custom modifications

leroys_45 · Nov 9, 1999

i want to know if anything like this has ever been done before and if so, how it turned out. i have an old spyderco rescue. i would like to give it G-10 handles for christmas. i would also like to modify the locking bar so that there is a protrusion on either side at the front that you lift up on rather than push down on the back. it's something vaugely like the edi rocklock. could i drill a small hole in the locking bar and put some thing through or would that compromise strength? could i weld onto it and have it reheattreated? or would i simply have to make myself a new rocker bar? any advice would be appreciated. and does any one know where to get either the super thin washers that spyderco uses or phospor bronze that edi and chris reeve use? thanks in advance for your help.

Corduroy · Nov 9, 1999

What you propose is feasible, in my opinion. I personally don't do much with knives that have pinned construction because the pins must be forcibly driven out and replaced, but it is possible. I'd also recommend Micarta over G-10 because it's a bit less hazardous to work with (no glass dust) if you have fairly basic facilities.

For the locking bar, definitely don't drill the front section. I have seen unmodified Spydies snap in this area - it seems to come under the most stress. Welding might be the best way to go if you have the facilities. I wouldn't worry too much about the heat-treat on the locking bar, they are usually hardened only to the high 40's if at all.

I can send you some Spydie washers, but I don't think you need or want them on a lockback. So far as I know, Spyderco only uses them on their liner-locks. Email me if you think you need them.

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-Corduroy
"Why else would a bear want a pocket?"

Little Bear Knives
Drew Gleason:
adg@student.umass.edu

leroys_45 · Nov 9, 1999

thanks for your advice. could i just replace the pins with small hex head screws like liner locks use? do you know where i can get the double screw type spacers used in the spyderco military?

[This message has been edited by leroys_45 (edited 09 November 1999).]

Corduroy · Nov 10, 1999

Replacing the pins with screws is a tricky proposition. I've been working on this on another pin-type lockback for quite a while (and I expect its owner would like it to come home). It requires that the locking bar screw be sheathed in a very thin tube, similar to the spacers you mention but small enough to pass through a hole that once held the pin. All spacer holes must be small enough to be threaded and accept similar screws, or new holes must be drilled. The pivot itself has to be reconfigured to accept a screw-type pivot rather than a pin.

You can't replace the spacer with posts and have an open-backed knife because it holds the spring that engages the locking bar. I haven't got a good source for those posts, anyhow.

My advice would be to stick with the original pinned construction if this is your first project. I'm happy to swap info if you do attept the screw construction, but I'll tell you that, though I'm sure my project will work, it's been quite a challenge.

-Drew