Making custom scales for a barlow

[mrknife]

I know this is an old thread…but I disassembled my GEC 88 to try a blade delete. Now my pins are too short.

Any idea what pin stock and material I need to get for the bolster through pins?
glennbad

before I gave up on my 86 build attempts, i bought 3/32 brass stock and just fine tuned it. but im sure more experienced modders will have a more precise answer for you

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

before I gave up on my 86 build attempts, i bought 3/32 brass stock and just fine tuned it. but im sure more experienced models will have a more precise answer for you

Everything went back together perfectly, just the pins are a little short. Haha. I thought I would have enough once the blade and extra liner came out, but alas…I was wrong. Lol

Looks like maybe .082. Is it normal for the “pivot” pins to be nickel silver?

 

[glennbad]

Everything went back together perfectly, just the pins are a little short. Haha. I thought I would have enough once the blade and extra liner came out, but alas…I was wrong. Lol

Looks like maybe .082. Is it normal for the “pivot” pins to be nickel silver?

Yes, most are, unless the bolsters are stainless. If you can't find exactly what you need, get the next largest size and sand them down to fit. Many people chuck the pin stock in a drill press and sand it down while it's turning.

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

Yes, most are, unless the bolsters are stainless. If you can't find exactly what you need, get the next largest size and sand them down to fit. Many people chuck the pin stock in a drill press and sand it down while it's turning.

The bolsters have that yellowish tinge to them, so I’m guessing nickel sliver. Thank you for the advise. I found .082 stock but $44 shipping for $7 worth of pins…

That’ll teach me to try something new.

 

[gentleman_edc]

glennbad , I know I have seen the photos for this thread, but the links are now broken. Did you recreate this post in a different thread with new photos? Or maybe do a video.
I have a knife that I might go down this path on.

 

[ea42]

Sharp and Fiery, if you haven't already purchased those pins shoot me a PM with your address and I'll send a few off to you.

Eric

 

[JM2]

Here’s the pics in the album, better than nothing.

https://app.photobucket.com/u/glennbad/a/969a925f-8203-4797-af5f-88a0135439b9

 

[glennbad]

ETA...Some people could not see the original pics anymore, so I recreated the pics in the following posts



Now, first things first. You have to be safe. My pics may show things that do not look safe. They are only shown that way for the effect of the WIP pics. Please use eye protection, and secure your materials when drilling or using power tools on them.

I think Evan did a WIP where he did everything with hand tools. That is admirable and amazing, but I would never get anything done that way. That being said, with some exceptions, most of these steps can be completed with hand tools and hand labor.

You will need standard hand tools, like files, a hacksaw, punches, a hammer, etc. A drill is pretty important also. Hand sanding can get the job done, but a power sander is extremely handy. You don't have to spend a boatload of money on tools, the 1" x 30" belt sander from harbor freight is a great bargain.


Okay, so you have a knife that you want to mod, let's say this Imperial is the one.



Those Imperials are a prime example of quality steel in an economy package, and well worth doing something with. Do yourself a favor and tape off the blades. I use painters tape, it doesn't affect etches.



The shell handle knife covers are typically held in place by a tab at each end that is bent over to hold it in place.


Use a small screwdriver or similar implement to bend the tab up on one end.


Once that is done, you should be able to remove the shell cover. Repeat for the other side, and you should have something that looks like this.



The inner assembly should look something like this



Use a drill to drill out the 3 rivets.


You can also use a file to file down the heads, but be mindful not to mark up or file anything that will show after.



Once you drill out or file down the rivet heads, you can punch them out.

 

[glennbad]

Once you have everything apart, do yourself a favor and tape the blades to their respective springs. In multiblade knives, the springs can look exactly alike, but they may have a different fit and action if you swap the blades.


Also, mark you liners on the outside (the part that the cover material will be glued to.) On some knives, you can't tell what is the inside and what is the outside of the liners.

That is an "M" for mark side, which is the side that you would most likely see a shield or nail nick on. Use "P" for the pile side.


Now that everything is identified, you want to flatten your liners. Those tabs won't be used any more, so take a hammer and flatten them right out.





You do not need a big hammer for knife work. In fact, for most tasks I use a 4 oz. ball peen or jewelers hammer.


Now we are ready to make some bolsters. I have seen some really amazing mods done with such a variety of materials...wood, bronze, brass, micarta. However, for our purposes, I am using nickel silver. I buy this in bar form, so we need to cut the pieces we will need.



Let's refer back to our shell liner. That bolster measure out to about 1 1/4", so that is what we will use.



After measuring out 1 1/4", I use a square to make sure the line is square to the edge of the bar



Then I mark a center line to split the piece in half. The pieces will be around 3/4" wide when done.



