Custom Option Questions

V

vsanks

Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
37
STR,
I read in a thread that you no longer make the ricebeater. Do you still make any lockbacks...and is there a specific list of dimensions on the customs you make...or is everything negotiable? I'm interested in a smaller folder...under four inches. And can you give me the size of the "oupaorator jr."?

Thanks,

Van
 
Hi Van. Welcome to my forum. I make the Ouparator and its the only model I am interested in making at present. The conversion thing keeps me hopping and really its my first love anyways so that is where my primary focus is. I'll make the Ouparator in a few different configurations trying to work within reason with folks but I'm hard core stuck on the Wharncliff blade. I already made up a bunch of blades a while back when I knew this forum was coming and I already had some from years ago when I made a few of the carbon blades up so I'd have them on hand ready to use and all that I am interested in doing is jobs using either that 440C with cryo or the 1095 carbon blades I have on hand.

Anything else other than the Ouparator is just not worth the stress to me and basically side tracks me and also causes me to reconfigure my grinder from the way I have things for the other jobs I do. To be perfectly honest I really don't much care for spending a lot of time making blades and since I don't do my own heat treating the only way I can make them is to do a whole lot at one time to maximize expenses.

I actually make more $ with my custom clips and the conversions by far and give most of my time to those. Hope you understand. For that matter I get more for some of the conversions that I do than I can muster out of a custom from scratch folder I make and I don't have to make a blade with those so it makes better sense to me to stick with the better money job that puts $ back in my account to pay for materials and equipment. I don't mean to come off in a bad way here. I just want to explain why I'm not much interested in working much more than the way I do on the custom folder thing.

Now with that said, I'll certainly make you an Ouparator if you want one. For what its worth the RiceBeater is the first generation Ouparator. I decided after making the RiceBeater that the name was inappropriate and that my good friend Dirk (Oupa) derserved some credit for the initial design idea he gave me. The Ouparator is a bit more refined than the RiceBeater was and it measures 4" closed with a 2.5" blade and weighs about 2.5 ounces. I call it my 50 state legal carry tank built little giant of a folder. Look at the thread here for a typical example and let me know if I can help you with getting one of your own. I'm getting ready to start a new one tomorrow by the way.. Of course it is spoken for but just FYI. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=502385

Thanks for asking and thanks for visiting my forum.

STR
 
Oh I missed the lockback question totally. Sorry my bad there.

I have only made ten lockbacks in my whole life. The last one I made was the one I carry myself shown in my signiture line and I really have to be in the right mood to make one. I've only sold one and even that one I gave away basically because much as I love the lockback, and much as that last one was perfect I still know in my heart that I'm not quite there yet where I want to be with that type folder to be selling them confidently. Its a whole different league of craftsmanship to do a lockback. Don't get me wrong the ones I did are fine little folders for function but they all had little quirks I didn't want in them until that last one.

If my next few come out as good as the one I did that is pictured in my signiture line then I'll be there I think.

STR
 
Thanks, STR.
I understand exactly what you're saying...and I think a fellow surely ought to make what he likes. I like the looks of the ouparator, and I've read enough threads to know it's gotta be a quality knife. I'm just not sure that a clumsy lefty like me could ever get the hang of a frame lock (never had one before). So...allow me to lurk around your forum for a while and see what might happen. Thanks!

Van
 
I am very much in tune with southpaws needs. I can make a true frame lock just like the Ouparator in a lefty and unlike other makers my right or left hand custom folder is set up for the same pricing either way. This is not the case with conversions simply because it demands that I make both sides of the folder over but with customs I have to do that either way.

Truth be told I'm by definition a true abmi and can do anything with either hand but if I had to pick which side was stronger I'd have to say lefty. All the important things I do are lefty. My mouse for my computer is even lefty set up. Like many southpaws in the world though I've grown used to living in a right handed world when it comes to knives and anything else. Its probably this reason that I'm also right handed too.

Here is one of a couple of lefty friendly Ouparator knives I've done. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=497733

STR
 
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