Greater's CQC8 coming up here

[STR]

This one has been a bear for me. Broke 6 taps on this one yesterday trying to complete it and 4 others later on test pieces trying to figure out what the heck is going on with my tapmatic. Never did figure it out but after a night of soaking in swimming pool acid the taps got ate up enough to remove them and I managed to be able to pick up where I left off on it yesterday. About $80 in taps down the tube for yesterday but at least today is a new day.

Anyway, I'm working on getting my tap problem worked out. I am seriously considering adopting a new policy shortly where I'm thinking from now on I will just have to add a ti spacer and put my conversions together in an all barrel construction so all I have to mess with tapping is the pocket clip and believe me I have got the gray matter working overtime trying to find ways around doing that too! Threading these thick ass slabs has always been a hairy area for me but after yesterday....well, I just can't afford to work like that. Notice this first pic? Its the first attempt which if you look close has an extra hole in it that doesn't belong there. So scratch that one. Its in the junk pile. Such has been the story with this one which I'm happy to say is not going to be here much longer. Actually, come to think of it that 13 before this one gave me some fits too. Some weeks you just need to stay in I think. Go figure.

How do you guys feel about it if I adopt a few changes to make life easier on my end here? Let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

Greater, this one should be ready to ship home tomorrow morning to you if I have my way. I think, I say I THINK the hard parts are behind me now. Its a bit oversized around the edges yet and I have to do my lock cut to thin the lock, make a small adjustment and put my STR on it inside.Then I'll bead blast it and test fire the lock. If all goes as planned it will be done here later today. Worse case scenario I'll have to do some final tweaks tomorrow before shipping but one way or the other, thats the plan. Stay tuned and thanks for looking.

STR

 

[STR]

Well this one fought me the entire way through but as usual I won out. It turned out right nice for as much trouble as it gave me.

Anyway, this one is spot on! I think you'll like it. You have a new .160 thickness slab lock. Will go out in the mail tomorrow.

Thanks

STR

 

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Excellent this one came out great thanks

 

[STR]

Thanks. I thought the 8 turned out right nice in the end.

I'm glad both arrived safely. I hope you get a lot of use out of them.

If you get some shots of the 13 that are worth sharing send em my way. I'd like to post em on my blog showing some side open and closed shots or something.

STR

 

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I just goto say again I really like the CQC-8 job you did. One of the reasons I got the 8 (also known as the banana knife) was the fact that it is a proven design that has been around and it seems to be favored by military and others alike.

I couldn't resist the urge to have one made with a strong vault of a frame lock and that is where you came in.

I also understand that you are considering using barrel assembly to avoid all the tapping expenses (broken taps) and hardships thick titanium is giving you so I may very well be holding one of the last of your work using non-barrel construction.

This came out above my expectations thank you agian

 

[STR]

I just goto say again I really like the CQC-8 job you did. One of the reasons I got the 8 (also known as the banana knife) was the fact that it is a proven design that has been around and it seems to be favored by military and others alike.

I couldn't resist the urge to have one made with a strong vault of a frame lock and that is where you came in.

I also understand that you are considering using barrel assembly to avoid all the tapping expenses (broken taps) and hardships thick titanium is giving you so I may very well be holding one of the last of your work using non-barrel construction.

This came out above my expectations thank you agian

We'll see. I've switched to a different type of tap after speaking with some engineers and a couple friends about it, more than one with a machinist background and although I have not received the new taps as of yet I am hoping once I get one of those in the TapMatic that it will be business as usual in my shop. I also bumped up the hole size from the #48 I have used for 2-56 for years to the #47 to reduce breakage even more. So, hopefully I will not have to change anything in the way I rebuild these frame locks for folks. Adding barrels and a spacer would just tack on additional cost and right now with things the way they are economically anything regarding raising prices is going to be a hard sell I think.

Most of the past models had threaded without a hitch but what I've learned lately is that for titanium, which is a different animal to deal with than stainless or anything else, you have to have a few additional tricks in your arsenal of how to and lately I've learned a few things that will hopefully move me forward using machinery to do what I have stubbornly done by hand all these years. I have not owned the TapMatic for very long. I just got it in March of this year so now that I've spoken with some guys that are a bit more familiar with more modern ways of making threads compared to my ways of the past I hope to step things up and eliminate tap breaks. I would not be surprised if I still break one but hopefully I'll be able to at least limit that to one or so every year or more instead of a higher frequency. Like I said, we'll see.

STR