141OT - Anyone Have an Opinion?

So an entirely seperate mold half had to be made for Ducks Unlimited and others?
 
If they were made after that period they were probably produced on the old mold which still existed
 
So the older mold (Circa 1993-2000) was the one for SFO badging? These were still done inhouse?
 
So they were the original vendor and the original mold was kept there? And it had the inserts? Did they help develop the TPR design for both the Safe-T-Grips and X-Timers?
 
So really, they did the prototype and ramp up molding? Same for the Outbacks and Water Rats? Zytel too, like the cliphangers and lightweights? I did read that they did doubleshot moldings.
 
Up until approximately 2000 all molding was done domestically though not all in house. After that date new molds were produced overseas either in Ireland or China. This included some of the Cliphangers, XT's, Molded SQ's and some SP's but not the Outbacks or Water Rats.

Yes, the Ireland plant did have a two shot machine.
 
Cincinnati Milacron? We had six of the behemoths. I forget the injection tonnage. Barrels over 20 feet long, we reinforced the floor and poured it two feet thick to hold them up. Fanuc robots if I remember right. But these were for large parts...truck grills five feet or more by two. No splay, blows, sinks allowed, not even under three layers of paint.
 
Our very own Codger said...
No splay, blows, sinks allowed, not even under three layers of paint.

Were you in that bar with LT and the young vixen playing ping pong?? :eek:

I'm just checking, because your vernacular is not found in Levine's Guide or under the search function. :confused:

Best to you and TTYL,

Bill
 
No, but I did know a talented lass in Pensacola who could pick up a stack of quarters and drop them into a shotglass without using her hands. Plastics injection molding has become a part of knife making, and it does have it's own vernacular. Shall we discuss MIM metal injection molding? Surely Schrade wasn't that far along, or is that what caused the holes in the D'holder blanks?
Codger
 
Here is a single cavity of the four cavity mold for the TPR Old Timer handles (both mold halves partially shown). What you are not seeing is the moving insert which forms the hollow slot in the handle to receive the blades is not shown, though you can just see the relieved portion of the mold where it travels. The shape is the same as the tang which will later fit into the handle cavity. Since I don't see kicker pins, these also likely angle outward from the mold when the mold opens causeing the molded handles to fall out of the mold, unless a robot picks them out instead. A robotic arm might have expanding pins on the end which grab the parts from inside the ferrule hole, or from inside the end of the tang slot. On smooth items, suction cups are common.

By the time the parts are delivered to the operator, they should be cooled enough for inspection, if not, they may be conveyed under cooling fans to the inspector and/or packer. (I do not see the gates leading into the mold cavities, so they may be internal to the ferrule holes in one half, a pin closing off the gate when the cavity is full. This is one way to eliminate the need to trim runners (sprues) from a part. You can see a pin in one side of the mold, which could also be used as a kicker if needed.)

Also not shown is the internal heating and cooling of the mold. PLC (programable logic controls) controls the mold via zone heating and cooling, also the temp of the raw materials in the barrel prior to injection. Temps of all are critical to prevent (gonna use layman terms here) swirls, little bubbles or holes in the materials, and sunken areas.



Anyone else have factory machine and process pics they can post and explain? I know LT does.

Codger
 
DU and RMEF used these as gift sets. They usually sell for good prices, considering the last MSRP for the individual knives. These are the "OTB" black handles.

But if Black is too drab.....
This 140OT Trail Boss is my favorite of the series.
 
I don't know if Phil is still checking out the forum, but a recent thread reminded me of a camping trip I took with my dad last month. He's healthy enough to go camping again and I was grateful to get out there with him. I took the knife Phil gave me (141OT) and used it from the moment we arrived right up to packing up the site. I promised to give a review, so here it is.

Most comfortable, useful sheath knife I've used to date. Perfect size, sharp as a razor and light weight for it's size. Great for the hike as well as flipping my steak over the camp fire grill. I haven't gone fishing or hunting with it yet, but if I do, I'll post anything interesting.

Thanks again Phil. You're a generous guy.
 
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