Now, it is possible to use a hacksaw to cut this material, but it will take time. Whatever you use, cut your center cut first to the 1 1/4 line, then cut the pieces off the bar.

 

[glennbad]

I use a dremel tool with a metal cutoff wheel. If you choose to go this route, please keep a solid hand(s) on the dremel. When the wheel catches in the material, it can take you for a ride.



Once I have the pieces cut, I mark them with a pencil to track which way is which.



Then sand the opposite side flat. This is the side that will be attached to the liner. You can use coarse grit paper on a hard flat surface to ensure a flat even sand. I have seen people use old cutting boards, sink cutouts from counters, or similar materials. I use a 4" x 36" benchtop belt sander, which I use for a multitude of tasks in knife modding. I had it long before I ever started working on knives, it's just really handy.



Next, I use a pony clamp or vice grips to sandwich the two pieces together.



You can use a file or similar means to make the ends flush and square.



I have several of these 1" x 3" Harbor Freight belt sanders. They are not high quality machines, but they are a great value, and I use the heck out of them. I am using one here to sand the ends flush and square.



They don't have to be amazingly square right now, just close.



Do a quick check on your liners. Lay them up against a straight edge like so. If they are warped, gently bend them back into shape. It is important to maintain the flatness of the liners, otherwise when you glue things up and try to make them fit, things will not fit tight like they should.



Now we are going to attach the bolster pieces to the liners. You need to have sanded rough surfaces where things will attach.

 

[glennbad]

Make sure you sand the correct side, the one you marked with an M or P.



Now measure 1 1/4" from the edge and mark a line. Try to line it up so it will look correct. You can use the original shell to check against.







The best way to attach these bolster pieces is to solder them. Don't cut corners, do it right, and things won't fall apart. I have some liquid flux from a kit that also has solder in it, but I use different solder.




Next I take the pads off a pony clamp. I'm going to use it to hold things in place while I am soldering.



Cover the sanded/marked area with liquid flux, then place the bolster piece in place. Ensure things are lined up.

 

[glennbad]

Once things are clamped up, I put it in a vise. Trust me, you don't want to hold it.



Heat things up with a Mapp/Propane torch, then let the solder flow. You don't need tons of it, you'll just have to file/sand it off after anyway.



When you're done, and things are cooled off, they should look like this.



Of course, you can use a file or sandpaper to get rid of the excess bolster material.



I just use my belt sander. Make sure to use some water to keep things cool if you are using a belt sander.




Here's what they should look like at this point.



Now would be a good time to get a contour on your bolsters, whatever that would be.




Also, use files to clean up the inside part of the bolster, where the cover material will sit up against it. Things need to be flat and square for a good fit.

 

[glennbad]

I almost forgot one thing. It is really important to mark your work in some way, so in the event that the knife changes hands, people down the line don't think it's original factory work. Nothing fancy for me, I just use some metal punches.







Okay, we're just about ready to pick some cover material and attach it. Here's your clean bolster.



It's probably not a bad time to do a near finish on your bolsters. Metal can be tougher to sand and blend than wood or bone, so clean it up now before you attach your covers. I have scotchbrite belts, buffers, and compounds, so my work will go quicker. I may lose a few of you here, but it is possible to attain a nice finish with successive grits of sandpaper, it just takes a lot of time and elbow grease. You may also choose to leave your bolsters with a satin finish. Anyway, once you have them to some state of finish, you can move on.



For this project, I have chosen some antique green tapered workgroove bone.



The prep on whatever material you choose is the most important part of the finished look. The number one thing I see is that people just slap the material on and then sand away after. Usually that ends up in very thick handles or no jigging/color left from sanding. Take the time to remove excess from the back of the material, where it will attach to the liner. You want it to be very close to what the final thickness will be when finished. Also take the time to get a precise fit between the material and the bolster.



Now rough up the liners and the material backs. The epoxy needs something to grab onto.




Before gluing things up, clean all surfaces with alcohol and give a minute to dry. All the sanding and soldering and whatever can introduce oils and contaminants on the pieces.

 

[glennbad]

Use a good quality 2-part epoxy. I don't recommend the standard 5-minute stuff, plus, you want to give yourself time to work with the pieces and not rush. I use a 15-minute epoxy. There are many brands out there, and tons of testing done on them. Use whatever works for you.



Once you have everything ready, mix up your epoxy and clamp everything up.



Once everything is epoxied and dried, you should pin the cover up by the bolster. Mark the liner about 1/4" in from the bolster, then mark the center line to make an x.




