J.B Weld wave?

Yes! It's called buy an Emerson or a Spyderco, simple huh?

Also...using a Zip Tie as a Wave feature is tacky, it works but the appearance is what people can't live with, hence the feature.

Wow! I never thought of that! Obviously since you're such a genius you should be rich, so why don't you buy me an Emerson? And FYI, if you had taken the time to read anything in this thread, you would know I already have a Spyderco. And did you ever think about why I used a zip tie? Might it be because I don't have the experience or time to do it? Oh there's a thought. Why don't you think a bit before you post a useless comment.
 
Gentlemen, this forum is for Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment. That includes taking a knife you own and sticking, tying, gluing, or welding anything you please on it. From these modifications, new ideas and skills will grow. Let's not discourage people with the courage to try. THAT would be tacky.
 
To help you out bud, i put 2 zip-ties on my tenacious to wave it and ended up having one of them snap off after about 2 months of having it on there... Luckily it wasn't a serious situation when it snapped... But i cant imagine it being good if it snaps when you really need it and the blade doesn't open up. To help you wave your 551 i know you don't want to use a soldering gun or anything but if you can find someone who has access to a TIG or MIG welder those would work perfectly and you could weld on a decent chunk of metal without really discoloring the whole blade by having to heat it up. But your best bet on getting a removable wave would be to keep at those thumb studs and get them out of it and just slip in a decent zip-tie inside the hole. Other than that i dont think there is any other way to wave it unless you drill a hole similar to my 550SHG griptilian which has the spyder hole in it. Looks really nice and since you have a spyderco it would compliment it as well! :)

Hope this helps bud :)
 
To help you out bud, i put 2 zip-ties on my tenacious to wave it and ended up having one of them snap off after about 2 months of having it on there... Luckily it wasn't a serious situation when it snapped... But i cant imagine it being good if it snaps when you really need it and the blade doesn't open up. To help you wave your 551 i know you don't want to use a soldering gun or anything but if you can find someone who has access to a TIG or MIG welder those would work perfectly and you could weld on a decent chunk of metal without really discoloring the whole blade by having to heat it up. But your best bet on getting a removable wave would be to keep at those thumb studs and get them out of it and just slip in a decent zip-tie inside the hole. Other than that i dont think there is any other way to wave it unless you drill a hole similar to my 550SHG griptilian which has the spyder hole in it. Looks really nice and since you have a spyderco it would compliment it as well! :)

Hope this helps bud :)

One of the reasons I like using the ziptie method is because if I decide I don't want to open my Spyderco quickly(in public), I can just use the Spyderhole. Would a TIG or MIG welder damage the heat treat on the blade? If I went the soldering route, would a lead-free solder be strong enough to hold the wave on the spine of the blade? Also, thank you for offering a suggestion :).
 
In my experience with solder it isn't a very strong hold, with what your using it for im not sure how long it would last.(I only soldered electronics, im not sure if there is a different/stronger type you could use but im not aware of it) As for the heat treatment it may damage it but i honestly don't know for sure. (I use it to weld the fenders onto my dads 66 mustang and things have held up fine, they do sometimes turn blue with rings around it but i dont think it would be damaging it just anodizing it) You would need to ask one of the more experienced members here. I might give this a shot when i get home for the summer so if you havent found a solution to your problem i will give you an update if i do it :)
 
"You can't always get what you want." A removable wave that is as durable and effective as a permanent wave, that requires no permanent modifications to the blade, is basically a unicorn. The closest you can get is what Mahoney suggested. I'm pretty sure that a MIG or TIG weld would at the very least result in at least some discoloration, and in the hands of anyone but a stone-cold welding surgeon that amount of heat on a small thru-tempered piece of metal like a pocket-knife blade will almost certainly ruin the heat-treat.
 
In my experience with solder it isn't a very strong hold, with what your using it for im not sure how long it would last.(I only soldered electronics, im not sure if there is a different/stronger type you could use but im not aware of it) As for the heat treatment it may damage it but i honestly don't know for sure. (I use it to weld the fenders onto my dads 66 mustang and things have held up fine, they do sometimes turn blue with rings around it but i dont think it would be damaging it just anodizing it) You would need to ask one of the more experienced members here. I might give this a shot when i get home for the summer so if you havent found a solution to your problem i will give you an update if i do it :)

Ok, thanks. Let me know if you do decide to try it :D.

"You can't always get what you want." A removable wave that is as durable and effective as a permanent wave, that requires no permanent modifications to the blade, is basically a unicorn. The closest you can get is what Mahoney suggested. I'm pretty sure that a MIG or TIG weld would at the very least result in at least some discoloration, and in the hands of anyone but a stone-cold welding surgeon that amount of heat on a small thru-tempered piece of metal like a pocket-knife blade will almost certainly ruin the heat-treat.

I can certainly try though. Although it looks like I don't have any other way of doing it, so I'll probably just go to Home Depot and pick up another Torx driver.
 
