DIY knife kits

J

jln26

Joined
Aug 16, 2001
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having seen rfrink 605 in his thread showing his little beauty i felt that i too had to have one of those. however i ran a search on the web for knife kits i came out with results that were next to nothing. my question is where do i find the kits folks, and is the 605 kit all there is? dont think so right? and while we in the subject, and since im new to these kits, how are the handles attached and then shaped? i mean are they shaped after attaching the handles to the knife? but most important of all i hope u folks can provide me with links that search engines couldnt regarding the these diy knife kits...looking for one that contain a blade of less than 3 inches. thanks
 
Yeah, Koval
sells the 605 kit, designed by Darrell Ralph, and if I remember correctly they sell pre shaped handle scales to go with it in a variety of materials. Basically this kit is just screw together the parts. It is also the highest quality kit folder I have seen, and am planning on buying one myself. I have seen other kits, just checkout any of the knife suppliers, and you will find a list of kits.


Erik
 
Yes, try www.kovalknives.com

I was there the other day and they must have several thousand. There is an exploded view of the knife on Darrel Ralph's website at www.darrelralph.com/ddr/kit.htm
The drawing doesn't show the handle scales, but they are attached by two screws in each scale. The screws are labeled (6) in the drawing, and go through holes in the scale and screw into the liner.

All the steel parts of the knife just screw together and work. They cost $30. For another $20 you can get handle scales in G-10 or micarta that are pre-drilled and counterbored. I used the G-10 and it is nasty to work with, try the micarta, or come up with your own wood.

Once you attach the scales, you need to grind or sand them down to the shape of the liners, and then sand a curve to match the curve in the bolsters (so the handle is not flat on the sides). It's really pretty easy, I did it with square and round sanding blocks (just pieces of metal and round dowel). Then I used a Dremel tool to cut a notch in one handle and liner so you can access the liner lock with your thumb.

Everyone should have one of these kits, if your thinking about it, go for it.
 
I've been eyeing them and just ordered my kit. Wish they had slightly more upgraded kits available, diff types blades, ore selection in preformed handle materials etc...
 
that is standing in the doorway when these new kits hit the shelves. ..

Knife nuts will be coming like a mob of crazed women shoppers at the mall the day after thanksgiving...(hee hee):p

I'll be leading the pack.....please hurry up Darrel!

:D

-Rob
 
Okay, I have a dumb question...

I am interested in getting one of these kits but I wonder how you go about shaping the handle. Do you attach the scales to the knife and then shape them , or do you shape them first? It seems to me that if you shaped them after putting them on the knife, then you'd end up scratching the heck out of the bolsters and etc.

Could anyone with experience with one of these kits give some pointers or maybe a step by step description of how you finished your handle scales?

Maybe I should buy the kit with the handle scales pre-cut...

--Matt
 
Darrel
I can't wait, but I guess this means I need to finish up the first one!:p
 
Matt,

Here is how I did my 605:

From a large chunk of wood that I had laying around....I used a bandsaw to cut out some scales about 1/4" x 2" x 4".

This was a crude bandsaw cut to simply rough out a few peices of wood. Then I sanded on side flat with a sheet of sandpaper on the workbench top. The flat side would then go against the liner. I sanded one end flat and square that would butt up against the bolster.

I fastened the bolsters to the liners and held the wood slabs in place....then carefully transferred the bolt holes to the slabs thru the liner with a sharp scribe. I drilled, then countersunk the slabs and fastened them on the liners with the bolts included. With the slabs bolted onto the liners with the bolsters, I hogged away the excess, untill the slabs just barely over hung the edges of the liners. With a rasp, I carefully shaped and contoured the slabs...still leaving a bit overhanging the edge of the liners. Then I assembled the complete knife...less clip and sanded the slabs to the final shape....yes, I scratched up the bolsters but as I went from rough to finer grits, the scrathes in the bolsters simply dissapperared into a satin, brushed look. I used a drum sander to clean the perimeter ...sanding the slabs away until I just touched the liners. I sanded the slabs and bolsters up thru 320 grit, then applied an oil finish to the wood. The next day, I rubbed in some min-wax, mounted the clip and put the knife in my pocket....done!

I don't think you need any special machinery or equipment. The only machinery that I used was a drill press to drill the slabs....mainly for depth control of the counter sink....but you don't need a drill press.... I didn't use a belt grinder or grinding disk, It can all be done with common hand tools (IMHO).

Matt, I say...go for it! If you run into a snag...jump over to the "shop talk" forum and you'll get more help than you asked for:)

Good luck and have fun with it,
Rob
 
Cool!! I think I'll order one of those.

Does anyone know when the other kits will be available and what blade shape they'll be?

--Matt
 
Hey Darrell!

Those kits look great.
Any Mad Maxx kits planned?? ;)

Probably not but i'd love it!
 
Theres tons of kits available , fixed and folding.

www.kovalknives.com has quite a few.

So does www.jantzsupply.com ( even some monster bowies. you want a crocodile dun dee knife ? Make one :D )

And www.texasknife.com has a whole bunch as well, and thiers are cryo treated.

If you do some searches in the shoptalk forum and archive for knife kits or 605 special you'll come up with lots of information.

I also tried to post a little about what it takes to put together your average knife kit in this thread :http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=167324

It doesn't take too many tools. Mostly time and patience. I'd encourage everyone to try making one either folder or fixed. You'll more than likely end up with a very serviceable knife to be proud of. And if nothing else you'll have a new found appreciation for what goes into making a knife ;)
 
Mundele- even if you buy the pre-cut handle scales, they are oversize and still have to be worked down. The edges that touch the liner and bolster are flat and square, so the scales will screw right on the knife, but they are too thick, long , and wide. I used the G-10 and assembled the whole knife without the blade or clip. Then just went to work with the sandpaper until I had the whole thing down to 1200 grit.
 
I've been making scales for the 605 with many different materials so far (G10, Micarta, stabilized wood and mammoth ivory). I like the bead blasted bolsters. To keep them that way, I have a kit assembled just for a sanding fixture. I shape the scales on my extra kit, then transfer them to a new one, using the new screws.
The 605 kit is a good way to learn how to make a complete folder.
I'm making a copy of one now with titanium liners and stainless bolsters.
 
Here's a 605 with G10.....
View
 
Looks Great!! Question though... how do you get to the liner lock without a cutout?

I'm thinking I'll buy one of those kits for a christmas present for a friend. I'll have a chance to check it out and figure out whether I want to come up with my own scales or order the micarta or G10 ones.


--Matt
 
You can get to the liner lock from the bottom with your thumb with no problem. Here's another I did las night in two hours with mirror polished bolsters and handle....
View

View
 
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