them. Does he actually cut anything with them? Be alot safer and cheaper to give him a pack of clickable ball point pens.

 

[oldbear]

While playing video games??

That whole thing sounds a little over-the-edge weird to me.

Mr. RC, you are correct this is more than a little over the top weird, it's downright strange and a little scary behavior.