Then you should drill your hole. Always use a backer behind what you are drilling through. That can help to reduce blowout of the material when the drill bit come through. I use a piece of leather most of the time. Whatever pin material you choose, drill your hole slightly larger than the pin. It should have a little wiggle room when inserted. The reason for this is when the pin is peened, it will spread. You don't want to crack the material. Once you have the hole drilled properly, use a larger drill bit to create a countersink inside the liner.





Next, take your pin material and put it in a vise. Use your hammer to slightly spread the pin to make a head like this.





Now, insert the pin from the liner side till it bottoms out . Then take some cutters and trim the pin down. You don't want a lot sticking up, maybe about as much length as the diameter of the pin.




Then carefully peen the pin that you just cut. Try to be precise with your hammer hits, and you don't have to wail on it. Take your time, enjoy the process. You want to mushroom the head. Once the pin is tight, you are good.

 

[glennbad]

Take your file and file down the pin on the liner side flush with the liner. Don't worry about scratches on the liner, you will sand those out.






Once you have filed down the pins on the liner side, you will want to sand the liners to get rid of any scratches. Use progressively finer grits. Take this as far as you wish to go. I have a buffer, so I like a fine shine on my liners.





Now you should drill out you holes for the pins in the covers. I start small with the bits and then work my way up. As before, use a backer to reduce blowout. As a general rule, you don't want to drill out your holes any larger than the liner holes.





Try to match the diameter of the existing pins. You don't want to go any smaller though, as that will affect the stiffness of the spring. However, whatever pin size you end up going with, make sure your holes are slightly larger. This is because when you peen you pins, they will spread, and you can crack your material easily if the pins holes are tight.




Now you can start assembly. Start by peening a head onto one end of your pin material. I usually start at the end of the knife. I also use small pin pieces to keep the whole thing in line.

 

[glennbad]

Trim you pin down. Pin height should be no more than the diameter of the pin.




Now you can peen things together. Remember, light solid taps, no heavy-handed hammering. If it's not super tight, don't sweat it, you can tighten it a little later.




Once the first one is done, you can do the middle pin.




Once that is complete, you can set the blades. You have to compress the springs to allow the pin to pass through the bolsters and the blade tangs. There is no easy way to do this, and there all tools for this. For our purposes, you can use vise grips or a vise.




Before you peen your bolster pin, you want to insert a slackener into the joint. A slackener is nothing more than a shim that will allow a slight bit of space once everything is peened.




Trim the pin like you did before, and start to peen the pin. I like to use a pony clamp to hold everything together as tight as I can. Start peening the bare end first, forming a head, then alternate to the other side for bit. Keep alternating back and forth until the joint is tight. Remove the slackener, and check the blade play. If there is some, lightly peen until things tighten up.




Now you have an assembled knife...




Take your time now to start to haft down all the excess materials. Files, sanders, sandpaper, whatever works for you. There's really no wrong way to do this. Just remember, you can take it off the knife, but it's kinda hard to put it back on.

 

[glennbad]

The last main step is to knock down the pins on the bolsters. You can use a file for this. Take them down to as close to flush as you can. Then you can use your sandpaper in progressively finer grits to get things smoothed out on the bolsters and the rest of the knife. Unless you have a sander or buffer, there are no shortcuts on this step, but it is the most rewarding part of the process.




So here is the finished knife.








I had to restore all the pics, as Photobucket wasn't being helpful....hope you enjoy, if you haven't seen these before!

 

[birdsbeaks]

The last main step is to knock down the pins on the bolsters. You can use a file for this. Take them down to as close to flush as you can. Then you can use your sandpaper in progressively finer grits to get things smoothed out on the bolsters and the rest of the knife. Unless you have a sander or buffer, there are no shortcuts on this step, but it is the most rewarding part of the process.

View attachment 2358125


So here is the finished knife.


View attachment 2358127
View attachment 2358128
View attachment 2358129



I had to restore all the pics, as Photobucket wasn't being helpful....hope you enjoy, if you haven't seen these before!

You've no idea how long and how hard I've searched for a description of the process just like this!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I'm sure you're making it look easier than it is, but I'm inspired to give it a go!

Off to find a donor! Wish me luck!

 

[RickHuf]

Outstanding!!!! Thank you so much.

 

[RickHuf]

Then carefully peen the pin that you just cut. Try to be precise with your hammer hits, and you don't have to wail on it. Take your time, enjoy the process. You want to mushroom the head. Once the pin is tight, you are good.

Since I have to learn everything the hard way in life... this happened a couple days ago.

It took weeks to prepare the dye, prep the bone, jig the bone and dye it. First pin and it all went south.

I'm buying a smaller hammer. Ball peen style since that's what is used by der Meister, here...

First time using bone and it's not as forgiving as wood. That's for sure.