Lanyard on the Production Puukko (or any other Production knife for that matter)

[swonut]

So, the coolest thing about the production knives are making them my own. So, I figured for the Production Puukko, I'd try to figure out the "Gary Graley" lanyard mod that he pulled off on this Hiking Buddy.

So knife in hand, I set out.

Key here is that I tried several bits on the production Hiking Buddy and they didn't even scratch the surface. So after some you-tube and thoughts about my time overseeing guys drilling safes on the Carrier (USS ROOSEVELT), I ponied up some cash and ordered a two fluted carbide bit from Amazon. It was about 12 bucks. I also got some cutting fluid to help out -- not sure it was needed, but I needed some in my shop anyway.

Then, respecting the potential for a helicoptering blade, I secured the pukko to a piece of wood and loaded it into the machinist vise on my bench top drill press.

And it cut like nothing I've ever seen. At about 525 rpm, it just blew right through.

Then I joined up the two micarta slabs, and drilled a 3/8 hole centered on the middle down far enough to join up with the new lanyard hole.

And rounded it all off with a countersink and used the dremmel on the steel.

And it all came together very nicely.

Thanks for watching, and if you do anything interesting to you knives, post it up and share.

All in it was about 30 bucks and 50 minutes and I'm confident the bit and oil will last a long, long time. Supposedly the bit and a hand drill are almost impossible to use together as the bit is way too brittle once it gets off axis.

 

[Mistwalker]

Awesome post man, looks great!

Not exactly impossible...I used one to enlarge the holes in some hardened 4140 CMA. but you do have to be good with a hand drill

 

[swonut]

Awesome post man, looks great!

Not exactly impossible...I used one to enlarge the holes in some hardened 4140 CMA. but you do have to be good with a hand drill

I totally gummed up one of the new Irwin carbide tipped "all purpose bits" which looked promising, but wasn't able to cut after about the first 1/64th, but it did plough through a hole enlargement on one of my woodcraft blade blanks.

Truth be told, this project was much easier than I thought it would be.

 

[VANCE]

Nice job swonut

 

[CAD]

Wow! I like it swonut!! Andy needs to hire you

Chris D.

 

[Warrior108]

Nice write-up and details. Thanks!

Not making light of the stitches in your thumb (looks like it sucked by the way) but it's funny how knife people usually have cuts on their hands/fingers. Usually happens to me within the first few days of having and playing with a new knife .. moreso with folders.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[swonut]

Nice write-up and details. Thanks!

Not making light of the stitches in your thumb (looks like it sucked by the way) but it's funny how knife people usually have cuts on their hands/fingers. Usually happens to me within the first few days of having and playing with a new knife .. moreso with folders.

I got stupid taking a seed out of an avocado at work. Bleeding profusely, I sheepishly said to my boss, "I'm gonna take a long lunch and sort this out.... or you can start the paperwork and I'll head to the ER for stitches, your call..."

 

[Odaon]

That's awesome. Seems pretty simple if you've got a drill press!

 

[Gusbuster]

Nice job! Looks real good. :thumbup:

 

[TomR2]

Nice work... on your thumb. Oh! Yea! The knife came out well to. I am impressed. Would really like to know what the Rockwell is. Did you center drill first?

 

[swonut]

Nice work... on your thumb. Oh! Yea! The knife came out well to. I am impressed. Would really like to know what the Rockwell is. Did you center drill first?

I didn't center drill it because from what I can tell, the smaller diameter carbide drills are just too brittle and in reality 3/16 is really in the realm of the center drill sizes for bigger holes. This didn't need a center hole, it cut right through like I was drilling brass or something. Not at all what I expected.

 

[Comprehensivist]

Nice job Blaine. I really like how you documented the process, especially the important safety aspect of bolting down the blade to prevent the very real danger of helicoptering with a sharp blade. That was a good idea for how you bolted the two handle slabs together and used a drill bit to make the relief cuts. I think that most folks with a basic hand drill could accomplish that part of the operation.

For anyone who wants to poke a lanyard hole through the blade, but doesn't have a drill press and vise, there is another option. Check your local yellow pages and find a company in your area that specializes in electron discharge machining or "EDM." There are two types of EDM, wire and sinker. Companies that do wire EDM always have sinkers EDM machines set-up as "hole poppers" to make starter holes through hardened parts so that they can feed the wire through the part for subsequent wire EDM operations. Burning a single hole through a blade would be a very simple job for a shop like that.

Thanks again for showing your modification project in such detail. That turned out great.

Phil

 

[1 ADAM12]

Looks real good.......

 

[swonut]

Nice job Blaine. I really like how you documented the process, especially the important safety aspect of bolting down the blade to prevent the very real danger of helicoptering with a sharp blade. That was a good idea for how you bolted the two handle slabs together and used a drill bit to make the relief cuts. I think that most folks with a basic hand drill could accomplish that part of the operation.

For anyone who wants to poke a lanyard hole through the blade, but doesn't have a drill press and vise, there is another option. Check your local yellow pages and find a company in your area that specializes in electron discharge machining or "EDM." There are two types of EDM, wire and sinker. Companies that do wire EDM always have sinkers EDM machines set-up as "hole poppers" to make starter holes through hardened parts so that they can feed the wire through the part for subsequent wire EDM operations. Burning a single hole through a blade would be a very simple job for a shop like that.

Thanks again for showing your modification project in such detail. That turned out great.

Phil

Thanks, I tried to show all the steps along the way, even some of the more mundane ones like the countersink.

I think Mistwalker is right, you could definitely do it with a and drill, but you'd need to think it through and get the angles right on the vise so you could hold the drill steady when it starts to cut. Speed is also important and there are charts online with some of the drill bit sellers. Faster is not better in this case.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Nicely done sir! makes it a lot handier to have a lanyard on there too.
G2

 

[xxwjtxx]

Reviving this awesome thread, as I have a production pukko on the way. Aside from performing this mod, I am also planning on sandblasting the scales while they're off to make them similar in finish to the machete handles Andy has been doing for a while. With that said has anyone else refinished their production scales (sandblasted, sanded or otherwise)? There are a few older threads out there where folks did it by hand using scotch brite pads and sand paper, but in previous attempts, I've never had the final product turn out as good as the machete handles -- any tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

[hasco]

I just saw this for the first time. Very cool modification and great write up and pictures. I didn't know about the fluted drill bits. Good to know.

Thanks for the great post!

 

[swonut]

I dyed the micarta on my machete and I think it turned out pretty cool. There was a trick on the leather to wet it first. (I didn't do this)

 

[jaz322]

Swo – My edc knife purchased used, but mint, on BF. Same initial mod (by graley, for all I know) w/ a zirc bead/paracord, in kydex. The tumbled steel on fiddleback production knives is exceptional. Even came in handy today at my wife’s baby shower. 35 women wondering how they were going to get a package open … I digress. Thank you to Andy and the three former owners that had a hand in modifying this production Fiddleback Forge runt. : )

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Yep looks like the one I did, someone shortened up the lanyard after the first diamond knot but that's the whipping I put on there to help keep it from flopping around

G2