Buck 55 Folder Goes On Diet With Three Changes,.....Now She's Even Sweeter! :-)

joejeweler

joejeweler

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Jan 27, 2006
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I originally posted this in the general forum under "Maintanance, Tinkering, and Embellishment" as it involved several changes in a few Buck folders and thought it of general interest for anyone who adds something to their gear. However, I think it'd be of interest here also.



Out of all my few few dozen knives (among several Randall's, Buck's, and Kershaw's),....the most used knife is my diminutive Buck 55 that I've carried daily with me for about 10 years. It opens many boxes on a weekly basis that come in the mail, and I use it to cut the packaging tape when I ship something. I even use it occasionally at Wendy's when they run out of plastic knives for my baked potato. ( I keep my baby clean and ready to go at all times :-)

But truth be told I've never much liked the clip point blade shape, and much prefer the drop point blade of the Squire. However, the 55 is a better built unit in my opinion, so I went with practically and got the blade shape I dislike with the build quality I like (the 55 also has what looks like rosewood or cocobolo scales rather than marcarta). Sort of like marriage,....you compromise a bit and it;s all supposed to work out fine. ( Right!!! :-)

Anyway, recently I acquired a few Randall Model #26 "Pathfinder" knives, as I've always loved the very sleek 4" drop point blade and useful, practical 4" fixed blade length. After looking them over once in hand, I finally decided that if Buck didn't make "just" want I wanted,.....I would work it up as close as possible from what they do offer!

So that's how about a week ago I decided to try to get rid of that unsightly "bump" and false edge (to "me" anyway :-) on my Buck 55, and initially that's ALL I had in mind. But the blade change worked out so well to appease my tastes, that I decided to add a single finger groove to have a bit more safety and control. It also brought the lower frame shape a bit closer to the bigger Buck 112 and 110 models, which do have a sort of finger guard built in.

So that also pleased me very much, and I noticed right away the more secure and comfortable "feel" if the knife with the single index finger guard added. There is plenty of "meat" there to do the job and use the knife for it's intended uses,..."light duty cutting". (the most we all do anyway! lol)

So OK,....I thing I'm done for awhile but nope, I was contemplating adding a short area of thumb notches,....but ended up doing the full top of that now sleek drop point blade in a sort of vine pattern "filework".

.....and YES, it was my very first attempt at a spine vine. (can't call it file work as they wouldn't touch it!)

To be honest, on my particular example my high grade jeweler's files wouldn't touch this stuff! The spine was harder than "s***!" (pardon my French :-) So in spite of having been OUT of Jewelry repair/diamond setting for over 10 years (I did it for 30 years), I grit my teeth and went at it with a regular stone separating disc, a VERY fine stone separating disc for the fine accents, a medium grip rubber wheel to prep for polishing, and a 1" muslin polishing wheel using "Fabuluster" jeweler's polish. All were hand held using my Foredom flexable shaft machine and working SLOWLY!!!

A fine point set of steel dividers allowed me to lightly mark off the spacing. I had to lightly fine sand brush the spine just to SEE the marks! lol I arrived at the spacing by marking off the edge of a US Nickel and doing a small trial run on the nickel, until it looked about right to be on such a fine blade as is on the Buck 55.

I used 2 small strips of black electrical tape over the blades sharp edge to protect my fingers, and very carefully placed my starting points between each section of the vine. I never got anywhere near worrying about heat being an issue with the grinding, but did dip the knife into a bowl of water frequently to keep the grit from working into the pivots. (and at times the knife would have to be opened and closed so this was important in my mind)

Next I enlarged and rounded the cuts as best possible, at a really S L O W speed the closer I got from repeated checking. All of this with a standard 1" stone cut off disc. A medium grit Cratex rubber wheel smoothed and rounded to shape, and only then did I move to a very fine stone cut off wheel to add the "thorns" to the vine. Last steps was a good polishing into the larger rounded out areas, and a final light brushing along the top to highlight the polished areas.

Don't forget to do a thorough cleanup to get all the grit out. I used fine brushes and a plastic bowl with dish detergent in it, followed by a good rinse and a trip out to the garage to blow out all the water with about 80 pounds of air pressure from my compressor. Last step was to work some light oil into the pivots, work the opening-closing cycles a few times to get the oil where it needs to be, and them wipe out all the excess you can with folded over paper towel pieces. The excess oil will just attract dust and grit if you don't get rid of as much as you can.

Some Pics :









Index Finger Guard Recess Cut, but before "Filework" done: (er,...."Grinding work" :-)





Profile before Spine Vine Done.....




In the next 3 pictures all three sizes of this style shown together.

The Buck 110 with just the same blade shape change on top, Middle is unaltered Buck 112, Bottom is Buck 55 before the "filework".





The Buck 55 in this photo (bottom of 3 knives) has had the blade spine re-profiled, but the index finger groove and spine vine had not been done yet.



