- Joined
- Mar 27, 2009
- Messages
- 5,978
I bought a Cold Steel Black Rhino at the close-out for $65. I loved its looks, but when the knife arrived it had a very weak locking leaf spring, and I didn't trust the knife (it unlocked too readily, as my younger son found out to his horror 
) Also, the spring became unseated, causing the tip of the blade to stick out just a tiny bit (totally unacceptable).
As I live in the Netherlands, I wasn't going to send it back to CS for repairs (quite a few of the BR's have this problem). At the same time I saw Jim Ankerson demo his Andrew Demko Custom American Lawman. I got the idea to ask Andrew to repair the lock, and at the same time replace the standard AUS8A blade with one made of CPM-154. I asked Andrew to change the edge geometry, so that the grind would start halfway from the spine. The edge would be 30 degrees inclusive, and the grind a very shallow hollow grind. The blade thickness would be increased to 5mm.
Here's the result (A friend of mine took some of the pics so we could compare the standard one with the modded one):
Grind starts halfway down the blade.
Note the cutout for the stopping pin.
Note the cutout for the stopping pin.
Difference between original and new leaf locking spring.
Thicker blade, different angular swedge.
Some pics I made myself:
Old and new blade compared.
New massive blade.
Andrew beefed up both the locking lever and the leaf spring. The blade is so thick now (5mm) the bushings had to go, but it's still very smooth. The increase in thickness caused an increase of weight of .9 oz.
This Black Rhino now locks with more authority than any other knife I own, and that is saying something. The frame and design of the knife always deserved more than the standard AUS8A (which is no slouch but is out of place on such an exquisitely made folder). This knife is now one of my top 5 favorite folding knives, and one of the toughest strongest I own.
Andrew Demo is a master craftsman, no doubt. This Black Rhino is now one awesome folding knife. :thumbup:
) Also, the spring became unseated, causing the tip of the blade to stick out just a tiny bit (totally unacceptable).As I live in the Netherlands, I wasn't going to send it back to CS for repairs (quite a few of the BR's have this problem). At the same time I saw Jim Ankerson demo his Andrew Demko Custom American Lawman. I got the idea to ask Andrew to repair the lock, and at the same time replace the standard AUS8A blade with one made of CPM-154. I asked Andrew to change the edge geometry, so that the grind would start halfway from the spine. The edge would be 30 degrees inclusive, and the grind a very shallow hollow grind. The blade thickness would be increased to 5mm.
Here's the result (A friend of mine took some of the pics so we could compare the standard one with the modded one):
Grind starts halfway down the blade.
Note the cutout for the stopping pin.
Note the cutout for the stopping pin.
Difference between original and new leaf locking spring.
Thicker blade, different angular swedge.
Some pics I made myself:
Old and new blade compared.
New massive blade.
Andrew beefed up both the locking lever and the leaf spring. The blade is so thick now (5mm) the bushings had to go, but it's still very smooth. The increase in thickness caused an increase of weight of .9 oz.
This Black Rhino now locks with more authority than any other knife I own, and that is saying something. The frame and design of the knife always deserved more than the standard AUS8A (which is no slouch but is out of place on such an exquisitely made folder). This knife is now one of my top 5 favorite folding knives, and one of the toughest strongest I own.
Andrew Demo is a master craftsman, no doubt. This Black Rhino is now one awesome folding knife. :thumbup:
