110/112 Rivets

F

Flambeau

Joined
Jun 26, 2021
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Was playing a bit in Buck's Custom Knives playground, primarily looking at the 112 options (because I have an old 110, new 111, but no 112).
Probably a dumb question ; do the rivets strengthen the handle ?
> If not, why are they there ?
> If they do, why would I order a 112 (or 110) without the rivets ? Is it aesthetics ?
 
Somebody who actually knows what they're talking about will probably come along soon, but until then; my guess is that when the 110 & 112 s came out, the adhesives weren't as advanced as they are today. I have 110s & 112s with & without rivits, and I use them. I've never had a slab come loose.
 
When Buck started using sintered frames in about 1975, they found that those frames were so much better than the early forged frames that adhesive wasn't really needed and the rivets alone held the wood to the frame.
 
I've owned both and prefer 110/112's with rivets. Though they only use a few, I find that it adds just a little bit of traction when the knife is in use.
 
When the 112s first came out, they went from 2 small rivets, to 4 small rivets, to 3 small rivets, to finally settling on 3 larger rivets. So at least in the older days, they were worried about stability. I thought it might be an issue of the handle dimensions changing with environment. They have a "no rivet" option now, so I suspect modern adhesives are doing the job.
 
bucksway said:
Horn? No as it might lead to cracks. But anything else if you like the look why not?
Click to expand...
I agree. The knife community is replete with knives that have cracks emanating from the rivet area. I had to send a Buck wooden slipjoint for warranty repair because it cracked. But whenever I ordered a Buck custom, I always selected the "no rivet" option - mainly because I think it looks better.
 
The attached thread has some ideas about pin placement changes,
dsutton24

Thread 'Two pin 110 - Pin Placement?'

The old two pin Buck 110s... The pin at the butt end seems to wander a bit. Sometimes it's pretty well centered, sometimes it's nearer the edge opposite the lock bar. The pin near the pivot seems to be pretty consistent in its location.

Is there any pattern to this phenomenon? Were the pin holes just drilled by hand and that's why the inconsistency? Is this another variant I need to collect? Am I just nuts?
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I prefer rivets on all handle slabs. I’ve had a few that were only glued on and they popped off so apparently the adhesive isn’t always good and I’ve never had any problems with rivets coming loose or falling apart. To me the rivets give a little bling and looks good to me.
 
I wonder if you could have a knife made with rivets on one side, and none on the other?
 
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