I am just starting this hobby so I have a lot of questions. I am starting with a few Rough Rider kits and, once I have gotten good with those, move on to some French regional knife kits.
1) In what order do you assemble them? Do you attach the scales first and then sand away the wood, parts of pins sticking out, and polish the metal? Or sand the plates and bolsters clean first?
2) Is there an easy way to get the spring and blade in there? I am doing okay pinning the spring and then pulling it back while I squeeze in the blade but there must be a smarter way, right?
3) I have noticed that brass pins are used to secure the scales and some silver-colored metal is used to secure the spring and as the pivot for the blade. What is the silver-colored metal and why is it used there? Is it stronger so it is more suited for holding up under the tension and stress?
4) Is there an industry standard for the pins? There are no shops near me that carry this stuff so I cannot test-fit in the store before buying. If there is a standard then I can try ordering that diameter.
5) The springs on some of my knives are very stiff. Is there a way to loosen it a little after the knife has been completed and without taking it apart? Is this usually an issue with the thickness of the spring metal? Or with the pins being hammered in too far?
6) Will Gorilla Glue gel work as well as epoxy for attaching the scales to the plates?
7) What is a cheap and efficient way to sand the scales into shape? I am using sandpaper on a flat surface and wrapping it around an ancient, dull metal file and sanding by hand. I like the control and feel it gives me but after two days I actually have blisters on my thumb. The tiny diamond files I have are too small to be efficient for this and the belt sanders I have seen cost $2,000+. Are there cheaper ones that still work well? And what kinds of files are the right width to be useful for reducing the scales to shape?
Thanks for all of your patience with my beginner's questions.
1) In what order do you assemble them? Do you attach the scales first and then sand away the wood, parts of pins sticking out, and polish the metal? Or sand the plates and bolsters clean first?
2) Is there an easy way to get the spring and blade in there? I am doing okay pinning the spring and then pulling it back while I squeeze in the blade but there must be a smarter way, right?
3) I have noticed that brass pins are used to secure the scales and some silver-colored metal is used to secure the spring and as the pivot for the blade. What is the silver-colored metal and why is it used there? Is it stronger so it is more suited for holding up under the tension and stress?
4) Is there an industry standard for the pins? There are no shops near me that carry this stuff so I cannot test-fit in the store before buying. If there is a standard then I can try ordering that diameter.
5) The springs on some of my knives are very stiff. Is there a way to loosen it a little after the knife has been completed and without taking it apart? Is this usually an issue with the thickness of the spring metal? Or with the pins being hammered in too far?
6) Will Gorilla Glue gel work as well as epoxy for attaching the scales to the plates?
7) What is a cheap and efficient way to sand the scales into shape? I am using sandpaper on a flat surface and wrapping it around an ancient, dull metal file and sanding by hand. I like the control and feel it gives me but after two days I actually have blisters on my thumb. The tiny diamond files I have are too small to be efficient for this and the belt sanders I have seen cost $2,000+. Are there cheaper ones that still work well? And what kinds of files are the right width to be useful for reducing the scales to shape?
Thanks for all of your patience with my beginner's questions.
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