Filing kick on Case stockman sheepsfoot?

Z

ZachUa

Joined
Jan 1, 2012
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Hi all, I've seen a few folks mention on the forum that they filed the kick on their case stockman sheepsfoot blade to lower the closed blade height. I haven't been able to locate any photos of the completed modification and wanted to see if anyone might be able to share? I know I should be able to visualize it, but I would love to see a photo if anyone has it (both of filed kick and resulting blade height when closed). Thank you for your time!
 
ZachUa said:
Hi all, I've seen a few folks mention on the forum that they filed the kick on their case stockman sheepsfoot blade to lower the closed blade height. I haven't been able to locate any photos of the completed modification and wanted to see if anyone might be able to share? I know I should be able to visualize it, but I would love to see a photo if anyone has it (both of filed kick and resulting blade height when closed). Thank you for your time!
Click to expand...

I've filed kicks and done a few other modifications to pocket knives before but not on the one you're talking about.

A word of advice: take your time. Using a medium or finer file make one small swipe, check, one small swipe, check, until it's just right. It's easy to take just a little more off, but impossible to put it back on if you take too much.

Also, keep in mind that when you let the knife snap shut, the blade/kick bottoms out against the spring and then recoils just a hair into the resting closed position. I have a knife where I filed too much off the kick and even though it doesn't touch bottom at rest, it made a nick in the edge where it was bottoming out against the hump where the middle pin is.
 
How much you lower it is a matter of personal preference. It's not rocket surgery but the more you lower it, the more you'll sink the spring. A skilled person could regrind the springs flush if he wanted.

The sheepfoot on the 47 stockman is pretty much at the ideal height. It doesn't need any adjustment. The sowbelly has been filed to lower the sheepfoot.



The white sowbelly on the far right is stock. The red and yellow sowbellies have been filed.



I filed down the kick a LOT on this yeller sowbelly. The kick on the 47 stockman is untouched.



Here's a shot of the springs on the sowbelly after it was filed... actually not the best photo. Should have taken it with the blade closed but I don't have time for another photo.
 
supratentorial said:
How much you lower it is a matter of personal preference. It's not rocket surgery but the more you lower it, the more you'll sink the spring. A skilled person could regrind the springs flush if he wanted.

...

The white sowbelly on the far right is stock. The red and yellow sowbellies have been filed.



...
Click to expand...

Great comparison shots, Jake.

I think you've found the "just right" setting on the red and yellow sowbellies. :thumbup:
 
Not a Case, but same situation with my Queen Cattle King Stockman, below. The sheepfoot blade's spine was originally very high, about 1/8" above the spine of the clip main blade. First pic, at the left side, you can see the filed-down kick of the sheepfoot blade (compare to the unfiled kick of the spey, to the right side of the pic). 2nd pic, you can see how the spine of the sheepfoot is flush with the spine of the clip blade main. 3rd pic is the view from the front side, with the sheepfoot hidden behind the clip blade. 4th pic shows the back side of the spring for the sheepfoot (lower spring in the pic), which dropped minimally as a result of the filing.

The 'spring drop' is something to watch for, as you file the kick. Each knife is different, and the spring may drop a lot more on some, than on others. I ground quite a lot of metal off the kick, using a Dremel, on this one. Using a file would've taken a very, very long time on these D2 blades.

David
 
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I do that to all of the CASE stockmans that I choose to carry.. But I take it 1 step further.. I file the kicks on all of the blades to get the nail nick as close to the liners as I can without impeding access.. IJust sayin.. John
 
WhittlinAway said:
Great comparison shots, Jake.

I think you've found the "just right" setting on the red and yellow sowbellies. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Thank you, Greg. It works for me.

jmh33 said:
I do that to all of the CASE stockmans that I choose to carry.. But I take it 1 step further.. I file the kicks on all of the blades to get the nail nick as close to the liners as I can without impeding access.. IJust sayin.. John
Click to expand...

boy&hisdogs said:
I've filed kicks and done a few other modifications to pocket knives before but not on the one you're talking about.

A word of advice: take your time. Using a medium or finer file make one small swipe, check, one small swipe, check, until it's just right. It's easy to take just a little more off, but impossible to put it back on if you take too much.

Also, keep in mind that when you let the knife snap shut, the blade/kick bottoms out against the spring and then recoils just a hair into the resting closed position. I have a knife where I filed too much off the kick and even though it doesn't touch bottom at rest, it made a nick in the edge where it was bottoming out against the hump where the middle pin is.
Click to expand...

The sheepfoot on a stockman is usually so high that there's not much of a chance for the edge to hit the spring. You will want to watch for potential issues with the sheepfoot hitting in the spey blade when lowered and, of course, you need to be able to reach the nail nick.

If you lower all of the blades, like John, then you will need to pay particular attention to clearance between the blade and spring (potentially over travel also like boy&dogs mentioned). If you GENTLY press down on the spine of the blade, you'll get an idea of how much room there is on the main blade. Usually it's not a lot.
 
I've done this to most of the Stockmans I've ever owned. Best advice has already been given. Go slowly, taking a little off at a time until it is were you want it.
 
Hi all thank you for the detailed responses and pictures! This was extremely helpful!
 
Make sure to take 'before and after ' pictures. I always forget to to the before picures until after I'm done.
 
It is vital to be cautious with this, constant inspection will lead to excellent results. I overdid it on one CASE Stockman, with the result that one of the springs is much lowered when the knife is open, I dislike this as it gives a rough in hand feel.
 
Will Power said:
It is vital to be cautious with this, constant inspection will lead to excellent results. I overdid it on one CASE Stockman, with the result that one of the springs is much lowered when the knife is open, I dislike this as it gives a rough in hand feel.
Click to expand...

It's a bit unclear but I think you mean that the spring for the sheepfoot is lower when one of the other blades is open. If you just file the kick a little, it won't happen. On some knives the sheepfoot rides so high that it's a matter of whether the height of the sheepfoot or a sunk spring is more bothersome to you. It is possible to make the springs flush again by grinding the back but that's a bit more than most folks are going to want to do.

The 47 has a really good height. I don't know why they make the sheepfoot so high on the sowbelly. It used to be a bit lower on the older sowbelly knives and the nail nick was on the other side. Also the sheepfoot was thicker on those knives. When they brought it out of the "vault", they made some changes. The quality control seems really good on the newer knives though. They also seem to have a stronger pull.
 
Yes that's right, I was unclear. I fear I might damage the bone scales if I take to grinding:eek: I use it as a 'car knife' for dirty tasks as it's stainless, so it's in the beater league now. Taught me caution mind.
 
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