Airport confiscation lots...I committed a Cardinal Sin...Help!

M

mogwai

Joined
Mar 23, 2008
Messages
82
Let this be a lesson for morons like me out there!!!


I bought a lot of 20 confiscated SAKs on a local auction site. Got them in the mail & was like a kid at Christmas. Poured them on the table, opened all of them, play a bit, and decided to clean them up. In boiling water. :eek:

Only 3 knives survived this abuse unscathed; one alox scale knife and 2 older single blade celluoid/plastic scale knives. Two more have warped, but servicable scales. On the rest, scales warped, split, turned to mush & fell off. Now I need ideas for salvaging the remainder. Keep in mind that I have less that $3.50/ea in these knives, & they were intended as simple gifts to youngsters, acquaintances, etc. I can't see myself spending $7.50/ea for new scales. Toss out some ideas for a guy with more time than money and a modearate ability to tinker. How can I fashion replacement scales that are serviceable. And forget about all those neat tweezers, toothpicks and pinholders. Most of them are gone. :mad:
 
Some thin hardwood, stain, sealer, weak glue, better epoxy, and several evenings in front of the TV (or maybe Bladeforums :P) is about the only suggestion I have. Given the planned use, they don't have to be fancy. Make wood ovals, glue on with Elmer's, trim, shape, and polish, pry them off, polish, stain, seal, then glue on with the good stuff (make sure you know whether it expands; things like Gorilla glue tend to catch people off guard). If you want them to look really nice, maple burl isn't too expensive, and will look amazing no matter what your skill level is.

Heck, I bet a lot of people (of all ages, too) would love a "custom" SAK, and would show it off to all their friends who have boring old red plastic grips. If it comes from "Uncle Mogwai," or whoever you are to them, so much the better.

It might also be possible to whittle some replacement toothpicks, though they wouldn't be very sanitary.
 
tholiver asked the sizes:

I have 3 90mm with cork screws; 3 83mm with cork screws; 5 83mm w/out & 2 75mm w/out corkscrews.

The 90mm are all 3 pins per side; the 83mm with cork screws are 3 pin; those without corkscrews are 2 pin. The 75mm are both 4 pin.

One 83mm 3 pin is a Wenger; everything else is a Victorinox.
 
nothing better tthan giving someone a custom scaled knife you know will be appreciated, go get some g10, micarta or some nice woods :D
 
You can get very nice ordinary and exotic wood slabs for very decent prices on ebay to rehandle the saks.
I've mostly rehandled fixed blades but i've done 4 or 5 saks and slip-joints as well.
Take your time with it and i'm sure they will turn out well!
 
I can't remember where I saw a thread about making custom scales for SAKs. Try a google fu, there's probably some thing on YouTube.

I made some crude scales out of some scrap Kydex for my Classic that is on my key ring.

Ric
 
Make some wood scales using precut 1/8" hardwood. Drill small recesses to make room for the raised rivets and attach using two part epoxy. It will be fun!
 
Great suggestions! I'll surf ebay for materials and plan on a few winter nights at the kitchen table with this project. I'll post pics of the final products if they turn out nice. Otherwise, I might just slink quietly into the darkness. :D
 
mogwai said:
I can't see myself spending $7.50/ea for new scales. :mad:
Click to expand...

Seriously? Is that what a pair of new scales costs? I think I'm gonna start taking a bit more care of my SAK's.
However I do think you can get the tweezers for like $5.99 a six pack, same for the toothpicks.
 
saksforsale2.jpg


Here are a few I did, using various woods and micarta.
The two on the bottom have standard scales, but are modified to non-factory tool combinations.
 
Those look really good! I might have to do that with a Rambler instead of paying an arm and a leg for green alox.
 
Just picked.up a tinker and executive 2nd hand for less than I paid for my classic. Cool resource that sosak link, just what I need somewhere else to lose time reading. Some cool mods on there though.
 
Ryan M said:
Some thin hardwood, stain, sealer, weak glue, better epoxy, and several evenings in front of the TV (or maybe Bladeforums :P) is about the only suggestion I have. Given the planned use, they don't have to be fancy. Make wood ovals, glue on with Elmer's, trim, shape, and polish, pry them off, polish, stain, seal, then glue on with the good stuff (make sure you know whether it expands; things like Gorilla glue tend to catch people off guard). If you want them to look really nice, maple burl isn't too expensive, and will look amazing no matter what your skill level is.

Heck, I bet a lot of people (of all ages, too) would love a "custom" SAK, and would show it off to all their friends who have boring old red plastic grips. If it comes from "Uncle Mogwai," or whoever you are to them, so much the better.

It might also be possible to whittle some replacement toothpicks, though they wouldn't be very sanitary.
Click to expand...

The journey resumes.

Coworker ran some hardwood scrap thru his planer and I found an old Craftsman scroll saw on Craigslist to do the cutting. Even so, they required considerable hand fitting and sanding. I have 4 done...behold!

072_zpsf1b3a03b.jpg


067_zpsc6344cf8.jpg


003_zps0a6b045e.jpg


071_zps6d85d7fe.jpg


My photography skills are low, but the scales have turned out as well as I could have hoped.
 
mogwai, I gotta take my hat off to ya!

You may have created a bunch of lemons through your own action of boiling the SAK's, but it looks like you made one heck of a pitcher of great lemon aid.:thumbup::thumbup: Some great looking SAK's you got there. Some of the grain in those wood scraps is striking in it's beauty and contrast. Darn good job.

Carl.
 
Thanks Carl,
I have about 10 more to build. The next ~6 will have walnut scales; will post some pictures when they are ready. Hopefully, it won't be another yr. :D
 
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