Buck 881 complete rebuild

[STR]

My friend Ktint from up in New York has some knives here that are next up on the bench. I got two knives from him quite a while ago actually and one I knocked out today. Its a Mini Commader by Emerson with a new Talonite blade he had custom made for it by Reese Weiland.

I must admit Reese did an outstanding job on this and I am very impressed with both of these blades because he did another custom Talonite blade for this Buck Strider 881 folder.

Ktints needs were a request I have not had before. There have already been a lot of firsts on my forum so this should fit right in. His request for both is that they be 'hard to open'. You read that right. His original request was for bigger detent balls. On the mini Commander I simply drilled for activating the detent in the lock as well as the one that is active on it from the factory on the non lock side. So this one is effectively 'hard to open' now that this is done. No flicking this one open anymore thats for sure!

The second project is the one this thread is titled for.

Now this one required a bit more thought and it has been ongoing for a while now as I progress.

Long story short Ktint would like a better more secure grip for his 881 folder and for it to be a frame lock. Now I have tried this before with my own 881 and made some critical mistakes that caused me to waste titanium. This time I'm better prepared due to those past errors so we'll see how much I learned I guess.

Ktint's original request was for something like an SnG or his Mini Commander grip to keep his fingers from sliding up on it. Try as I might using the PT I own and his own Mini Commander as a template to get ideas from I can't seem to come up with anything quite like those due to ways in which those are built compared to this one but if you can use your imaginations with me here I think I have found a happy medium by incorporating a design I have been working on for one of my own customs down the road that will work I think with some slight modification to the shape and I am about ready to go for it.

This should be both challenging and if I pull it off another of many firsts here in the backyard. Then again it could be a miserable failure where I have to put it all back together as it came and admit defeat. Needless to say this is not for the faint at heart budget wise and its also going to require both non lock and lock side to be redone. The non lock side will be textured G10. I will let Ktint decide on which, ranger green, coyote brown or black. Let me know my friend.

Here are some beginning pics of what I have in mind for this 881 talonite beauty as well as a single quick scan of the Mini Commander with the new custom blade in it unless my friend Ktint decides to change my direction. We'll know more later on that.

In the mean time, stay tuned. This should be good!

STR

 

[Ktint]

Hello sir,
I would like to thank you for take a shot at this two folders. I have been amazed by your experties, quality, patience and turn around time. So, I trust your knowledge and judgement and most of all I will be happy with your desicion. Just in case if I have to choose g-10, I would like to have ranger green or coyote brown. I like both colors. :thumbup:


Thank you sir

 

[STR]

Few progress scans for ya. Had to sneak in and use the wifey's scanner while she napped. My new AC adapter should be here tomorrow for the one on my computer. Its lookin' pretty good so far I think. Been one of the toughest rebuilds from a liner to a frame lock I've ever tackled. I've screwed up the first attempt with the lock side and now the first attempt with the non lock as well but both second attempts went together flawlessly after learning from my mistake.

Trick is I had to drill the holes in a particular sequence to make it work. Well, at least I found this to be the case. The way these are built each hole uses three drill bit sizes. You have the small hole for the screw at a number 31 drill size that goes all the way through both the lock and non lock side. Then on the outside of both sides you have the recess hole for the heads of the screws to sink those down in the handle a bit at 7/32 and then on the inside of the lock and non lock sides you have another recess hole for the barrels used for the building of this Buck Strider 881 and that was a 3/16" drill.

Go too far with either side or try to drill the G10 side without clamping it down to your table, (yep been there done that at this point!) and you get to start all over because the nice sharp drill bit you used grabbed up your scale and pulled a nice big 7/32 hole all the way through your scale.

Now that its looking as I had envisioned I've been trying to map out my long cut for the lock side next which I'll mill out tomorrow. The detent ball was supposed to be one that goes up to the next bigger size. But truthfully Ktint I am not so sure that is feesible. The tolearances of the positioning of the detent in it will have to remain the same and they allowed no room at all for bumping up to a bigger ball down the road. Doing so would bring the hole through the contact area and thats not good. As a result the ball will have to remain the same size.

Now I just need to decide at this time if I want to leave the lock up higher than the non lock side or if I want to take it down to the same height and cut in traction grooves on the lock where you push with your thumb to release it like the Strider PT is built. I'll sleep on that I guess before deciding.


STR

 

[STR]

One last one and its time for eats.

Tomorrow I still need to add my lanyard hole and set up the mill among some other steps. Stay tuned.

STR

 

[Ktint]

Very nice Steve. Great work.

 

[STR]

Thanks my friend. I try hard.

I am going to hang with this one for a day or so to make sure its as I want it and that its ready to go home.

It is not one I care to do again I can tell ya that! Very tough to pull this one off. Its for sure a one of a kind I think.

At this point with the talonite blade and the new frame lock body it is the equal of a full custom folder made to order.

