Assembling a lock-back kit, and I'm in dire need of guidance. Please help!

G

GrizzlyBear

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Dec 5, 2009
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Hello everyone. I was commissioned to build a lock back folder for a coworker. He picked the one he wanted and we ordered the kit from TKS. I expected to receive an instruction sheet of some basics but I got nothing. I have read 2 different tutorials on lock backs, but both are on building from scratch and seem to skip over parts that are apparently common knowledge to folder makers.

Here is my kit (minus the small pack of pins and lanyard tube):
IMAG0221.jpg



I have several questions on how to go about assembling this kit, any help you folks can be will be much appreciated.

1. Why are there 2 separate pieces to the spring mechanism? There were 2 included and they are of 2 different thicknesses, but just so happen to equal the thickness of the lock bar when stacked.

2. I know that the pivot pin that goes through the bolster gets peened. However, I am clueless about the other 3 pinholes. I say 3 because one (of the 4) is a lanyard tube and I assume it is glued like normal. There are 2 holes of the same diameter, one secures the lock bar, the other goes to the spring mech.. There is a smaller hole that I am unsure of its use.

3. Concerning the pins in the above question, other than the peened bolster pin and the lanyard tube, what of the 3 remaining pins are used to connect both sides together? I assume the rocker bar pin goes through the whole piece. So that leaves the other pin through the spring mech. and the smaller hole close to the bolster.

4. Order of completion. Yeah, I have no clue :(. Here is how I think it should go: (main steps, I know about polishing the rocker bar catch, creating a relief around where the blade pivots so it doesn't catch on the liners, etc).
- Glue scales into place and drill holes for pins.
- Rough shape scales
- Assemble knife with bolster pin, rocker bar pin and lanyard tube through both halves; peen bolster pin. Install the remaining 2 pins...
- Finish shaping, sand and polish.

Thanks in advance for any help and guidance you can be!
 
I have taken a bunch apart and rebuilt them, so that is where my experiance level is. I will answer your questons with what I do.

I don't know why there are two lock bar springs, but if they are the same thickness use them both. There may be two to help fine tune the spring tension.

I have always peened the blade pivot, lock bar pivot, spring pins, and scale pins. No glue used, but I have never done one with a lanyard hole either. The smaller hole you are unsure of looks like the normal placement for scale attachment, another one would be about equal distance from the other end normally.

As for what goes all the way through, blade pivot, lock bar pivot, and spring pin. The smaller one by the bolster, again would be to hold the scales.

I don't want to comment on order of completion, because I don't start from scratch. Maybe check with some of the guys in the traditional sub forum.


-Xander
 
Trial assemble by putting in the blade pivot pin with the blade and liners in place. Then put the backspring pins (one is the tubing) in place and insert pins.
Then, place the whole assembly in a vise, with the backspring (lockbar) approximately in place. Gently squeeze the backspring into place by tightening the vise until you can insert the backspring pin. Remove from the vise, and you should have a nicely working unfinished knife.
The front hole in the liners is for a pin to hold the front of the scale down.
At this point, you should know how the knife is assembled.
Disassemble in reverse order.
Glue the handle material in place on the liners, and drill the corresponding holes in the scale material. Install the front pin through the scale(s) and trim it leaving about 1/16" on either end, after filing it flat. Gently peen the pin on an anvil, vise, etc., with a very small hammer-using light taps with wrist action only. You want to peen the ends of the pin only. File the inside pin head flush with the liner.
Slightly chamfer the tubing hole in your handle material, and assemble the knife as before. Cut/file the pins as in the previous example and gently peen them. The tubing should be slightly flared into the chamfers with a tapered punch of some sort and filed flush. File the remaining outside pin heads flush and sand/finish your handles.
Finish the outside edges of your handles last.
 
