Koval Kit Question

Peter Atwood

Peter Atwood

Joined
Oct 26, 2000
Messages
2,468
Darrel,

What are the bolsters and liners made of specifically? What is the finish that the bolsters and blades are done with?

Thanks,


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Peter Atwood

email:fountainman@hotmail.com
 
The bolsters and blade on mine apear to be bead blasted. I think they look pretty good and don't plan on refinishing them if I can help it. Its going to be a user.
If they get scratched while I'm working on it I'll probably just hand rub the blade to about 400 or 600 and maybe trying some other stuff on the bolsters.
The liners have about the same color to them as the 410SS I've been using. Their probably 416 or 420.

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I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer... but I've got the sharpest knife in the room.
 
The liners are 420j2 heat treated.
The bolsters are sintered ss. They can be finished. The existing finish is bead blast.
The blade is aus8



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Web Site At www.darrelralph.com
MADD MAXX !
 
Darrel,

Wow the kits are very nice. When I opened the package I was surprised to see how clean and finished all three kits are. The long wait was worth it. Now if I can only find that blue micarta for the scales. Thank you for your time and offering these thru Koval.

Jeff
 
Jeff, Halpern Titanium has blue G10 if that would suit your needs.

I had a lot of fun making scales for my kit yesterday afternoon. Took some Bocote and Cocobolo up to a buddy's shop and had him slice and dice it to convenient sizes and thicknesses. Then I spent the afternoon selecting the slabs that I liked the best and fitting them to the knife. I polished the bolsters and hollowed out a thumb ramp area so that I have better access to the liner lock for closing. Still contemplating a few other finishing touches before I post a picture.

One thing I noticed was that the blade has a bit of a wobble now that the knife is completely assembled. And it rubs the locking side of the liner just a hair. I'm thinking that maybe it needs that back spacer to stiffen things up and possibly a slightly larger washer on the non liner lock side. I've noticed that a few of my production folders have mismatched sized washers on them and I always wondered why. Additional support and straightening for the blade?

Also, my detent is a little off. The blade has play when in the closed position. I'm not complaining about these little things mind you, because for thirty bucks I don't think you could possibly get a better deal. This knife is turning out to be a better learning experience than I even thought it would be and I am very grateful that it came when it did. Lots of fun!
biggrin.gif


Also makes you appreciate the exquisite detail of a custom or even a production folder. I think all the whiners on the regular boards who are so picky about every little aspect of their factory knives should get one of these kits!

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Peter Atwood

email:fountainman@hotmail.com

[This message has been edited by fountainman (edited 01-28-2001).]
 
Here's another couple of questions. I just looked at the instruction sheet that Darrel posted. It shows two different sized washers, a grey and a white. I only got two the same size in my kit. The instructions clearly show that the washer on the show side of the knife should be larger so maybe I was right in my earlier post that the blade slop would be stiffened up a bit with a different washer of greater diameter.

Also, I noticed that the pivot pin was put in from the opposite side so that the screw head ends up on the show side. I did mine the opposite. Would that make any difference in the performance of the knife?

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Peter Atwood

email:fountainman@hotmail.com
 
Peter,
Yes it will (pivot stud from the rear) . Also the o ring will make a difference. It will tighten up the blade. Tighten it up. If its not tight enough.... 1. the bolsters may be out of align. Loosen them make sure the pivot stud comes through them . 2. Take the pivot stud out then remove a little stock off the pivot stud thread end(.01-.02) Deburr it. The screw could be hitting before its tight. The washers are the way thery are for the lock to clear the washer. I have 7 kits here (putting scales on for koval demo models) they are all good if assembled the right way.

If after you get the pivot right and the blade is tight on the washers... if the blade is hitting the liner .... loosen the two stand off screws and tweak the liners over into the middle and retighten up the stand off screws.
This is a common practice to get the liners lined up. The detent will work properly after the blade is correct and the washers are tight on the blade.

Let me know how it works.
If anyone has a question please feel free to call me . Ill be glad to go adress any problems with assembly to get the knife up and running! 740 965 9970

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Web Site At www.darrelralph.com
MADD MAXX !


[This message has been edited by Darrel Ralph (edited 01-28-2001).]
 
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