By the way, this is the look I was going after, .... on my Randall Model 26 Pathfinder 4" fixed blade below against the then unmodified Buck 110. I think I got as close as possible with minimal tip length loss on the Buck 110, and very little on the Buck 55.

 
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Pretty nifty :)
I like customizing them occasionally also.
I believe the 055 and the 503 blades can be exchanged with each other too. (Same length and tang shape)

Congrats on your work!
 
Nice work!

I have never been one that cared too much for file work on a knife, but I really like that index finger groove you added!!
 
Stumps said:
Nice work!

I have never been one that cared too much for file work on a knife, but I really like that index finger groove you added!!
Click to expand...

.....or more accurately in this case,..."stone cut-off disc work" :-)

And yeah, I was really surprised how much better the finger groove made this small knife feel in hand. The knife gets buried up inside most hands anyway, and just this simple feature really helps to sort of lock the knife to your hand. I see no reason Buck doesn't offer just that feature on this model, as there is PLENTY of "meat" left in the brass liners to support the blade designed for light duty anyway.

.......and it was the easiest change I made to this one. Using a 1/2 inch cylinder sander that's rubber cored and takes various grits sandpaper. It expends a bit to hold the tube sandpaper on. (available at Sears and elsewhere) I used 60 grit at LIGHT pressure to SLOWLY rough out the shape. (to avoid chipping the wood edges) Then 120 grit disc to final shape, and finished with a medium Cratex abrasive wheel and polished with 1" muslin wheel and "Fabuluster" compound.

The Finger groove took all of 10 minutes to get done! :-) The blade re-profiling about an hour using mostly the 60 grit/120 grit 1/2 inch drum sander, and finished with finer grits to crocus cloth by hand. I polished the edge with "Fabuluster", .....just a great all around jeweler's polishing compound that works great on steel also.

......the really tiny grinding of the vine into the spine took about TWO HOURS, as one slip of the cutting disc and the "flow" of the vine was lost. Working with a really painful right shoulder didn't help. I've had "Calcific Rotator Cuff Tendonitis" there for 4 years, and why I haven't worked during that time. Worth the pain on this one though. :-) These 58 year old eyes have been away from such closeup work a long time, but it felt good to get this done and up to my personal standards. (folks still MISS my jewelry work and ask when I'll be back! lol)

Better shot of the "flow" of the vines, which came out very even looking:

 
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File work looks real nice.
Not seeing any quality difference between 501 & 55 as was mentioned. just a little xtra.work with th curved bolsters.
The squire has also had birchwood handles since 81
I believe there were a few single finger grooves done from the factrory on 501's they may be practical but i dont like the aesthetics even a litttle bit. Typically the butt of the smaller knives tends to rest in palm of your hand enough I've never had it want to slip. whereas I have the larger knives.
However i'd love to see a 501 with front bolster of the 112 and curve scales like the 111 & 55
That would be a nice knife.
 
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st8yd said:
File work looks real nice.
Not seeing any quality difference between 501 & 55 as was mentioned. just a little xtra.work with th curved bolsters
I believe there were a few single finger grooves done from the factrory on 501's they may be practical but i dont like the aesthetics even a litttle bit.
However i'd love to see a 501 with front bolster of the 112 and curve scales like the 111 & 55
That would be a nice knife.
Click to expand...

I guess I see the extra (exposed) pin rivet on the 55 as a bit tougher construction,.....but I'm sure the 501 HAS a rivet there under the scales to pivot the blade locking bar.

Also, as far as "aesthetics" go, the Buck 112 has a built in "pseudo" functional finger guard/hilt (not counting the models with multiple finger grooves) The 110 not so much and I wonder why not??? The bulge in the 112 blade lockup area serves that purpose, to protect the hand from sliding onto the blade in use. The smaller 55 and similar models do not. It's also lacking on the 110, which is surprising as the 112 is regarded as the little brother of the 110 and derived from it. But that bulged out "hilt" is different.

Over the years I've slid off a wet knife a few times, and always one without any hilt or finger groove, so there you go at least as has been my experience.

(you'd think in these sue happy times even the smaller pocket knife models would have some sort of a guard, if only similar to what I've done)

Anyway, I due plan on picking up a nice wooden scaled 510 eventually, as the drop point blade is a "looker" in my eyes! :-) I just worked with what I already had to get close to that look,......and made an old friend that much more special to me. YMMV :-)

Oh,...as long as we're dreaming Buck folders, how about a bigger version of the 501 dropped point blade, with the 112 models bolster style,.... BUT about 1/3 to 1/2 THINNER . Seems to me there is a place for an in between thickness model somewhere?
 
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Yep, hidden lockbar pivot pin.
Here is a 501 I customized a bit, and you can see the pin in this photo :)



Fingergrooves are sweet!