OK, first, take a look inside the box. The instructions are likely folded up and tucked in there someplace.
If not, email TKS, and they will give you the link to the instructions ( you may be able to see them on the catalog site now).
Next, the two springs are because the parts are cut from different thickness of steel sheet. The spine is twice as thick as the spring parts, so you stack the two springs on top of each other to use them as if they were one thicker spring.

The holes in the knife are;
The blade pivot (Blade end of knife)
The spine pivot ( center of spine)
The handle scales pin hole/holes (in the handle area)
The backspring/lock spring attachment hole and thong hole (at the opposite end from the blade)
The spine pivot and the spring attachment pins also hold the handle scales in place.

You only peen pivot pins to make them not slip out.....because the parts have to move. Use a thin piece of shim stock between the blade/spine and the liner when peening these pins, then pull it out after the heads are formed. This will allow the blade or spine to rotate as needed.
You peen attachment pins as tight as necessary to hold things tight.....buy don't get crazy or you will split your handle material. I glue on the handle and then set the rivets just enough to make everything strong. The epoxy will take care of the job, but still needs the pins to avoid unexpected popping off.
 
Thank you Xander, Bill and Stacy...I greatly appreciate the help!!!

Stacy- there were no instructions in the box, only a bill of sale. Which I thought odd, since the other knife kit I bought from them (my first) had an assembly sheet. BTW, there was a small square of ultra thin metal included...I figured it to be a shim of some sort, just not sure where to use it. Now I see it's probably used as you stated.

With everyone's guidance I think I will be able to do this with minimal problems :).

The handle material is a polyester pearl acrylic...how well does it take to peening pins and flaring of the thong tube without breaking?

Do any of the pins get glue at all, or are they strictly peened/flared into place?
 
A tip I was given when peening small pins is to use a 4-6oz ball peen and as you are tapping it go it a circular motion around the pin, glancing blows. And do strike it lightly. Take the hammer and hit your thumb around the cuticle, if it hurts you are hitting it too hard. That's how hrd you should hit the small pins.


-Xander
 
Bill, are you using a jewelers hammer and dapping block for yours? I haven't got one yet, but I find the litte ball peen hammers at the flea market all the time, so that's what I bought. It takes a bit of control, but works for me. I may try to take some weight out of my little hammr by cutting the flat face back a bit, but I haven't tried a lighter hammer yet.


-Xander
 
Bill, are you using a jewelers hammer and dapping block for yours? I haven't got one yet, but I find the litte ball peen hammers at the flea market all the time, so that's what I bought. It takes a bit of control, but works for me. I may try to take some weight out of my little hammr by cutting the flat face back a bit, but I haven't tried a lighter hammer yet.


-Xander
 
Yes, I use a jewelers hammer. I have a small steel bench block anvil, and a short piece of resurfaced railroad track.
 
Apparently, peening these pins isn't going to take as much force as I was first led to believe. Thank you once again for the tips.

Oh, one more question. The bolsters have been soldered on from the factory, but theres a place or two where theres a gap. Is there a certain type of solder I need to get to fix these gaps? And, will a heavy duty soldering iron do the job, or should I look into a pencil torch...(thinking about one of those anyway for other uses).
 
Leave the gaps. You will probably do more harm trying to fix them.
 
The gaps will file away when finishing the sides. Just file/sand untill flush and smooth. I may still show a bit, but that is OK.
 
So I dove in feet first today. I got the liners roughed on the glue side and sanded to a very nice 1000g finish on the inside. I sanded down the rough edges on the lock bar and the spring set and also took care of a couple of other rough spots that caught when depressing the lock.

Upon closer inspection, it appears that the bolster holes have already been chamfered a tiny amount, awesome :).

I drew the outline of the handle on the scale material and got one scale rough cut before my bandsaw blade broke. I had a blade made at the local hardware store and apparently they didnt do a good job with the weld. So, I have to get a new blade made, but in the mean time I can use my cousin's bandsaw or rough cut with a hacksaw.

After getting it together unfinished and seeing how well it works, it GREATLY helped with how I felt about this project :)
 
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