DIY Clip Brake

[imill3567]

Title says it all I'm planning on making a clip brake. I'm slowly working through my first liner lock and will probably just use one of the prefab clips I bought but not a huge fan of many of these options. They often look like an afterthought so on future folders I'd like to make clips either "milled" style or bent. The fellhoelter style clip brake is not available anymore but it looks pretty straightforward. I plan to make it using 1.25" and 3/4" aluminum square bar with 1/4" aluminum plate to make the side plates which form the ears that the bending pin goes through. I think the only tricky part will be getting the holes in the ears aligned just right so that it's flush when open. Anyone made one and have advice? The materials in my cart right now only come out to ~$40 as long as aluminum is sufficient which my gut says to bend 0.04" Ti will be fine.

 

[WValtakis]

Back when I was bending custom clips for flashlights, I made something like this out of some 1/4" round stock and scrap aluminum. Clamped it in my vise and worked like a charm whith a pair of Knipex smooth jaw pliers

 

[imill3567]

Back when I was bending custom clips for flashlights, I made something like this out of some 1/4" round stock and scrap aluminum. Clamped it in my vise and worked like a charm whith a pair of Knipex smooth jaw pliers

View attachment 1770294

That would certainly be easier to build, thanks for the idea.

 

[Natlek]

Title says it all I'm planning on making a clip brake. I'm slowly working through my first liner lock and will probably just use one of the prefab clips I bought but not a huge fan of many of these options. They often look like an afterthought so on future folders I'd like to make clips either "milled" style or bent. The fellhoelter style clip brake is not available anymore but it looks pretty straightforward. I plan to make it using 1.25" and 3/4" aluminum square bar with 1/4" aluminum plate to make the side plates which form the ears that the bending pin goes through. I think the only tricky part will be getting the holes in the ears aligned just right so that it's flush when open. Anyone made one and have advice? The materials in my cart right now only come out to ~$40 as long as aluminum is sufficient which my gut says to bend 0.04" Ti will be fine.

maybe this will help you

 

[imill3567]

maybe this will help you

Very repeatable if you only do one or two clips but I'll probably do different shaped clips so I'd need a mold every time, pretty cool though.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Make two of the press jigs like Natlex showed. One for each end of the clip. Make the clips any length needed that way.

 

[imill3567]

Make two of the press jigs like Natlex showed. One for each end of the clip. Make the clips any length needed that way.

Good point, that'd be more useful, still takes away the option of deep carry style clips which are bent 180+deg though. I think the clip brake gives you the most options in the simplest way, but it is less repeatable.