Convert 0560 to automatic??

I imagine it could be done. There's a youtube vid out there of someone that had a sebenza converted to automatic. The concept should be the same.
 
ndeezl said:
I imagine it could be done. There's a youtube vid out there of someone that had a sebenza converted to automatic. The concept should be the same.
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I saw that Sebenza and who ever decided to have that done should be shot...(imo) that knife came out fugly and jacked up...
 
ndeezl said:
There's a youtube vid out there of someone that had a sebenza converted to automatic. The concept should be the same.
Click to expand...
This is where you break realistically
You have to put the spring/pushbar somewhere which generally messes up the open pillar construction.
You also have to add a release button so you're either making a mess or having a difficult to use scale release.
Ideally you'd also want a safety of some sort.

I think you would also end up wearing down your lockbar at an accelerated rate causing lock up issues down the road.

So I suppose you COULD do this.. but it would be pointless and a complete novelty like lifting and putting off-road tires on a Porsche.
You'd ruin the function it was built for and does very well by trying to make it something it is not and not really succeeding.
 
Not really sure if you're agreeing or disagreeing, but it seems like you're making it a question of semantics. It's about as realistic as doing it to a sebenza. Which has been done.

oregonknifenerd said:
So I suppose you COULD do this..
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Why would anyone actually want to do that? It's like dog-earing a book; disrespectful to the author.
 
ndeezl said:
Not really sure if you're agreeing or disagreeing, but it seems like you're making it a question of semantics. It's about as realistic as doing it to a sebenza. Which has been done.
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I'll agree with you, it is as realistic to do it to a sebenza as to any other framelock. It is incredibly stupid and ruins the knife in every case.

Plunge/button locks work great for autos. I own about a dozen Kershaw autos as well as Hogue and Benchmade button lock autos. BM's axis
lock automatics aren't quite as nice but I own some of those as well.

I also own a Lone Wolf D2 with the same style auto used in the Sebenza
conversions. It works okay with the liner lock but isn't a great design and I don't see it holding up over time especially with the steel to titanium
lock surface. It tends to stick badly. The scale release on the D2 is well thought out since it uses a rubber overmold so you push a soft spot on the
scale to release it. You'd have to mold a new scale for the 0560 as well or else have a big stupid button in the middle of your factory scale.

I'm a big fan of Bill Harsey's designs (he's been at OKCA, he's also quite the guy) and the general design, profile of the blade, etc. are all really nice but the auto function just
seems like total novelty. The T-series model it is based upon is very nice and have a large following but the D2 has always received poor reviews for it's perceived reliability. I don't know there are enough out there that have been used hard for a long period of time since they were fairly limited production and mostly tucked away in safes.

Benchmade picked up the design as the 3800 NTK when they bought out Lone Wolf.
While I think there were some licensing/personality/misc issues that also played in to it, I think that the reliability of the design also played in to it never being produced other than as a handful of prototypes.

So yes, you CAN lift your sports car and put offroad tires on it.. and you'd have a nice looking car that you could kind of drive offroad.. but you'd lose everything that made that car good in the first place..... or you could just buy a truck that was purpose built for what you want to do with it.

I hope I'm not being too obnoxious and bordering on trolling here but I feel quite strongly that modifying a framelock to an auto is a Bad Idea(tm). Nothing personal against anyone, we all have things we wish were different with our knives.. I'd be all for a 0560 automatic with 3D titanium scales on both sides, ridged titanium back spacer enclosing the mechanism, and a push button lock. But that is building a new knife [please, no Ship of Theseus arguments you philosophy majors!]. If we are going down that road, I want a Spanto grind!
 
With the flipper, it would be extremely difficult to convert an 0560 to an auto by using a leaf spring. I owned two Sebenzas, a Large 21 and a Small BG-42 Regular, that were converted to autos by Butch Vallotton and some of the material at the base of the blade below the edge needs to be removed and a new detent needs to be drilled in order to fit the leaf spring and backspacer into the knife and have it still close. The blade will not close as deeply as a model that has not been converted. Butch does an excellent job at doing all of this and both knives that I owned were excellent examples of a Sebenza converted into an auto with a leaf spring and hidden scale release. Both opened very smooth manually and automatically.

With the flipper in the way, I believe that it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to convert an 0560 to an automatic with a leaf spring. Making a double action knife with a coil spring in the pivot can be done, but it is not an easy thing to accomplish. The only D/A auto I've seen that uses a coil spring is the Microtech SOCOM D/A. A wound spring contained within a cam. The cam can be spun freely and easily when opening in manual action, but the spring can be released within the cam with the push of a button to open automatically. I don't know if you would find someone who wants to do such a labor intensive conversion. Also, the cam/spring pivot may be patented anyway.

I liked my D/A Sebenzas and I didn't see them as ruined knives or abominations. They were rare pieces that were converted with expertise by a well known and respected craftsman. I didn't lose money on them. I ended up trading both of them because I just never carried them. One was traded for an RJ Martin and the other was traded for a one off Eric Elson.
 
Tony makes some very good points. Sounds like it wouldn't be possible to do. But just because some of us strongly dislike something doesn't mean you shouldn't do it/have it done if you like it and it is possible. We all have different tastes and that keeps things interesting. Just don't ever ever ever add an Emerson wave to a super rare Blur! :)
 
I'm sure Butch could do it ....I do have a Seb that is converted and it's awesome.
 
Well, It sounds like too much trouble. I'm a big fan of autos, and would love an auto version of this knife. But I would not want to take away from the structural integrity to make one.
 
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