Buck 501 BG42 blade availability??

STR

STR

Knifemaker/Moderator
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Joe or Chuck do you happen to know if you have any left over BG42 blades for the 501 Buck Esquire/Squire models that could be installed in one of my knives for me from the custom shop???

Please let me know if you ever ran into any.

A sprint run in BG42 or S30V or some other good steel, even ATS34 with a modern pocket clip and thumb stud operation and some kind of textured grip insert would be nice also. I've fantasized about an insert of G10 or wood with a textured or checkered symbol of a trophy Buck head carved in the handle right about where the thumb would be placed for extracting the folder maybe. The texture of the buck symbol would be all thats needed for a good thumb purchase to slip the folder right off the pocket if it was placed on the non clip side just about right. :D

Sorry, couldn't resist. I've been getting used to the one a customer asked me to fix up with a thumb stud and pocket clip and just did one for myself that same way using one of the several 501s I own.. Got me to thinking is all. Its such a perfect knife now. ;) One of the reasons I quit carrying my 501, aside from losing the first one was due to the fact that I found I liked the thumb stud and pocket clip option on other models coming out. A bit hard sometimes to wind your clock backwards as the old saying goes even though there was still much about the 501 I really liked. I carried a 501 for over ten years. I'm sure there are still those that prefer the traditional nail nick and deep carry and I am not suggesting you stop making those. Just saying, I'd bet an updated version would do better for sales. Its the perfect EDC size, thinness, weight and blade length. Anyway, just a thought.

Let me know if you can on the BG42 question regarding the custom shop. If so I've got one I want to send in for the replacement blade install.

Thanks

STR
 
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Buck, the 501 is heralded by STR as one of his favorite knive. If you could do something similar to what he's asking, you'll be basically getting an endorsement of one of the finest knife tinkerers(sorry if I'm using the wrong term) that there is. I think a 501 with super steel with a clip would likely be STR's favorite pocketknife. That is quite an ad.

I might add, I'd consider just a plain ole 420HC steel with the improvements he's requesting, mainly a thumb stud and pocket clip.

STR's perfect knife sounds pretty daw gone good to me.
 
Thanks. Even though I do this kind of thing I mean no disrespect to Buck or collectors of their knives when I do it for customers knives or my own. Its sometimes hard to justify modifications for me on one thats been discontinued for whatever that is worth but who am I to tell a customer what to do with his or her user folder you know? I just do the work on others property.

Now on this model. This one I happened to like the mod enough to do one for myself on one of my own 501 folders, but I did it to one of the Squire models still available.:D I still cringe when I take one of my own knives or even a customers original knife that is not made anymore and go to drill a hole in the blade and body to modify one but sometimes the mod is the diff between a knife sitting in a drawer or a safe and one thats back in the pocket and being used. That was the case here because this 501 sat in a box in my safe for the last few years until I updated it. Personally I think a small lockback is better off up high using a pocket clip vs deep carry because of the havoc pocket lint can play on the lock mechanism. Just my opinion though based on experience of how many folks have sent them to me with locks no longer working when all it was was pocket lint jammed in the lock notch.



STR
 
STR, would you mind posting a pic of the mod of your 501? Love to see it...Mike
 
Well, tried but its already posted in my forum so its not going to let me do it twice.

Actually the one posted at this link is a customers but mine looks just like it except mine is a newer model than the one pictured. Otherwise there is no difference. I still had the customers knife and my clip and thumb stud are identical to it. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=571847

Thanks for asking
STR
 
Thanks Scott. I know about that one. That model is why I asked about them having any blades left laying around in the shop at Buck that maybe turned up after their move from California. I've looked for one for sale for quite a while. Never seen one. Seems most don't want to break up the sets and the ones that did get snagged up fast from what I've heard, and usually by collectors.

I'm wanting one to put to work. If Buck doesn't have one I may have to take one of my old ones that just came from ebay that is not quite the knife I was hoping for that is sharpened all down really bad and has vertical blade play and I may just have to see if I can't make a new blade for it out of some ATS34 or something, maybe some 440C since I have lots of that. Problem is I'll never get it back together using the old pins so I'm probably going to have to rebuild the entire folder just reusing the old lockbar and spring holder and nothing else. Just not sure I want to go there if I can prevent it but if I do I'll make it with textured CF or G10 and screw construction if I can manage it. It all depends on whether the lockbar can handle a 1/8" diameter barrel on whether it can be a full screw construction. I may have to use pins in the rocker bar/lockbar and the spring holder. Not something I am unfamilar with but I prefer all screw so if I do it that would be what I would prefer you know. The knife may be too small to accomodate what I hope for there.

I'd rather pay Buck to do it personally. :D

STR
 
STR said:
Well, tried but its already posted in my forum so its not going to let me do it twice.

Actually the one posted at this link is a customers but mine looks just like it except mine is a newer model than the one pictured. Otherwise there is no difference. I still had the customers knife and my clip and thumb stud are identical to it. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=571847

Thanks for asking
STR
Click to expand...

STR, I took the liberty of posting your photos here. (Let me know if I dun' wrong in doing so and I'll remove them).

Very nice mod. Now I gonna go over to your forum and spend some time reading up......Thanks, Mike
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Not a problem posting the pics here. I'd have done it but my third party site was down all day yesterday. Just saved me having to do it this morning so thanks. :thumbup:

STR
 
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