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Millie Mod for tip-up carry?

D-R

D-R

Joined
May 16, 2003
Messages
143
Have seen a couple millies modified for tip up carry (drilled and tapped). Is there anyone providing this mod for a reasonable fee and decent turnaround time? And would it include the Ti version? I like the bigger form factor of the millie, but the Para2 is much more versatile because of the clip options.

D-R
 
Another mod you can do yourself for tip up carry on a military is to drill and countersink holes on the inside of the scale,install countersink head screws, and put small nuts on the
outside. You may or may not like the look of this method.


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I had planned on doing this mod myself as I'm in the same boat. Love the Millie, hate tip down carry. I've been looking for screws that have a coarser thread in hopes it will grip the g-10. I've got no idea if this will work however.
 
Don't drill and tap G-10. You could but the threads in the G-10 would be super weak. Even if you went to a 4-40 screw, it wouldn't have enough strength to stay sturdy for very long. As another poster mentioned, you can drill through holes and use nuts. To be specific, pay a visit to your local hobby shop. If they deal in radio control models, they will very likely carry an array of hardware from the Dubro company. Pick up a bag of 2-56 screws, 2-56 nuts and some super small shims or thin washers. Drill your holes in the G-10 starting with a very small bit and work up to the proper diameter hole slowly. This will help keep the holes looking neat, clean and precise. Clean and deburr the new holes with a new #11 xacto blade if needed. Depending on what type of pocket clip you use and where it's placed, you may not need to drill countersinks for the nuts on the inside of the G-10 scale. Just make sure the nuts aren't in the way of the tip of the blade when it's closed. Also be sure and use red loctite on the nuts. The blue thread locker is good but not strong enough in this specific application (just my own opinion). Are you going to grind a "wave" opener into the blade or stick with the zip ties?
 
I did my own tip-up conversion. It's real easy if you have a drill press. I used a spare Benchmade clip I had laying around. I just drilled/tapped into the G10 and used some blue loctite. Did this about 2 years ago and have never had a problem. You could probably use some red loctite or even gorilla glue or super glue and should be fine. I use mine a lot and never had an issue with the screws coming out of the G10. I'll admit it's not optimal, but it does the job just fine for me.
 
Thanks for the "tips" (heh) guys. I might go with the Ti version and do the threading for that. I like the idea of using nuts. Have also considered using the lanyard hole method. Bubblin- that is a good question. Definitely want a wave opening for this (raison d'etre IMHO for tip-up carry). I like the zip-ties for their cheapness, but I don't like them for their cheapness. Grinding on the blade is definitely an option, but I just love the profile of the millies and paras so much. Probably go with the set screw thumb stud method as a good compromise.
 
STR does a mod if you don't want to do yourself. He has a sub forum here.

For the wave, I also hate the look of zip ties. Ended up making one with small paper clip. Posted the same on EDC thread:

Both now waves without fail ;)
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Good luck!
 
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Chris, that actually looks very cool! I contacted STR, and unfortunately he is out of the modding game, only does pocket clips and prybars (don't blame him, it is good to take a break before burnout).
 
As another potential thought, have you considered using epoxied-in blind nuts?

McMaster part number 90975A002 is one for #4-40 screws. You would just drill and counterbore your hole as you would for the mod shown here, then use a dremel to cut off the anti-spin points for the blind nut and use a dab of epoxy to hold it into position. If necessary, use the dremel to grind off areas where they interfere. Once the epoxy has set, it should be very nearly as strong as the original, and let you use normal-looking screws.

EDIT--

Or here's even some blind nuts for #2-56s to keep a more stock-looking screw size. These are from Tower Hobby.
 
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