How Would I Replace Inserts

T

Tavarua

Joined
Nov 6, 2001
Messages
12
Hey folks,

I've got a question. How would I go about stripping out the kraton inserts of my Top Lock II, so that I may add my own inserts, possibly malachite or turquoise? Also, would I be able to dismantle the knife, so that I may replace / alter the firing button, again with malachite or turquoise, without making a mess of it and the spring? Keep in mind, I am an amatuer and this would be my first attempt at customization. I have recently purchased this Top Lock II for 40 bucks and figured why not fool around with it, since I got it so cheap. Any suggestions / recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
 
Sounds like a neat project. I don't know how complicated the top lock is. Alot depends on how the inserts are held in place, as to whether or not you can put new ones in.
For the firing button, you probably can't do that without some decent machine tools to make the new part.
You should probably consider a nice hardwood for the inserts, also. Stone is neat stuff but I don't think its something you want to try on you first project. Unless you have experience cutting and finishing it.
Sorry I'm not much help.
 
Mike, thanks for responding.

I don't plan on actually machining a new button. I was going to take the button out, file it down, and throw a piece of stone on top. I guess my question here was, if anyone has had experience with taking them apart. It seems to operate on a non-conventional spring and I wanted to know if reassembly would be painful when I was done. I don't want twenty parts flying at me take the top scale off. It appears easy enough to dissasemble though, simple hex screws, no rivets.

You are probably right about the stone inserts though, I am no masson. I just want my first customized piece to be a real thing of beauty. I really have no idea how to cut and finish the stone, but I guess I figured I would work it out somehow. Maybe I will go with something a little more simple. Maybe a nice piece of blonde horn. Any suggestions for a top of the line, easy to work with, material.
 
Had a SpeedLock. I think the locking button would be similar. It was quite easy to take apart and re-assemble. The spring for the button, IIRC, was a standard straight spring. Be careful when you disassemble the knife. The spring isn't compressed too hard, but could still get away from you if you're not paying attention.

As for the button itself, I'm sorry that I'm not much help there. I didn't pay attention to the amount of spare metal available to work with, though I don't think there was much.
 
:) "Speedlock" refers to the automatic version of the Top Lock. They are both essentially the same knife. The TopLock II is the slightly smaller version. Not sure if they build an automatic version for that size.

BTW, I'm reading this book on how to make folding knives and there is one part about inserts. You might be in some difficulty trying to remove it as the book advocates using epoxy together with pins to attach inserts, though I don't remember seeing pins on my knife. You should be able to soften the epoxy by immersion in boiling water, but I'm not sure what type of epoxy they use, so that might not work.
 
Yea, my Top Lock II is fairly small, but it kicks like a mule. I went ahead and dissassembled it, no problems. The button comes right out with no headaches. I was told on another forun that these inserts can be ripped out with little effort, just peel it away.

Is the book you are referring to written by Lake, Centofante and Clay? I picked that one up a while ago, and it is way to advanced for me, if that's the one you are speaking of. If it is, I will dig it out. What chapter, page?
 
I do wish I could find out where Lake gets his scale material. He sure gets some beautiful stag.
 
Yep, that's the book. They sure use a lot of machines for building a folder. I figure you can't go less than a milling machine and a belt grinder with buffing attachment. I wish there was a simpler way to make them.

The knife is the one being built by Ron Lake. In the cover shot, you can see some peened pins on the inserts. He starts talking about the inlays at about page 128. You may have trouble trying to find stag of that sort of quality now.

I heard, at a recent knife show, a maker complaining about the embargo on antler sales. It seems that instead of waiting for the antlers to fall off naturally each season, there have been poachers who kill the deer and take the antlers. So the Indian goverment has tried to clamp down on the problem. This maker gets his from a friend's farm now, but isn't able to get the same sort of quality as used to be available.
 
I have spent a lot of my winters, when I was younger, in the woods trying to shoot at something or another. In that entire time I spent hunting, I cannot remember seeing but a few shed antlers. What do you think is the likelyhood of heading out to the woods for the day, with the express interest of finding a nice shed, if one were to really concentrate?
 
I have no idea. Never lived in an area where deer were common. What I usually see are wild boars, pythons, rats, etc. in my home country, and here in Oz, roadkill of rabbits, cats, dogs and kangeroos. There are foxes on my friend's farm, but they aren't too stupid to get run over.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top