Enlarging Spyder Hole in blade?

harkinstritonnc

harkinstritonnc

Joined
Feb 25, 2011
Messages
203
Hey everybody, I tried searching but didn't come up with anything if sombody knows where I could find more about this or just tell me a way to do it, I was thinking just taping up the sharpend edge on the knife and putting the spine of the blade in a vise and very slwoly drilling it out with a cordless drill, besides the fact of maybe getting the hole crooked what else might be a downside of trying to do this? I just got a couple spydercos and wish the hole was a little bigger like my Para2. Thanks
 
You'd be attempting to drill into hardened steel. Probably wouldn't work. Worst case you'd ruin the heat treat and/or warp the blade. Best case, you'd just ruin a drill bit. Tapered grinding wheel would work, but you'd have to be very careful to avoid overheating the blade.
 
I think you will be disappointed. Drilling into hard material with a handheld drill that can move can make a hole that isn't round, more triangle shaped. Being as the blade is hardened I'm sure it is much harder than anything else you have ever tried to drill. I think the only way to make a nice hole in the blade would be to use a milling machine with the blade locked in place on the table. Maybe if you take it to a machine shop you can get a hole enlarged for $15-$20, just make sure they keep it cool while doing it. The metal around the hole will probably be a little softer but the edge should be OK if they take precautions against heat.
 
Punisher, yes I'm serious compare a police model to the para 2 and you will see where I'm coming from, ok second I didn't take the heat treating into consideration and I know a guy that works in a machine shop so I will probably go that route thanks didn't think about that at the time
 
keep a stream of water on it and the heat treat will be just fine, easy to tell when you've ruined a section, it'll turn straw or blue or dark red.

I wouldn't do it with a hand tool unless it's a wood dowel with a slight taper covered in sand paper, at that speed the hottest you'd be able to get it would probably be well under a couple hundred degrees, very much in the safe zone for the heat treat.

At the machine shop make sure they protect the tang while they handle it.
 
Making the hole bigger seems tough to do, there isn't a lot of steel above the hole. Seems to be pretty darn big as it is. Best of luck.
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
I think you will be disappointed. Drilling into hard material with a handheld drill that can move can make a hole that isn't round, more triangle shaped. Being as the blade is hardened I'm sure it is much harder than anything else you have ever tried to drill. I think the only way to make a nice hole in the blade would be to use a milling machine with the blade locked in place on the table. Maybe if you take it to a machine shop you can get a hole enlarged for $15-$20, just make sure they keep it cool while doing it. The metal around the hole will probably be a little softer but the edge should be OK if they take precautions against heat.
Click to expand...

I don't think you would find a machine shop to enlarge a hole in hardened tool steel for $20.00.
At the Rc level that a blade is hardened to, you won't be able to cut it with a drill or end mill, you would have to grind it to do it correctly.

Bruceter
 
Thanks everybody I think I'm gonna pass on it don't really think its worth the trouble if I can't do it myself, maybe I will try some sandpaper, I'm just glad the para2 has a bigger opening makes for easier opening in my opinion since I have larger hands
 
I know you'd come away with a lot more appreciation for heat treated knife steel if you hadn't changed you mind :)
 
Having very marginally increased the size of the holes in the ***tang*** of one of my Mules (probably not as hard as the actual blade area and cosmetic results not a factor), I would say that without some very expensive machinery this project is going to be a real PITA and may take quite a bit of work to make look decent afterwards...if you go ahead, please make sure you come back with pics and how you did the work.
 
Ok if I decide to do it I will definently post pics, I know several come with the larger holes but several that I have already have the smaller hole, such as endura 4, police, dragonfly, matriarch. The one I carry the most, the para2 is perfect and just wanted to make the others closer to that size because its perfect for people like me who have large hands.
 
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