BM 551: Anyone here added weight to the scales?

[MTHall720]

Is there anyone here who has removed the scales on a full size Griptilian and modded some way in which weight was added to the scales/grips?

 

[loonybin]

If you get small bird shot, you should be able to epoxy them into the recesses of the Valox handles. Just make sure that you get it smooth enough that it won't interfere with the partial liners.

A better option is tungsten putty, which will probably be heavier than the bird shot, can be molded and mashed into the recesses, and can be removed if you wish. This is available at pinewood derby stores (I linked to my favorite store).

 

[Wombatattack]

+1 on the tungsten putty seems like a great idea that ill have to try myself but i already have wilkins grip scales but there pretty pricey but add a lot of weight

 

[MTHall720]

Thanks very much. Never would have thought of the Tungsten putty.

 

[Leek_Freak]

Not to derail the thread, but for some reason when I read the title I thought you were asking if people were getting fatter

 

[MTHall720]

I love to see a good sense of humor
I am glad that the Tungsten can work for me though. I want the 551 but don't like the feather light weight feel of the scales on it. If I can easily remove the scales, add the Tungsten, then put the scales back on then I will go ahead and buy the knife.

 

[Tostig]

A few years back this came up on here , someone showed how he mashed fishing weights flat then epoxied those in place after getting them to the same size , it worked well for him so I did the same thing , I used small shot weights , although I held mine in place with super glue.

Made a nice difference

Tostig

 

[loonybin]

I love to see a good sense of humor
I am glad that the Tungsten can work for me though. I want the 551 but don't like the feather light weight feel of the scales on it. If I can easily remove the scales, add the Tungsten, then put the scales back on then I will go ahead and buy the knife.

It is very easy to remove the scales. One thing to take into consideration is getting the pivot pin back through the hole. Use a drill bit of the same size to slip through the hole as you remove the pin, as the pressure from the omega springs will push things slightly out of alignment and make it a bit frustrating to get back together (ask me how I know...).

I just found some tungsten putty at our local Hobby Lobby in the model/pinewood derby section for $7. It isn't as dense as the Maximum-Velocity.com tungsten, but it will be less expensive once you factor in shipping from Max-V. If it were me, I'd order from Max-V, but that's because I need more of the putty, plus some tungsten cubes and axle polish kits for this coming season...

 

[MTHall720]

I hadn't thought about the pin going back through the hole. Don't have a drill so don't know I I can still get the pin back without the drill bit.

 

[loonybin]

I hadn't thought about the pin going back through the hole. Don't have a drill so don't know I I can still get the pin back without the drill bit.

The drill bit is not necessary. It just makes it easier. I have dis- and reassembled my Axis lock knives multiple times without the drill bit. It just takes a bit longer with more fiddling to get it to go back in. The omega springs put pressure on the blade, shifting it every-so-slightly out of alignment. Pulling back on the lock and pushing the blade back into position fixes that issue and it is easier to get the pin back into place. It isn't hard, but it takes more time. The other thing to keep in mind is the flat side of the pivot pin, and making sure that it lines up correctly with the hole in the liner (I mislabeled it in the pic):

 

[MTHall720]

Thanks very much for the help with this.