 
Hahaha, there wasn't room for the fourth groove, so.the pinky rests on the non grooved area.
Actually fits my hand perfectly like that.
 
joejeweler said:
I guess I see the extra (exposed) pin rivet on the 55 as a bit tougher construction,.....but I'm sure the 501 HAS a rivet there under the scales to pivot the blade locking bar.

Also, as far as "aesthetics" go, the Buck 112 has a built in "pseudo" functional finger guard/hilt (not counting the models with multiple finger grooves) The 110 not so much and I wonder why not??? The bulge in the 112 blade lockup area serves that purpose, to protect the hand from sliding onto the blade in use. The smaller 55 and similar models do not. It's also lacking on the 110, which is surprising as the 112 is regarded as the little brother of the 110 and derived from it. But that bulged out "hilt" is different.

Over the years I've slid off a wet knife a few times, and always one without any hilt or finger groove, so there you go at least as has been my experience.

(you'd think in these sue happy times even the smaller pocket knife models would have some sort of a guard, if only similar to what I've done)

Anyway, I due plan on picking up a nice wooden scaled 510 eventually, as the drop point blade is a "looker" in my eyes! :-) I just worked with what I already had to get close to that look,......and made an old friend that much more special to me. YMMV :-)

Oh,...as long as we're dreaming Buck folders, how about a bigger version of the 501 dropped point blade, with the 112 models bolster style,.... BUT about 1/3 to 1/2 THINNER . Seems to me there is a place for an in between thickness model somewhere?
Click to expand...

JoeJeweler,

The mods look sweet. You might Google search on Forge de Lauguile for more inspiration, especially if you start disassembling knives and turn your files on the lock bars.

If you google search you may also find pictures and how-tos on making a "thin line" 112.

I think the looking Bucks are the rare drop point 112s and 113. You're not alone in wanting to see more drop point 112s.

But my favorite Buck to own and use is the 500 Duke due the combo of drop point and thin frame. Much better knife to pocket carry and much better all around blade, IMO.

At this point, I would like to see a fat 112 drop point in production and a flat ground 500. Leave the 112 as a fat hunting knive and make the 500 even more versatile.

BTW, while the old script 500s where micarta I believe the non-script ones are Birch.
 
pinnah said:
JoeJeweler,

The mods look sweet. You might Google search on Forge de Lauguile for more inspiration, especially if you start disassembling knives and turn your files on the lock bars.

If you google search you may also find pictures and how-tos on making a "thin line" 112.

I think the looking Bucks are the rare drop point 112s and 113. You're not alone in wanting to see more drop point 112s.

But my favorite Buck to own and use is the 500 Duke due the combo of drop point and thin frame. Much better knife to pocket carry and much better all around blade, IMO.

At this point, I would like to see a fat 112 drop point in production and a flat ground 500. Leave the 112 as a fat hunting knive and make the 500 even more versatile.

BTW, while the old script 500s where micarta I believe the non-script ones are Birch.
Click to expand...

Thanks,...I am quite happy with the way it all turned out. You never really know what the final result will be when you take a grindstone to a knife! :-)

I have to agree with you on the Buck 500 Duke also,......I had forgotten about that one as it's not always available. Not sure why, it IS a sweet drop point blade for sure! (for all the reasons you mention) I'd never actually owned one up to now, but THANKS TO YOU bringing it up I searched it out and now own TWO! !$@#*&^!!! :-)

I was planning on converting my 112 into a drop point anyway, but will look into the info for thinning them up some after disassembly. While it's apart, I might just go "tastfully" crazy on the lock bar as well as the blade spine,....ONE of my Buck folders should match in those areas I'd think :rolleyes:

The Forge de Lauguile search does provide long hours of adventure for sure,.....just have to keep a paper towel handy to catch all the drool that arises. :D

cheers,
Joe T
 
Since your taking it apart, order you a 442. It has a drop point and fits the 112. If your careful enough you could put the 112 back into the bucklite and resell it to someone that likes clip points.

I've got a 442 donor just waiting on the right 112. I recently aquired a 112 with NS bolsters for this purpose but its like new and hasn't been sharpened so I havn't been able to bring myself to do it, even though I don't like clip points especially on the 112 it looks stumpy.
 
st8yd said:
Since your taking it apart, order you a 442. It has a drop point and fits the 112. If your careful enough you could put the 112 back into the bucklite and resell it to someone that likes clip points.

I've got a 442 donor just waiting on the right 112. I recently aquired a 112 with NS bolsters for this purpose but its like new and hasn't been sharpened so I havn't been able to bring myself to do it, even though I don't like clip points especially on the 112 it looks stumpy.
Click to expand...

Has anyone noticed a lock up, excess play, or centering problems in the Buck 112's when you do the recommended blade swap outs? Just curious???
 
joejeweler said:
Has anyone noticed a lock up, excess play, or centering problems in the Buck 112's when you do the recommended blade swap outs? Just curious???
Click to expand...

Just test fit the blade with a new pivot pin before peening the pin.
If it doesn't fit perfectly, swap the lockbar too :)
 
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