Knife modder's tools of the trade.

[johntmeche3]

Assume you're talking to a total newb -someone who just keeps a small toolbox around the house for little repairs here and there (because you pretty much are). What are the essential tools you would recommend to get into making custom mods to your knives. For example, If you're looking to add a choil, you at least need to have X. If you're looking to make micarta or wooden scales, you need to at least have X. If you want to add jimping then you need X. And so on.

 

[brewcitymike]

Well I too am pretty much a newb to the mod worl too but I went out to Harbor Freight and got a $10 rotary tool with about 80 bits and it works great for jimping, grinding off coatings, reshaping things and even some small cutting jobs. But anyone with a budget of, well more than $20 like me should just get a Dremel cuz mine doesn't have a very strong motor at all. And of course files will work too. Now I do not own one yet but a cheap belt sander/grinder with a 1 or 2 by 48" will work for novice tasks. But I see that if you want to make scales and stuff, I just watched a set of videos on youtube about how to make scales and this guy had a drill press, mini lathe, a buffer and some other pieces of equipment too. It seems to me that a decent shop should have the same kind of stuff he had and after some searching of the web I figured you can get most of that stuff for about $800-1000 for lower end items and knock offs. Some guys just build their own grinders too. I hope this helps a bit. Like I said I've only done a few mods myself and I don't own really ANY tools except screw drivers, hammer, pliers etc, so the cheap rotary tool was a step up for my tool box. I'm sure you'll get a few good responses over the next day or two that can be of more help than I can cuz like I said, I'm going off what I've seen and read about, not my own experience or set up.
Happy modding-its really addictive once you start. I look forward to seeing pics of your mods in the future

 

[stoffi]

Screwdriver with various bits, vise, DREMEL, small metal file set, large metal file set, sandpaper of various grits and whatever materials you intend to upgrade to, might be a good start.

 

[Phydeaux]

Drill and drill bits
vise and clamps
hack saw
coping saw (cutting out scales from wood or plastic)
eye protection
dust mask (lung protection)
camera for before and after pics

I like to have a few of the small plastic containers that are used to store fishing lures. They are good to store your current project in without loosing pieces. Right now, I have the parts of a liner lock in a Tupperware type (note: don't take wife's real Tupperware, can have bad consequences) container that I am making some wood scales for.

Ric

 

[Skimo]

Micarta, G-10, G-11, ANY fiber and some woods need better than a cheap 3M dust mask, if you want to work on it, you need air supply, dust control and good work practices. PERIOD. For small jobs like sanding, working with soapy water will keep the dust out, but you only have one pair of lungs, one pair and one pair of eyes, the particulates will adhere to your clothing and can be a secondary source of contamination. There is a good amount of information here on bladeforums about the risks of working with these materials.

I'd say the tools that I've used the most include a flat surface, wet/dry sandpaper, various bit drivers most commonly T6, T8 and T-10, dremel with various heads from cutting discs to polishing wheels. Most important is patience, learn the tools and techniques that are most effective, the first time I went for a mirror polish on a blade I spent hours on end trying to fix my work because I didn't take my time, and I didn't research enough.

Get something that you can score metal with, and accurately, measure and scribe before jimping, work on some cheap mild stock or wood to see how your work will look on your knife.

For bigger work, I can't comment as I still don't have a belt grinder, grinding/buffing wheel, jigsaw or router.