I hope it meets with your expectations when its in your hands.

Email me later and we'll square up.

Final weight is 2.7 ounces. 7.125" open OAL.
New handle is 4.25" long and offers plenty of grippy texture. I have made the detent stick as good as any I have ever made. It won't flick open.
Thanks.

Oh yeah. You ever get rid of this I want first refusal on it! Call me first and its sold unless I'm just broke.

I'll be in touch.

STR

 

[STR]

Oh one more thing.

I sharpened up the edge just a touch to be sure I didn't ding it any while working on this. Its good to go now.:thumbup:

STR

 

[trimcut123]

Thats impressive...

Unbelievable what you can do STR...

 

[STR]

I emailed you and this one is packed and ready to ship whenever FYI.

Thanks

STR

 

[Ktint]

What a folder!!!!!!! It is much more than I can ever imagine.:thumbup: I am sure I am going to have a dead grip on this folder. Steve, I have three more Emerson if you feel like drilling small holes for detent balls

 

[STR]

Yes I emailed you on those but go ahead and mail them out at your convenience.

Those are pretty quick and easy to knock out. Right now I like quick and easy! Got a lot of big jobs ahead here.

STR

 

[Ktint]

Hi Steve,
Got the folder yesterday and loving it. Thank you steve. This one is going everywhere with me. You are the best :thumbup:.

 

[STR]

I knew you'd love it. Its a sweet heart for sure.

Enjoy my friend. I'm glad you are pleased. :thumbup:

STR

 

[STR]

Thats impressive...

Unbelievable what you can do STR...

I just realized I ignored you completely with this post and I do apologize. Thank you for the compliment. I didn't mean to be rude and completely skip over your words here like that at all.

STR

 

[GarageBoy]

On Emersons the detent simply pops out correct? (the ball is on a "flap")

 

[STR]

On Emersons its on the non lock side not the lock. The locks have balls but not active ones that do anything to prevent accidental gravity openings. The balls on the locks simply aid smoothness to open them and close them so the blade rides on the ball intead of a titanium lock which would be all gritty and as you know most EKIs are gritty enough as they come new out of the box. Most Emersons fall into the category of a gravity flipper knife and would fail the flick test if done by law enforcement. A whole lot of the industry is guilty of this fine line walking pushing the limits of the definition to be honest. BenchMade does this a whole lot also. The detent ball originally was designed to hold the blade shut. Its supposed to stick it and hold the blade closed when it works as designed. Look at a Kershaw since most of them are done exceptionally well and compare theirs to one of the Emersons or BenchMades. Kershaw has a higher % of doing them right. I see a lot of liner locks and all manner from Bucks to just about every other company let this slide quite a bit.

A lot of folks have asked me to make the blades easier to 'jump start' on the ones that are done correctly since the detent grabs too hard but what they don't realize is that the minute you do that its no longer legal and you risk losing it should you ever have it tested by an officer of the law. In this current environment of cracking down on anything deemed weapons it is not the time to be walking that fine line believe me. I have had I can't tell you how many folks crying to me about losing expensive knives in New York, Illinois, Kansas and more over the time I've been a member here but in the last year that has increased tremendously. I don't think its getting any better.

This should really have its own thread.
STR

 

[GarageBoy]

Okay, I understand most folders use a tiny coil spring under the ball? But emersons have a little cut out in the Ti liner using that as a spring?

Thanks!

 

[STR]

Coil spring? No I've never seen that if so.

The hole has to be drilled an exacting size to fit whatever ball you are using.

As I recall the Emersons are using a 1/16" ball bearing which is quite common in the industry. The holes would have to be drilled with a number 53 drill bit to fit that ball so that the hole drilled just a tiny bit undersized for the ball. This way when its punched it taps in but sticks and stays put.

Drill a 1/16" hole it drops right through. So the hole drilled is just smaller than the size ball you use and it holds there in place by the metal retaining it.

Normally like what I do when I'm making a folder from scartch in a frame lock is that I drill the hole. Then when I go to set the ball in place I use a metal washer the same thickness as one of the teflon or nylatron washers I'm using in the knife. I surround the ball with that washer as the ball is sitting in the hole ready to be tapped. Then I tap the ball with a flat end punch and the ball seats exactly to the depth you want it because the washer stops the punch from going too far down where it buries the ball in the lock. In the end the ball only sticks out the same amount as the washer is thick.

Now with Ernie's knives since his washers are .030 thickness each you can't do this obviously but the two places that the detent ball is set both have springiness to them so they push inward all the time under pressure. This keeps the ball in contact with the blade at all times. Then when its closed and only then is there a small starter hole that the ball on the non lock side on that knife can sort of fall into to hold the blade. This usually works just well enough to make the knife trustworthy in your pocket but not well enough to keep it closed when you flick it.

STR

 

[GarageBoy]

Thanks again STR. Real useful info here!