It could be laser-welded at a special shop. Laser welding localizes the heat-affected zone. My vote is for the zip tie through the hole where the thumb stud was.
 
Can somebody post a picture of a zip-tie modification. Not sure if this qualifies for "Didn't happen without pics" or not but, I am not seeing this in my minds eye very well. I presume that the zip tie catches on the inside seam?

Hit us with a pic is somebody can. Thanks.
 
One of the reasons I like using the ziptie method is because if I decide I don't want to open my Spyderco quickly(in public), I can just use the Spyderhole. Would a TIG or MIG welder damage the heat treat on the blade? If I went the soldering route, would a lead-free solder be strong enough to hold the wave on the spine of the blade? Also, thank you for offering a suggestion :).

That is the beauty of a permanent wave like the photo I posted. It is always there, and you have the ability to open it fast, or VERY VERY slowly and under great control with the wave, OR you can lift the knife straight out of your pocket and open it with the hole as if it had no modification.

Modify or not...that is up to you, but I strongly urge you to ask your pal if you can borrow his Delica. That should cost you nothing, but give you some potentially valuable data.

I am not trying to hassle you, I just wanted to point out that zip ties *DO* lend themselves to wave-only opening when installed, where as a well shaped Emerson wave will allow you many options that you can exercise the instant you decide to draw your knife.
 
That is the beauty of a permanent wave like the photo I posted. It is always there, and you have the ability to open it fast, or VERY VERY slowly and under great control with the wave, OR you can lift the knife straight out of your pocket and open it with the hole as if it had no modification.

Modify or not...that is up to you, but I strongly urge you to ask your pal if you can borrow his Delica. That should cost you nothing, but give you some potentially valuable data.

I am not trying to hassle you, I just wanted to point out that zip ties *DO* lend themselves to wave-only opening when installed, where as a well shaped Emerson wave will allow you many options that you can exercise the instant you decide to draw your knife.
Not true, you can just slide your knife forward when you pull. It shouldn't catch.
 
It could be laser-welded at a special shop. Laser welding localizes the heat-affected zone. My vote is for the zip tie through the hole where the thumb stud was.

That sounds expensive, and I don't know if there are any laser welding places near me.

Can somebody post a picture of a zip-tie modification. Not sure if this qualifies for "Didn't happen without pics" or not but, I am not seeing this in my minds eye very well. I presume that the zip tie catches on the inside seam?

Hit us with a pic is somebody can. Thanks.

I'll get a pic up with my Spyderco in a few minutes.
EDIT: Here you go.
image201004090001.jpg


That is the beauty of a permanent wave like the photo I posted. It is always there, and you have the ability to open it fast, or VERY VERY slowly and under great control with the wave, OR you can lift the knife straight out of your pocket and open it with the hole as if it had no modification.

Modify or not...that is up to you, but I strongly urge you to ask your pal if you can borrow his Delica. That should cost you nothing, but give you some potentially valuable data.

I am not trying to hassle you, I just wanted to point out that zip ties *DO* lend themselves to wave-only opening when installed, where as a well shaped Emerson wave will allow you many options that you can exercise the instant you decide to draw your knife.

I honestly can't see the ziptie breaking off anytime soon. I usually cut it off and replace in a month or so when I oil the blade anyways. Also, with the Spyderhole(which is the only waved knife I have right now), I still have the option of opening it slowly, since I can still use the Spyderhole even with the ziptie installed. Also, I don't particularly like chisel grinds. I have nothing against them, it's just personal preference, and I don't want to send an Emerson out to get reground if I buy one.
 
Try some gentle heating to help soften the threadlocker in the thumb stud if it still won't come out once you get the other Torx key. I usually have luck putting the item in a plastic bag in a coffee mug of boiling water, let it sit for a while, then take it out and work fast. If worst comes to worst and the thumb stud breaks, knife making suppliers sell replacement studs.

If you decide you want to go with the solder method, gunsmiths use a couple low temperature solders that melt between 275 and 350 degrees, low enough that it shouldn't bother heat treatment. But remember that a strong solder joint is very thin and tightly fit, so the piece you are adding will have to precisely match the shape of the spine of the blade
 
Try some gentle heating to help soften the threadlocker in the thumb stud if it still won't come out once you get the other Torx key. I usually have luck putting the item in a plastic bag in a coffee mug of boiling water, let it sit for a while, then take it out and work fast. If worst comes to worst and the thumb stud breaks, knife making suppliers sell replacement studs.

If you decide you want to go with the solder method, gunsmiths use a couple low temperature solders that melt between 275 and 350 degrees, low enough that it shouldn't bother heat treatment. But remember that a strong solder joint is very thin and tightly fit, so the piece you are adding will have to precisely match the shape of the spine of the blade

Yeah, I'll probably go with the thumbstud route. Thanks for the input :).
 
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